oldjunk

Hi guys,
I bought my first car back in 1986, a 1975 Olds Cutlass. It was maroon with white Landau top, had aluminum deep-dish slotted mags, was jacked to the heavens with air shocks, and had a 442 hood (with the louver in the middle). In a moment of stupidity, I traded it off during my college days. I traded it at a used car dealership in Hastings, Nebraska.

Here is my question (finally!)...

Have any of you guys tried to trace down a car you once owned? Maybe through the department of vehicles? I know each state is probably different, but it sure would be cool if I could locate that car, pop in my Whitesnake tapes, and go cruising once more!

If anyone has any idea if this is possible, or has had success tracking down a car from the past, please respond. Thanks for your time!

Olds64

I've had thoughts about tracking down an old car before. However, it would probably be easier to recreate your car with a new project. If you are determined to find your old car you might start at the dealer you sold it to. Maybe they have records. If they can't help you out then the only option is DMV.

jaunty75

Olds64's suggestion that you start with the dealer you traded it is a good one. If he has any records, he might be able to at least tell you who bought it. You don't say when you traded it, but if it was long ago (back in the 80s or early 90s), the dealer might not have anything depending on how long they keep records. You also don't say what kind of dealer you traded it to. An established new car dealer is probably more likely to have records (or, heck even still be in business) from that far back than the corner used car lot would.

If the dealer doesn't have anything, then, yes, the DMV in the state you sold it would be the next stop. But I doubt they could do much unless you at least have the VIN. Without it, the DMV might have no easy way to search for the car in their records.

I don't know if auto titles are considered public documents the way, for example, birth certificates and wills are (once their probated). If they're not, then even if you have the VIN, you might not be able to get very far.

I traced the ownership history of an old Olds I once had by starting with the current title. In Ohio, the number of the previous title is printed on the new title, and I was able to keep going backwards from that, from title to title, from county title office to county title office, until I hit a wall when, at one point, the owner had lost the title and a new one had to be created. At that point, the previous title number had been lost, so that's where I had to stop. But I was able to determine the sequence of owners, including where they lived and the exact dates of ownership for the most recent 11 years of the car's then 27 years of existence.

I guess all this means is that, yes, titles are public documents. I didn't actually have to examine any personally, but the people at the various title offices I contacted in the various Ohio counties were not reluctant to share information with me.

The other piece of advice I have is that, if you do call DMV offices or title offices or whatever, be very polite. Remember, what you're asking for is not part of their regular jobs. Many are harried, and asking them to stop serving the line of customers waiting to get a new title or whatever so that they can help you on your flight of fancy is asking a real favor. No one refused to do it in my experience, and some even took an interest in the result for the same reason I did. But be patient, be polite, and thank them profusely!

The bottom line is, you're not going to know for sure if tracing the car is possible until you try. Good luck.