Newb from Michigan
July 22nd, 2009, 10:33 AM
#1
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Newb from Michigan
Hi everyone,
My name Is Kevin, I joined to gain more knowledge about the 442. The main reason I joined is because my dad's favorite car he has ever owned was a 1968 Olds 442. He regrets that he sold it everyday and I figured sense he has helped me out so much I want to find it and by it back for him. Here is the problem he did not save the vin from the car nor does he remember who he sold it to. Is there any way you can search previously owned cars vins? Or does anybody have an Idea on how I can start the hunt. The only thing I have to start with is pictures of what the car used to look like. Dont know if this helps but it was a chicago land 442. I hope that somebody can help guide me in my search.
Thanks,
Kevin Konchan
My name Is Kevin, I joined to gain more knowledge about the 442. The main reason I joined is because my dad's favorite car he has ever owned was a 1968 Olds 442. He regrets that he sold it everyday and I figured sense he has helped me out so much I want to find it and by it back for him. Here is the problem he did not save the vin from the car nor does he remember who he sold it to. Is there any way you can search previously owned cars vins? Or does anybody have an Idea on how I can start the hunt. The only thing I have to start with is pictures of what the car used to look like. Dont know if this helps but it was a chicago land 442. I hope that somebody can help guide me in my search.
Thanks,
Kevin Konchan
July 22nd, 2009, 12:24 PM
#2
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Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Motor City-ish
Posts: 101
Hi Kevin and welcome to CO!
That might be a chore with no vin
but you can check with the DMV of the state that your father lived in or the Secretary of State if it was in Mich.If they keep records back that far they might be able to look that up for you with his driver license number or ssn ,but your father might have to do be the one if they have to use the ssn.I'm sure there's gonna be some kind of fee so don't be surprised.If nothing else you can always find one here and have a father and son project to copy the one from back in the day!
Good luck on your quest and I'm sure there will be more guy's jumping in to help! You've come to the right place!!
DwDawg
That might be a chore with no vin
but you can check with the DMV of the state that your father lived in or the Secretary of State if it was in Mich.If they keep records back that far they might be able to look that up for you with his driver license number or ssn ,but your father might have to do be the one if they have to use the ssn.I'm sure there's gonna be some kind of fee so don't be surprised.If nothing else you can always find one here and have a father and son project to copy the one from back in the day! Good luck on your quest and I'm sure there will be more guy's jumping in to help! You've come to the right place!!DwDawg
July 22nd, 2009, 12:45 PM
#4
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I can post pics of it from back in the day... I called my uncle and he said Arnie Bauer bought it for on of his kids. Arnie Bauer is a dealership in Chicago. So I left a message on one of the kids voice mail and I hope one of them can call me back. So there is one step in the right direction. Another is I told my dad to bring pictures of it home with him this weekend and maybe one picture has a pic of the plate? Would that help at all? I call his insurance company from back then and they don't have the information on it still. On a side note the 442 he had was a brownish green color, 400 4speed manual with a ivory colored interior with a brown carpet inside. Sounds kinda weird from from the picture it looked really slick.... It also had ladder bars and the front end was kinda up. Just a really good stance. As for another 442 I bought him one and gave it to him for Christmas but I now decided I want to get him the original one he had if its still out there.... Maybe there is a Chicago member that might know a little about the car. My dads name is Fred Konchan. He had the car when he lived in Oaklawn. The car was like I said a 1968 442 Like a greenish brown exterior, ivory white interior, manual, ladder bars, and front was raised a little.
Thanks
Kevin
Thanks
Kevin
July 23rd, 2009, 05:59 AM
#5
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Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Annapolis Valley , Nova Scotia
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Welcome
hey Kevin I hope you are able to find the car for your dad as that would be cool.Did your dad buy the car from a dealership?Or did he buy it used.We had another thread about the 68 Chicago land 442 and not sure but might have been a dealer option package thing and not an Oldsmobile produced line. hope that makes sense
Check out chicago auto show for 1968 then the Olds , they had a pic of a 442. Your dad had the car when he lived in Oaklawn , is that near Chicago? I am thinking the car came from a dealership around there , maybe they are still around?
