Contacting Car's Original Owner

[ZLP955]

Well after years of trying to track down my car's original owner after he moved, I recently found a new lead which has led to a new address and phone number half way across the USA from where he originally lived and owned/raced the car.
Before I pick up the phone, just thought I would ask any of you who have either already done this, or have been in the original owner's position of getting a cold call from a stranger (especially one 'down under'), what works well and what should be avoided upon initial contact?
Don't want to freak him out, but naturally I'm excited at the possibility of making contact at last and learning ANY new details about the car. Photos or paperwork would be icing on the cake but I'd settle for a good chat; Hopefully he has total recall :headbang:

[cudino]

Congrats on the new lead. I’ve made that very same phone call quite a few times, and was nervous each and every time. But, with only one exception, the previous owners were thrilled to discuss their old car with me. I started each call with something like, “Hello, my name is Wade, and I own an old car. By any chance did you used to own a ________ (color) _________ (year) ________ (model)?” From that point on just listen, answer questions, and enjoy the ride. As nervous as you might be, if you do strike gold the conversation that follows can be exhilarating! Yes, you might even get lucky enough to score old photos or paperwork, or just stories that you can preserve with your car. Definitely worth taking a shot.

Best of Luck!
- Wade

[bbbentley]

Likewise, congrats Tim. Nervous excitement is warranted. I have only had this opportunity once and it was not the original owner, but instead, clearing up a clouded title after 35 years!
My advice is; take a moment to be in the proverbial shoes of the call-ee? Imagine you were getting ”that” call. This will help you formulate the diplomacy to start the conversation? While “we” are all giddy about the prospects of this breakthrough moment, the person you call may be less enthusiastic? And, in an era of identity theft, over intrusive government and marketers, incessant scams and telemarketer overreach, don’t be surprised if your call is met with hostility and skepticism? I would take time to formulate a diplomatic opening statement, so as to not be immediately dismissed and hung up on through a misunderstanding.

My own story was a Model A I bought online several years back. Amazingly, the owner from 1974 sold the car without signing the back of the title, so it could not be transferred. The ad for the car said it ran and had title and was only $1500! I had to make a hasty decision as I knew it would not last at that price. It was after I committed to purchase the seller went on to explain the title situation. I asked for the name and address of the person (a woman)on this title before making the trip to retrieve the now, seemingly poor decision and purchase. Upon hanging up the phone, I got online and did a person search. To my amazement, and delight, I had the last laugh, because not only did I find the lady on the title, she still lived at the same address as on the title from ‘74! A phone number was provided, as well. I got up the courage to make that call. Upon answering, I said,” Uh, I am so and so and I live in Ohio. I am not sure how to start this conversation, so I will just be direct, but I would like to know if you owned a Model A back in 1974?” I was met with a, “Why yes!” And the rest went so well. She offered to take care of the title for which I promised that I would pay all fees and compensate for any inconvenience of her time in the matter. I sent her flowers and a friendship flourished. She explained that a car dealer pestered her to sell them the car. When she finally agreed, the dealer told her not to worry about the title, they would take care of everything. Crazy? We exchanged Christmas cards that year. The next year, I got a Christmas card from just her hubby. He gave me the news of her passing that year. It was sobering to realize I came that close to not taking care of this title.
Tim, please, I did not intend to hijack your post. But the story was too good to not tell and, as the late Paul Harvey would say, “ And that, is the rest of the story...gooday.”

[ZLP955]

Thanks Wade and Bentley. Yes, possibly overthinking this but very wise advice; I sent the original owner a letter probably 5 years ago, enclosing photos of the car as I bought it. I hoped he would get in touch but as I'm not in the USA, couldn't enclose a reply-paid envelope. So not sure if he got the letter and wasn't interested in any contact, or if he had already moved across the country and the letter was never received.
I think my biggest concern is how a person would react to feeling they've been hunted down via the internet and cold-called in their home..... nowadays privacy is not what it once was.
Another consideration is the time of day to phone, over here business marketing callers often call in the evenings and it drives me crazy, disturbing family meal times; is there any particular times it's considered ok to phone if not family/friends?

