Visit from the original owner of my 68 Z

[HuggerSS]

The original owner Chuck stopped over to see the 1968 Z28 he purchased new in 1968. It was a emotional reunion, especially when I let him drive the car. He sold the car in the early 80’s with just 10,000 mile on it (it now has 14.800).

He claims the car was only wet once. He was at a Eat and Park in the mid 70’s and it started drizzling. He sat there for a hour waiting for ground to dry up before he left.

This was a emotional experience for both of us… it will always be Chucks car, I am just the current caretaker.

[napa68]

That's awesome Paul!

[Rfish]

Not sure how this all came about but the fact that you feel it will always be his car and you let him take it out once again,,, class act!!

[MosportGreen66]

Thanks for sharing. Must have been a great day for you both - and the car too!

[NorCam]

Yup...that's just awesome so it is!

[dustinm]

Brings a tear to my eye. You sir have class.

[Crush]

Great story! Curious, every time I hear these types of reunions, how often does the original owner ever ask to buy the car back?
I had a situation with one of my cars and it got uncomfortable.

[Z282NV]

That is an awesome thing that you did.:biggthumpup: Many of us will never have that opportunity.

[TimG]

What a great story,

[BCreekDave]

Great story! Curious, every time I hear these types of reunions, how often does the original owner ever ask to buy the car back?
I had a situation with one of my cars and it got uncomfortable.
I could see that, especially if the former owner hasn't been tracking these car costs. They might expect to buy it back for what they sold it for plus maybe a bit for inflation. When you tell them what similar cars are going for really they may get upset that you are trying to take advantage of them.

[GrumpyJeff]

Great story! Curious, every time I hear these types of reunions, how often does the original owner ever ask to buy the car back?
I had a situation with one of my cars and it got uncomfortable.
About two years ago i reunited my 70 Chevelle with the OO, we spent the entire day just talking about the car , and of course i let him take it for a lengthy cruise around his old stomping grounds. His final words that day were if you ever wanna sell it ? Fast forward to this past fall i offered him the car at exactly what i had into it , which was actually below market value. I'm guessing he didnt realize what these car are worth ? Because he never mentioned it again ! So glad he didn't take me up on it !!!

[HuggerSS]

Chuck was suck a great guy. He was very emotional after seeing the car, it even got me a choked up. When he sat in the driver seat and put his hands on the wheel, I think he was instantly 18 years old again!
My wife and I took Chuck and his wife Donna to dinner. Over dinner, he explained the car to me in and out. He said he wanted to buy the car from Yenko which was down the street from his house, but his girlfriend at the time, her family owned Gourley Chevrolet. He received a substantial discount ordering it from Gourley Cheverlet.
He also told me he ordered a wood wheel for the car, when the car arrived it had the deluxe steering wheel. He made the dealer change it to the wood wheel before he took delivery of the car.
This was a great experience for both of us. Chuck has become a true friend.... he gave me his blessing to take care of his car.

[R68GTO]

Very cool story Paul, thank you for sharing it!

[Xplantdad]

So very cool, Paul. Thanks for sharing. These types of posts make this the best muscle car site on the net! :biggthumpup:

[Steve Shauger]

Paul, that is awesome you got together with orig owner. Very rewarding for both of you. You are the perfect caretaker....Congratulations!

[carnut4life]

Meeting previous owners and hearing their stories is one of my favorite parts of the old car hobby. It's even better when they tell you from behind the wheel, congratulations Paul and thanks for sharing.

[scuncio]

Very cool and a rare opportunity with our cars being 50+ years old.

[A12pilot]

Man, that's awesome! I was fortunate to meet the original owner of my A12 Super Bee and he left this world knowing it was finally getting restored. Great post and great pic!!:headbang:

Cheers
Dave

[dykstra]

Super cool Paul! What a great story.

[ACR]

What a great way to share the current life of the car with the original owner. It seems like such a foreign concept down here in Australia. Getting in touch with the previous owners of both my 68s had me stonewalled with people disinterested in helping out with the cars history or even telling me more about their time with the car. Going a few owners back or even to the original owner is almost unthinkable. Very jealous.

[mssl72]

That's a great reunion!

[muscle_collector]

did he say why he sold it?

[HuggerSS]

He did say why he sold it. Unfortunately his family experienced a life changing event. It’s not my place to talk about it, but he had good reason for selling it.....