Check out chicago auto show for 1968 then the Olds , they had a pic of a 442. Your dad had the car when he lived in Oaklawn , is that near Chicago? I am thinking the car came from a dealership around there , maybe they are still around?
July 23rd, 2009, 08:57 AM
#6
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I looked all over the Chicago auto show website with no luck. Also I called Darren from Arnie Bauer Buick and he doesn't remember the car nor know where its at. He said he would call his cousins to see if any of them know anything about the car... I guess keep my fingers crossed... If I can get the Vin, my uncle works for a wrecker and said he could do a search and find where the car is at and who owns it... if its still around...
July 23rd, 2009, 09:05 AM
#7
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Location: southeastern Michigan
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One question is HOW LONG AGO did your father get rid of the car? If it was in 1975, by now, 34 years later, it might very well have gone to 442 heaven.
If, on the other hand, it was in 1995 or 2000, or, in other words, if it survived long enough to pass from being simply a used car to being an actual collector car, then it might still be around. Being a 442 will certainly help its survival prospects, but, nonetheless, you have to realize that the survival rate for an old car is somewhere around 1% after so many years, and 1% is for the desirable cars. For everyday four-door sedans, it's even less.
If, on the other hand, it was in 1995 or 2000, or, in other words, if it survived long enough to pass from being simply a used car to being an actual collector car, then it might still be around. Being a 442 will certainly help its survival prospects, but, nonetheless, you have to realize that the survival rate for an old car is somewhere around 1% after so many years, and 1% is for the desirable cars. For everyday four-door sedans, it's even less.
July 23rd, 2009, 10:22 AM
#9
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Location: southeastern Michigan
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Wow, that's right on the edge. Early 80s makes the car 15 years old and probably right at its low point in terms of value.
What was the condition of the car at the time? Mileage? In other words, would whoever bought it have looked at it as just an old car that was on its last legs and would likely be discarded when they were through with it, or would it have been in such a condition that whoever got it next might have looked at it as something worth preserving?
Remember, to most of the universe, even what we enthusiasts think of as collector cars are to them just used cars. And no one who bought your dad's car in 1982 or whatever would have thought about keeping it around so that people nearly 30 years later could wonder where it was.
Having said all that though, I'm going to guess that the car still exists in some usable form and is not rotting in some junkyard up to its axles in the mud.
You say your dad owned the car through the 1970s, which makes me assume that he did not buy it new. If he did, or if you know who the dealer was who sold it new, you might check with them if they're still around. Unfortunately, with the demise of Oldsmobile back in 2004, many Olds-only dealers folded. Those that didn't are selling something else now, so who knows if they still have any records from back then. But it's all something to try.
You're right in that you've got to find the VIN. Without that, you probably have no hope, and even with it you probably have only a little.
But good luck, and certainly let us know if you actually come across anything. You certainly aren't the first to want to find that car from way back when that got away, and you certainly won't be the last!
What was the condition of the car at the time? Mileage? In other words, would whoever bought it have looked at it as just an old car that was on its last legs and would likely be discarded when they were through with it, or would it have been in such a condition that whoever got it next might have looked at it as something worth preserving?
Remember, to most of the universe, even what we enthusiasts think of as collector cars are to them just used cars. And no one who bought your dad's car in 1982 or whatever would have thought about keeping it around so that people nearly 30 years later could wonder where it was.
Having said all that though, I'm going to guess that the car still exists in some usable form and is not rotting in some junkyard up to its axles in the mud.
You say your dad owned the car through the 1970s, which makes me assume that he did not buy it new. If he did, or if you know who the dealer was who sold it new, you might check with them if they're still around. Unfortunately, with the demise of Oldsmobile back in 2004, many Olds-only dealers folded. Those that didn't are selling something else now, so who knows if they still have any records from back then. But it's all something to try.
You're right in that you've got to find the VIN. Without that, you probably have no hope, and even with it you probably have only a little.
But good luck, and certainly let us know if you actually come across anything. You certainly aren't the first to want to find that car from way back when that got away, and you certainly won't be the last!
July 23rd, 2009, 11:29 AM
#10
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 8
Wow, that's right on the edge. Early 80s makes the car 15 years old and probably right at its low point in terms of value.