BTW great story on the Model A Bentley! Interestingly, the 'A-bone' was built locally here too, down in Victoria; quite a few still survive due to the climate, and my in-laws recall running one on the family sheep farm well into the 70's.

[njsteve]

The original owner of my SD455 was ecstatic. I call him. No one was home so I left a message saying who I was and that I had a 73 Firebird that I think he bought new.

Within ten minutes he called back, all out of breath repeating the same phrase: "YOU FOUND HER! YOU FOUND HER!!!!!"

and the rest is history. :-)

[JKZ27]

Tim, I've done this as well with my silver 69. I made contact first by sending a letter with a description of the car, my name and number. Also, included an apology in case he didn't care to hear from me. I received a call the next evening and we talked for hours. He was so excited to finally hear back from his car. We've remained in contact over the years and in 2013 my wife and I drove the car to him so he could experience it again(as an unrestored old car). Very exciting and memorable. I wish you luck and look forward to hearing about it.

[70 copo]

Contact him ASAP. There can be significant documents pertaining to your car. Here is an image of my first face to face meeting with the original owner of the last Norwood Camaro.

This meeting came about through persistence. It took me a year and a half to set up the meeting, and the timing had to be perfect to reach an agreement to release the documentation.

[flyingn]

I have never met a previous owner who was not thrilled to hear about their old car. Make that call! Im sure you will find the same thing

[Igosplut]

I've been trying to track down the original owner(s) of my 70 Nova for years (who of all things lost it to his wife in a divorce in 72, and egged the car the night before she left with it) I've contacted all the previous owners, and with the exception of two being, shall we say "eccentric" it all went well (one even still had parts from the car). I would say the hardest thing with a cold call, is convincing whoever answers that you are not some kind of telemarketer. But do it right away, as one day can make all the difference...

[Keith Seymore]

The original owner of my SD455 was ecstatic. I call him. No one was home so I left a message saying who I was and that I had a 73 Firebird that I think he bought new.

Within ten minutes he called back, all out of breath repeating the same phrase: "YOU FOUND HER! YOU FOUND HER!!!!!"

and the rest is history. :-)

I restored a Farmall tractor that I purchased out of a field locally.

After I finished it I drove it back over to the seller's house to show them.

The wife answered the door and said "oh my. OH MY!"

When the husband came out, he walked around it and pretty much the only thing he said was "Damn fine job. Damn fine job!"

K

[BCreekDave]

I have never met a previous owner who was not thrilled to hear about their old car. Make that call! Im sure you will find the same thing

I too encourage the OP to make contact, but it isn't always a positive experience.

I am the 4th owner of my car and reached out to the second and original owners and while the original owner was great, I was threatened with serious bodily harm from the second owner. Come to find out from the third owner that the guy was fairly well known in the area of being aligned with the mob and his son had just the year before committed suicide after the police were closing in for the disappearance of his son's wife, who they still have never found. Not everybody shares the love of an old musclecar!

I went so far as to postal mail letters explaining my search and included a pre-addressed and stamped envelope that if they did not want to be contacted, to just put the envelope in the mail and I would then know that they do not want to be contacted further. I did not receive the letter back so after some time I called #2 and that's when I was threatened.

[Tracker1]

I have never met a previous owner who was not thrilled to hear about their old car. Make that call! Im sure you will find the same thing

X2

[earntaz]

I for one would be THRILLED to see some of my old cars/trucks ... TAZ :flag:

[chevyman0429]

I have the original owners name and address of my car called 4 times left messages on his voicemail and sent 2 letters to his address and never heard anything back! A good friend of his is who gave me the information but asked me not to mention how I got his information!

