Looking for my dads old car
December 31st, 2015, 09:30 AM
#1
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Clinton Twp, MI
Posts: 435
Looking for my dads old car
Looking for my dads old 71 Cutlass. He sold the car in the mid 90’s in Sterling Heights, MI. It was a 71 with 72 headlamp buckets and tail lamps. It was a white car with white interior 350 car. Any tips would be appreciated.
December 31st, 2015, 03:24 PM
#2
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: southeastern Michigan
Posts: 14,238
Get him a car that's just like or as close as you can come to what he had. The likelihood of finding the actual car he once had after having lost track of it 20 years ago is practically zero. Even if you did find it, the current owner might not want to sell it.
January 1st, 2016, 07:02 PM
#4
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Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Rowlett, TX
Posts: 10,030
Do you have the VIN ? If you do, try Googling it or check with you states DMV. I am sure they would not tell you who it is registered to but they might tell you if it is registered. If you don't have the VIN, you have no chance of finding it. Good luck.
January 1st, 2016, 07:31 PM
#5
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Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: southeastern Michigan
Posts: 14,238
Your state's DMV will only be able to tell you if the car is still in existence if it is registered in your state. If the car has been taken out of state, they won't be able to help you. In 20 years, the car could be anywhere.
Frankly, I think googling the VIN is likely to be fruitless. There is no database of vehicle VINs (except for accident-checking services like Carfax, but they only go back to about 1981 or whenever the 17-digit VIN became the standard), and there is no reason for any particular vehicle's VIN, of the several hundred million cars that have been produced since cars have had VINs associated with them, to be online anywhere. If the car had ever been reported stolen and the VIN was publicized, then perhaps yes. Otherwise it's unlikely. It's worth doing, though, as it takes only a second.
My guess is, though, that, after 20 years, you probably don't know the VIN, anyway.
I just now googled the VIN of my '67 Delta 88 and got this.
Your search - 358677M349273 - did not match any documents.
Suggestions:
As far as I know, over its now 49 years of existence, my car has always been registered somewhere. It has been continuously registered by me since 2009.
Frankly, I think googling the VIN is likely to be fruitless. There is no database of vehicle VINs (except for accident-checking services like Carfax, but they only go back to about 1981 or whenever the 17-digit VIN became the standard), and there is no reason for any particular vehicle's VIN, of the several hundred million cars that have been produced since cars have had VINs associated with them, to be online anywhere. If the car had ever been reported stolen and the VIN was publicized, then perhaps yes. Otherwise it's unlikely. It's worth doing, though, as it takes only a second.
My guess is, though, that, after 20 years, you probably don't know the VIN, anyway.
I just now googled the VIN of my '67 Delta 88 and got this.
Your search - 358677M349273 - did not match any documents.
Suggestions:
- Make sure all words are spelled correctly.
- Try different keywords.
- Try more general keywords.
As far as I know, over its now 49 years of existence, my car has always been registered somewhere. It has been continuously registered by me since 2009.
January 1st, 2016, 07:55 PM
#6
Proud Viet Nam Veteran
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Rowlett, TX
Posts: 10,030
Based on the cost and amount of time required, it would probably be pointless to Google the VIN. I did meet a guy at the Dallas Autorama a couple years ago that found his original big block 69 Chevelle by Googling the VIN. I can't imagine how he did that. They state you live in only keeps records for that state. Really.
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