What was the condition of the car at the time? Mileage? In other words, would whoever bought it have looked at it as just an old car that was on its last legs and would likely be discarded when they were through with it, or would it have been in such a condition that whoever got it next might have looked at it as something worth preserving?
Remember, to most of the universe, even what we enthusiasts think of as collector cars are to them just used cars. And no one who bought your dad's car in 1982 or whatever would have thought about keeping it around so that people nearly 30 years later could wonder where it was.
Having said all that though, I'm going to guess that the car still exists in some usable form and is not rotting in some junkyard up to its axles in the mud.
You say your dad owned the car through the 1970s, which makes me assume that he did not buy it new. If he did, or if you know who the dealer was who sold it new, you might check with them if they're still around. Unfortunately, with the demise of Oldsmobile back in 2004, many Olds-only dealers folded. Those that didn't are selling something else now, so who knows if they still have any records from back then. But it's all something to try.
You're right in that you've got to find the VIN. Without that, you probably have no hope, and even with it you probably have only a little.
But good luck, and certainly let us know if you actually come across anything. You certainly aren't the first to want to find that car from way back when that got away, and you certainly won't be the last!
What was the condition of the car at the time? Mileage? In other words, would whoever bought it have looked at it as just an old car that was on its last legs and would likely be discarded when they were through with it, or would it have been in such a condition that whoever got it next might have looked at it as something worth preserving?
Remember, to most of the universe, even what we enthusiasts think of as collector cars are to them just used cars. And no one who bought your dad's car in 1982 or whatever would have thought about keeping it around so that people nearly 30 years later could wonder where it was.
Having said all that though, I'm going to guess that the car still exists in some usable form and is not rotting in some junkyard up to its axles in the mud.
You say your dad owned the car through the 1970s, which makes me assume that he did not buy it new. If he did, or if you know who the dealer was who sold it new, you might check with them if they're still around. Unfortunately, with the demise of Oldsmobile back in 2004, many Olds-only dealers folded. Those that didn't are selling something else now, so who knows if they still have any records from back then. But it's all something to try.
You're right in that you've got to find the VIN. Without that, you probably have no hope, and even with it you probably have only a little.
But good luck, and certainly let us know if you actually come across anything. You certainly aren't the first to want to find that car from way back when that got away, and you certainly won't be the last!
The car was in excellent shape. It always won first at car shows I was told. And he did not buy it brand new. It bought it from a friend. Who bought it from the original owner. The car sat in a garage for a few years never even moved. I think my dad bought it from his friend within the week he bought it. Maybe around 74? As for it being around I sure hope I can track it. I think that would be the coolest present in the world...
Kevin
July 23rd, 2009, 12:05 PM
#11
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Location: southeastern Michigan
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It bought it from a friend. Who bought it from the original owner.
You have to start digging!
July 23rd, 2009, 12:28 PM
#12
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Location: LI,NY
Posts: 3,783
Good luck finding it! I hope you do, that would be a great story! By the way, you bought him one for Christmas and now want to buy him the original one? Man, if all sons were like you.....or daughters.....
July 23rd, 2009, 02:30 PM
#13
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Location: Rathdrum, Idano
Posts: 9,127
If you don't have any luck finding the original you might consider building a replica of it. I bet your dad would be just as happy, you know its the thought that counts the most and you sound like a great son. Good luck
July 24th, 2009, 10:36 AM
#14
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I was talking to him about the car and he thinks it was a special run car? He said That is might have been a Canadian car because the color you guys said was not original and it had a 4:33 rear end gear ration. He said the paint was indeed factory though. Can this help at all to find the car? Does anyone know anything about these options?
Kevin
Kevin
July 24th, 2009, 05:31 PM
#15
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Location: southeastern Michigan
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I really don't think you're going to find the car based on what color it was, what the gear ratio was, or where it was built. If you haven't had any luck trying to track it forward from when your father owned it, your best, and probably only realistic, hope, is to try to go backward from your father's ownership.