[Rumbleguts396]

I found the Original owner of My 1969 Corvette in the early 1990’s. He was over the top thrilled when I reached out to him as he hadn’t seen his old corvette since the 1970’s. I am lucky enough to be in instant contact at anytime. Having his cell and sending him photos and asking questions about the cars history. My initial contact was not easy. I have all the original purchase documents. His address when he purchased the car New was the USNA in Annapolis Md. This was before google etc. So I called the alumni office of the USNA. Luckily and helpful lady answered my call. She Looked up his name and bingo. She had a current address as he was on the alumni mailing list. She told me he was a retired Captain/Pilot and his Information was classified. She told to write him a letter and mail it to her at the alumni office and she would slip it into the next quarterly mailing. 6 months later he called my house thrilled!!! And we speak several times a year. So morale of the story. Don’t give up. Car guys will ALWAYS be Car Guys!!!! Rob

[ZLP955]

Thanks everyone, I expected a range of experiences from other's attempts but I don't really have anything to lose, and a lot to gain if it pays off. I got quite a lot of details and info on the car's history when I bought it, but it was mostly anecdotal. A couple of key pieces of that info have been supported by the recent discovery of information which led to finding the original owner contact details.
I'm travelling on business but will be making that call when home for the weekend, wish me luck!

[Mr70]

I have never met a previous owner who was not thrilled to hear about their old car. Make that call! Im sure you will find the same thing

I shared this thought,until the one time I contacted a previous owner and they hung up.Found out later their son owned the car I was asking about car but was now deceased.
Seems the Father did not want to talk about it.
After I later wrote a letter to them explaining,the Mother wrote me back saying they don't wish to discuss the car because their son came home from Vietnam & soon died.They blamed that car but wouldn't tell me why.Seems he sevred 2 tours and lived,yet came back home & it was the car that killed him.
Father wrote in the note if he ever saw the car again,he was going to spit on it,if not kick & curse it. :(

[cudino]

One other thing to prepare for is if they ask about the car’s current value, and/or how much you paid for it. Certainly these cars have gone up in value since their ownership, sometimes significantly. In my experience, especially if you are normally humble/private about this kind of info, I’ve found just answering these questions without reservation is the best. After all, you have contacted them, basically a total stranger, asking them to relay information to you, so be prepared to do the same. Initially, I was concerned that prior owners might feel bad about letting a car go that is now considered “valuable”. Especially in the case of original or early owners, who owned these value-less cars while they were still depreciating, for the most part I’ve seen just the opposite. The fact that they have historically played a key role in the ownership, or perhaps even ordering, of a car that not only still exists today but is also considered “valuable” is something they cherish. Of course not every prior owner will have this same response, but for the most part that’s what I’ve seen.

Plus, here’s one other thing I’ve seen. You might be surprised how many “facts” these early owners will share about their cars, “facts” that simply cannot be true based on the knowledge-base we have today. I’ve also found to leave these memories alone and just listen, there’s no benefit in questioning these “facts”. Like I said, listening and answering questions seems to be the best approach, at least through the first contact.

Best of luck, and let us know how it goes.
- Wade

[BCreekDave]

While I had troubles with the second owner I had a wonderful time talking to the first owner. She sent me a few photos and gave me some great history. You just never know what hands a car has passed through. Most of these cars have always meant more to the owners than just transportation. They bought them for a special reason so right there you have something in common.

[Woj]

The original owner of my SD455 was ecstatic. I call him. No one was home so I left a message saying who I was and that I had a 73 Firebird that I think he bought new.

Within ten minutes he called back, all out of breath repeating the same phrase: "YOU FOUND HER! YOU FOUND HER!!!!!"

and the rest is history. :-)


When I attempted to contact the original owner of my COPO Chevelle, I got a recording and left a brief message stating that I owned an Orange 69 Chevelle with a 427 and the original owner's name matched the owner of the number I called.

He called back shortly thereafter and was thrilled that the car was still around and couldn't wait to come see it (it had been 45 years). We have been friends ever since (3 years now) and exchange emails on a regular basis. He's still a car guy.

