finding car history ,info needed.

[CUSTOMD]

hi,im trying to get some help on the best way to find the history to a colector car i now own,i want to document the life of this car from its purchase new in 1972,such as previous owners and there time spent with this car.
car fax only tells of its accident history,id like to be able to contact all the previous owners themselvs and i know about the privacy laws most states have.
any help/leads as to where to start would be greatly apreciated.
leave replys or you can email me directly at
[email protected] thanks DON

[djunod]

Start by asking the person that you bought the car from who they bought the car from... and work your way back. If it's an interesting car, then each of the previous owner would probably love to talk with you about what they remember. Some will even be willing to share photos that they have of the car when they owned it.

[70 ls6 convert]

isnt there a site ,that brings past owners,through vin #s and new owners iterested in history of special cars?

[Pantera]

I wish there was some place like that! Trying to find previous owners is a pain. Forget Carfax on anything older than 1981 They don't bother to inform you that their records can only go back that far cause that is when they the car companys went to 17 digit vin #'s.

You are pretty much out of luck with most states as they purge all their records older than 7 years if the car has not been continusly kept taged.

I have been trying to just find out who bought a Corvette that was on the cover of a 1969 car magazine and so far nobody even knows the name of who bought it new from Motion, much less who any of the previous owners were.

Your best chance like djunod says is to chase the chain of previous owners back. That is if you can and they are still alive. I wish you all the luck in the world. you'r gonna need it.

You might post a pic of the car and as much as you know about it, on here and one of the forums devoted to that particular model of car, on the off chance someone may remember the car and has some info you can use.

Pantera

[NCGuy68]

Good advice Pantera. As you said, Carfax is a joke and most states don't keep owner history after seven years.

I've tried to trace the history of my Van Nuys built 68 Z28. Even got a NC State Trooper to run the VIN thru Sacramento. I was informed that unless the car was in court litigation, or in a contested Estate settlement, I was out of luck.

[Pantera]

Both of my Motions came from the Dallas area. I had Texas run a trace on them but they could not find them by the vin #.

If I can find a prior owners name or a old tag # then they might be able to narrow them down on the tape records they have archived. If I had a name then I would have what I need to find.

Oh well??

[All American Racer]

My next step is a NCIB report. NJ DMV had no record of my car. Seven years and gone is correct. Marc

[YENKO DEUCE REGISTRY]

Again, it depends on the state, nothing is ever completely 'gone' it's simply archived. The standard request will not always get you a search of the archived records, some states do it automatically others do not. Don't lose hope, just start the journey - they all start with a single step. Start with the DMV of the state it was sold new in, and go from there. Send me a PM if you need help.

[All American Racer]

Thanks Marlin, your explanation does sound better than mine and I agree 100% with the "archive" statement.

[resto4u]

Marlin, did you get my PM? Roger