Richard's right, and we probably all have stories.

In the early '70s I was given an Old English Sheep dog. I'd wanted one for years (I blame Walt Disney). One day I got a call from a friend of a friend of a friend deal. He said he was a professional photographer and heard I loved dogs, and wanted an OESD. He had one that he had to kennel whenever he went on a shoot, which was pretty frequently, and he felt the dog needed more attention than he could give. This was a pure bred with a file two inches thick of paperwork, and a name longer than a lawyer's excuse. Also had a box full of show ribbons and trophies. Oh boy, what a score!! Byron was what we called him for short, and he was one of the neatest dogs ever.......well, personality wise, but higher maintenance than Lindsey Lohan! (wait, this IS going to turn into a car story).

About the same time I came across a guy who needed some money and had a pair of '39 Chev coupes. Since this was in So. Cal the bodies were VERY nice, though neither ran. I'd already owned one '39 Chev coupe that I'd gotten rid of a year or so earlier, so I was stoked. $600 for the pair, which in the early '70s was a pretty good deal, though not as much as it seems today. After all, that was about a months pay at the time. I had it all planned out how one of them would become a great street ride.

Well, Lord Byron had a different idea. He developed a couple medical issues that pretty much ate up that $600 stash. So much for a "free" pure bred (only had and have had mutts since). And another missed opportunity for some neat old cars.