Am I Being Unreasonable? Original Owner Wants Car Back
Not much to say other than to repeat what's been said repeatedly: Your car, your rules. If selling it was the furthest thing from your mind prior to this fella surfacing, it still should be. I'll be honest, you've been a lot more flexible with this man than I would've been. Everything has its price, sure, but that price can often be way beyond reasonable... and that's the seller's option. Nobody's under any obligation to make someone else's dream a reality.
I'd love to get my old Challenger (or its engine and/or transmission) back, but if I was told no, that would be perfectly reasonable. I'm not sure the car itself even exists anymore. Would I pay more than current market value for any of the three? Yes, but emotional attachment is a funny (and kind of stupid, if I'm honest) thing. The current owner of the engine--I know where that is--has had it in his car for over 30 years. He's made a lot more memories with it than I did. Good for him; if he doesn't want to sell, I get it. I have numerous other 340s, including one I've owned for 30+ years that is simply not for sale, ever, to anyone. These days, I'm more about the memories I want to make in a car. The "continuing story" bit definitely has its appeal, but it's a purely emotional and somewhat silly one. I've already got a different Challenger--which I'm outfitting like the old one--with which I'll make a bunch of new memories.