[Crush]

I have done this 3 times so far. In one instance I even hired a guy who specializes in such.
Overall, they have been good experiences. As already stated one particular owner wanted to know how much I paid for it and then went on to say how he couldn't afford to own it now. He was a little crusty but still was kind enough to share important details about the car
I have only been able to receive a few old pictures but nothing more. I didn't go into it with the expectation I would find POP, old books etc.. but was hopeful to document the conversations via email and add such to any other documents I had.
Im sure like many on this board it is part of the thrill of having these cars and trucks. Many times I feel like a little kid finding something that no one else could and then being able to tell the story of my findings.

Have fun with it!

[ZLP955]

Just mdae an opportunity to make that important call; unfortunately no cigar. Both 'new' phone numbers I obtained in the last few days are no longer in service; got a pre-recorded message saying that each number was disconnected.
So, the search continues. Owner #2 was Merle Duprey, who recently passed away. I just spoke again to Owner #3 (I bought it from him; so I'm #4) and double-checked some of the info he provided; turns out he managed to call the original owner around 15 years or so ago, and will see if he has anything more that didn't come to me.
Owner #3 did say that #1 provided info where he could but felt he had moved on from that time in his life and wasn't at all interested in the car's ongoing story. He was still involved in motor sport but had taken a different direction away from drag racing and had other interests.
Glad I made those calls today anyway, despite the result; will keep on trying to get in contact, even if he's still disinterested in the car, I'd like to hear that myself to close my interest out on that front.

[MYSTERYCHEVELLE]

Same here. Have made such calls many times. Always be polite. and if you get any form of reluctance to speak with you., continue to be polite and never burn a bridge.

I've received valuable docs. Vintage photos and information I never would have known

Mike

[Motorhead848]

I just got in touch with the original owner of my 1969 z. Husband and wife were both listed on the POP. So I did an internet search and sent a letter with 3 different ways I could be contacted (phone, email, and us mail). That way they had the option of communication. With in days I received an email from the wife who was elated to know the car still existed and about an hour prior to writing this I received my first black and white photos of the car on its first road trip to the coast!!! Always worth a shot. Nothing to lose!!

Mark

[SeattleCarGuy]

I have been very fortunate in tracking down the second owner of my 1968 L72 Biscayne. He owned the car from July 1969-1973 after the first owner got drafted and had to sell it back to the dealership. He was thrilled to know the car still existed and in our conversations a nice friendship has developed. He has confirmed all kinds of information about the car (factory L72/M22/4.10), welded on tow tabs, cuts for electric fuel pumps, etc., and has sent me original time slips, photos and home movies of him racing it at Minnesota Dragways and other strips. I offered to pay for all of these items and he would not accept any money. He was friends with the first owner and unfortunately, when I tried to contact the first owner, found out he had passed just months before. I have offered to pay all travel expenses for the second owner to come out to Washington as I want to get photos of him with the car now, including recreating a photo of him in a t-shirt in the car from when he first bought it, 50 years apart.

[SS427]

Wow Paul, that is cool and would be awesome. I am working on doing the same for the "Black Mariah" LS6 as the original owner is still alive and well and still married to the only woman he allowed to sit on his car. One of these days we will get everyone reunited. He was a wealth of information during the restoration. We too have become good friends.

[ZLP955]

Great story and picture Rick!
Although maybe NOT one to try and recreate once you hold that reunion.....

[TimG]

I let the original owner of a car I owned know it would be in Chicago for a show. He showed up and brought his son that had never seen his dads car. He wished he had kept a medallion from an Illinois Corvette Club I had mounted on the plate, he had an original set of keys he kept, so we traded the medallion for the keys. We were both very happy with the trade.

Thanks to Chris P for helping me get this car.

[ZLP955]

You can't put a price on that, the smiles are enough. Good for you!

[67since67]

Well done Tim! :biggthumpup: