Vehicle History

[bobbyg]

How can I find out previous owners and history of my 67 RS SS350 Camaro? I purchased the car in 86 but not from the original owner..
Thank you.
Bobby

[Belair62]

Please take a minute to fill out your profile for us....Does the previous owner have any info or old titles...or did you get any of that when you bought the car ??/if you have names you can do White Pages searches on Yahoo,AOL etc....but you need a previous owners name to start and a bit of luck...there are title searches too but I personally have never tried that and I believe its getting hard to do depending on the State.

[Pantera]

Title searches are a thing of the past. After the famous gal in Calif. was killed by a nut that located her that way all the states closed thier files to the public.

I have been trying to find any info from the past for my '69 Baldwin Motion Vette and have had no luck at all.

Like Belair says: "without a name" you are smooth out of luck.

My car was on the cover of a Car magazine and nobody can remember who it was that first bought it from Motion.

Even when you have a name it is hard because people move and there are no records of that you can access.

Ask everybody you can and go through the car inside just to see if it might have a clue like a old bank deposit slip down behind the door panel that some kid put there when daddy was not looking. If it has been tagged continusly then you might be able to find the previous name of the owner. Tag agents usually destroy records after 7 to 10 years of inactivity.

Good luck,

Pantera

[kenham]

Belair and Pantera have said it all, you generally need a name to trace. I was able to find the original owner of a car I once owned by a service sticker on the door jam that was over 20 years old. I went to the location on the sticker and found an old fella that remembered the car and still serviced the parents car. I have a 68 RSSS now that I searched and found a letter from 1986 in the trunk wheelwell from a high school to the second owner. Uncommon name so I was able to locate him. I'm helping a friend locate a previous owner with a very common name (I'm a PI)
There are 256 people with that name in the state so I've sent a letter to each.
Also Pantera is correct that most states only archive records for around 5 years.
Thats it, get a flashlight and start looking.
Good luck
kenham

[njsteve]

Check with the state you want to do the title search in. The federal law that controls the privacy acts in the various states allows exceptions for certain reasons. One of the larger loopholes allows a search for "research purposes". Some states still do keep their old records on file. I was able to find the original owner and second owner of my Z11 through Maryland DMV which allowed the "research" exception. Maryland keeps microfiche copies of all documents. Mine were from 1978. Check this website for DMV info for the various states: http://www.highwayhome.com/automotive/dmvcenters/divisionmotorvehicledept.html Good luck

[jus4funn68]

Pantera when did that law come into effect? I ask for a history on my car in my state (North Carolina)and for $5 I got a complete title history and history of most of the inspections the car had. I just had to sign a form stating that I would not use the information to contact the previous owners. This was a year and a half ago. Im sure other states are more strict. Maybe the law has changed here since then? Kevin

[Pantera]

I understand that it was suppost to happen but appearantely is not in effect. Perhaps this only happened in Calif. That is where the star was stalked and was killed. Now that I think about it the aclu may have squelched it as a right of anyone to access public records. i know it is sure how the dam junk mail people get my address.

When I called one I was told that those records were not open to anyone. Go figgure??

I know I tried to get some from NY state and they only have records back 7 years and if they are inactive they are destroyed.

If anyone can find out if they are on microflim I might go there and do a search for my Motion vette in person.

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Most states have the research purpose option, but not all. Each state has microfiche, but it's hit or miss whether the paper processor will dig that far or just send it back as 'too old'. Maryland is cracking down too, they used to be one of the best states to do title work in, now they are sending stuff back - with your money!

[camarojoe]

Bummer! http://www.yenko.net/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif

[bobbyg]

Thank you.

[JRSully]

Has anybody had any success with the NICB lately.?? Does it still exist and what does it show if anything.?

Sully

[NCGuy68]

[ QUOTE ]
Has anybody had any success with the NICB lately.?? Does it still exist and what does it show if anything.?

Sully

[/ QUOTE ]

Good question Sully.....can anyone shed light on this?

On the other hand many, if not all states require court litigation before any old documents are released if they still have them. A presiding Judge's order will do it, but this only happens when a estate is disputed and includes the car. This is the road-block I hit when trying to document my Van Nuys built 68 RS/Z28. Even had friends within the State Highway Patrol run the VIN. No luck with anything usefull.

Hope someone else gets better results than I did.

[hvychev]

The NICB does in fact exist. Here is how it works. You, me, and most average Joes cannot get access to it. You have to have a connection somewhere which probably involves a kick back of some sort or just a plain old favor. There are some people here that have access through connections or influence.

[njsteve]

You may want to check with your insurance agent and see if he or she knows someone at NICB (National Insurance Crime Bureau).