Does HE remember who he bought it from? You said it was a friend of his. Does he remember his name? Is this guy STILL your father's friend? Maybe here's a chance for your dad to hook up with a long-lost pal. Regardless, if you can get the name, then you have to track this person down and contact him. If he's in your local phone book, you're lucky. If he's moved away, and has a common-enough name, he could be very difficult to find without contacting his former employer, friends, or whatever. Of course, if he is dead, he will be impossible to find. If you are lucky enough to find him, contact him and see if he remembers who he bought it from as you said that your father's friend was the second owner, which means your father's friend bought it from the original purchaser. Maybe your father's friend or the original purchaser kept, for some reason, records on the car and would have the VIN. Or at least the original purchaser might remember the dealer he bought it from.
Another, perhaps longshot possibility is to check Oldsmobile clubs in your area. If you're lucky, the car stayed in your town or city and the current owner is a hobbyist who has kept the car and restored it. So you'll need to check with local Olds and old car clubs to see if they have anyone owning a '68 442. You might have to join the club to get that info.
If you're serious about finding this car, you're going to be pretty much like a private detective trying to locate a missing person. You're going to track down last-known contacts. You're going to track down people and places. You're going to visit or call government agencies, such as DMVs and offices of public records. You're going to make phone calls. You'll likely run into dead ends. And, to be realistic, you're likely to discover, if you discover anything at all about it, that the car no longer exists. But you never know if you don't try, and you might end up very pleasantly surprised. Wouldn't it be the coolest thing if you actually DID track down the car, bought it, and presented it to your dad? Yes it would!
Does HE remember who he bought it from? You said it was a friend of his. Does he remember his name? Is this guy STILL your father's friend? Maybe here's a chance for your dad to hook up with a long-lost pal. Regardless, if you can get the name, then you have to track this person down and contact him. If he's in your local phone book, you're lucky. If he's moved away, and has a common-enough name, he could be very difficult to find without contacting his former employer, friends, or whatever. Of course, if he is dead, he will be impossible to find. If you are lucky enough to find him, contact him and see if he remembers who he bought it from as you said that your father's friend was the second owner, which means your father's friend bought it from the original purchaser. Maybe your father's friend or the original purchaser kept, for some reason, records on the car and would have the VIN. Or at least the original purchaser might remember the dealer he bought it from.
Another, perhaps longshot possibility is to check Oldsmobile clubs in your area. If you're lucky, the car stayed in your town or city and the current owner is a hobbyist who has kept the car and restored it. So you'll need to check with local Olds and old car clubs to see if they have anyone owning a '68 442. You might have to join the club to get that info.
If you're serious about finding this car, you're going to be pretty much like a private detective trying to locate a missing person. You're going to track down last-known contacts. You're going to track down people and places. You're going to visit or call government agencies, such as DMVs and offices of public records. You're going to make phone calls. You'll likely run into dead ends. And, to be realistic, you're likely to discover, if you discover anything at all about it, that the car no longer exists. But you never know if you don't try, and you might end up very pleasantly surprised. Wouldn't it be the coolest thing if you actually DID track down the car, bought it, and presented it to your dad? Yes it would!
Last edited by jaunty75; July 25th, 2009 at 04:24 AM.
July 25th, 2009, 09:32 AM
#18
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What I was saying my dad brought home pictures of the 442 and I was hoping it would have a plate on it so I could try to locate the vin by a plate but the pictures didn't have the license plate on it cause the car was forsale....
July 25th, 2009, 11:08 AM
#19
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Ahh, thanks for the clarification. Good thought on the license plate, although it probably wouldn't be as much help as you think. DMV records, if available, would probably show that that plate was assigned to the car when your father owned it, and you already know that.
I don't know what state you live in, but does your state keep the plate with the car as it goes from owner to owner, or does a new one get assigned when the car is sold? Here in Ohio, it's the latter, but I think California does the former. That's why you see older cars there that still have the blue plates from the 70s or the much sought-after black plates from the 60s, if those cars have spent their entire life in California.
I don't know what state you live in, but does your state keep the plate with the car as it goes from owner to owner, or does a new one get assigned when the car is sold? Here in Ohio, it's the latter, but I think California does the former. That's why you see older cars there that still have the blue plates from the 70s or the much sought-after black plates from the 60s, if those cars have spent their entire life in California.
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