“Tis better to have loved and lost, then never to have loved at all”, wrote the British poet Alfred Lord Tennyson in 1849. Amazingly before the automobile was even invented – however the words are no less relevant in this context too.
I hear it all the time. “If only I had bought this-or-that…”. I’ll leave it up to you to insert pretty much any random name of a classic car, as I believe I’ve heard it of most. From Anadol to Zastava Zil. There are tons of enthusiasts who regret having not bought a specific classic car, which they had the opportunity to own at some point. The reasons vary, but all too often it’s a lack of courage which turned out to be the deciding factor.
But there’s of course also the other variant of this regret: “If only I had never sold this-or-that…”. And that one probably also covers most marques from Alfa Romeo to Zimmer. It might be your first classic car, one which was in particularly good condition or had an interesting history – or the more popular version especially in recent years, one which has suddenly shot up in value.
In stark contrast, I very rarely hear an enthusiast say: “I should have never bought this-or-that…” car. Obviously, we all hear a variety of horror stories concerning the challenges of owning, maintaining or perhaps restoring certain classic cars, but very rarely to the extent of regret. And even on that rare occasion when ownership has turned so sour that it turns into an “I wish I had never…” outcry, it is still often followed up by an endearing “but when it did drive, it was just amazing” or “it was just so beautiful” or similar words to that effect.
My conclusion is that Tennyson was absolutely right. Even though he used his words about a deceased friend rather than about classic cars. “Tis better to have loved and lost, then never to have loved at all”. It really is.
There is not so much as a smidgen of doubt in my mind. I bought my first classic car in 1993, and yes, our relationship had its own little challenges as well, but I loved it dearly. I sold it three years later, but those three years spent together were fabulous. Since then I have owned many other classic cars, and I have loved them all. Yet, I have also sold the vast majority again.
It’s only natural that the emptiness which is felt with ever sale will hurt for a while. But it is better than having not loved at all.
So let’s dedicate this whole week to the love of classic cars: Based on the principal that there are more people who have regretted not buying, than there are people who have regretted buying. So we ask all our readers to share their passion – and compassion – and tell their tales and experiences of classic car ownership. We all have them, and it might just give the non-classic-car-owning-ViaRETRO-reader that last little portion of courage to finally commit and buy his or her first classic. Help them to not have to regret later in life.
Have you ever had regrets about not buying a particular classic car which you had fallen for? And if so, why didn’t you buy it when you had the chance? Or do you perhaps have regrets about selling one? Is ViaRETRO right when we proclaim that “Any classic car is better than no classic car”? Even if it will inevitably just lead to losing that car again later in life? And was it perhaps exactly this which Tennyson had foreseen? Please continue making up more questions, and then share with us your stories in the reply section below. Thank you!
And as an added bonus, if you are a particularly constructive ViaRETRO-reader and wish to share the love with fellow enthusiasts, please do send in suggestions of great classics found for sale to primefindoftheweek@viaretro.co.uk, and we will choose the best for this Saturdays Prime Find.
