Hi everyone, My name is Steve and as of today I'm the proud new owner of a 72 Cutlass convertible. Flame orange with white top and interior. I'm so stoked about getting this car and going out for a drive with the top down. I live in Lakemoor IL which is around McHenry.

I have but one question, I'm very interested on finding out the history of this car. If anyone can help me with that task I would appreciate it. I look forward to hanging out on the site and getting some great info.

 

Nice 72 and a drop top, that's neat. Post some pictures so we can see your ride. You'll be hearing from other 72 owners soon

 

Welcome and I would also love to see pics.

 

Welcome to the site! There's a couple other 1972 Cutlass Convertible owners on the site, they'll be especially pleased to see another member with the same year/model of car! John

 

I know how you are feeling, I just got a 71 Cutlass convertible, and it's great to cruise in these cars.

 

Welcome to CO. Summertime is going to be fun for you this year!

 

Welcome aboard

Glad you decided to join us.

 

There's no simple way to do this. You can't just go to a website, type in the VIN, and out pops a list of all the previous owners, as nice as this would be. The Olds History Center won't be of much help, either, as even which dealer sold the car-type records weren't kept until 1977.

I've tried to trace ownership history in two previous cases. In the first case (a '64 Jetstar 88), I had the best luck working backwards through the vehicle's title as titles (in Ohio) list on them the name and address of the previous owner. Sometimes state DMV offices can help you work backwards to maybe, if you're lucky, find out who the original owner was, or at least maybe what city the car was originally sold in.

In the other case, I found the build sheet, and it listed the code number of the dealer to whom the car was originally shipped and sold by. The Olds History Center WAS able to tell me what dealer that was. I contacted them (this was in 1994 for a 1975 Olds) as they were still in business, and they did have a few records from that far back. They were able to give me the name and address of the original purchaser. But a check of the local phone book at that time (this was Trenton, New Jersey) didn't show anyone with that name. So I was at a dead end. But I had something in that I now knew where the car was originally sold and to whom.

A problem today for anyone trying the contact-the-dealer idea is that Olds dealers don't exist anymore! Some of them might still be in business selling other brands, but the likelihood that they've kept any of the records from their Oldsmobile-selling days is probably low. But it would never hurt to ask.

 

Welcome to the forum. Sounds like a nice ride, post pictures when you can.

 

I finally got to take some pictures of my new girl . I hope I did this right.

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Very nice! Then again, I'm partial to the 72 - droptop or not!! She could be a partner for the Colonel's Handsomest One, lol!!

 

nice car, welcome, there are a bunch of us around the Chicago area

 

Hey I Live in Huntley IL and just bought a 72 Supreme hope to see you and the car sometime Maybe at a car show

 

Definitely. Maybe you could PM me when theres something going on. Looking forward to meeting people with Olds fever.

 

What do you mean "droptop or not" Missus???
Orange 72 Convertibles (with white tops & interior) are the worlds most desirable automobile according to one notable authority

Welcome to CO Steve. I have found that checking the history of a car is a tricky business if the previous owner either doesn't know who sold him the car or won't tell you (like the twerp that I bought mine from)
If you can get a name, as I did with my old Road Runner, you can check google, facebook, schoolfriends websites etc and you can be lucky. I tracked down the two previous owners of the RR and got a full history.
WARNING: Sometimes it's better not to know

 

Welcome!
Great looking car you have. Any big plans for it yet?
Hey, there is a car very similar to yours here in my area - I saw it at a local show last year. Different wheels, but that was about it.

That's the ONLY way to drive a 'vert!
Mine will get several hundred miles next weekend.


Just a couple - mine and yours.

 

Hey Rob, thanks for the kind words. as a matter of fact I've already changed out the steering wheel to the sport 4 spoke. Big difference already. I dont think I'll change much, I really like the car the way it is.

 

Finally figured out how to upload pics of my new baby.

 

Beautiful car.

 

Gorgeous Oldsmobile! Welcome to CO! Drop that top and enjoy the ride!

 

great looking ride.....best of luck and enjoy

 

Very nice looking car.

Easier for him to do that up north!
I'm jealous!

 

Great looking car. For some reason I like the color.

Gotta get a sport steering wheel for mine to replace the cracked "deluxe" one I have now. Did you buy a repro one or used?

 

Thanks everyone. I bought a complete repro kit from Parts Place. Came with everything. Wheel,hub,center cap and all screws. You have to buy the horn button separate.

 

Really nice olds. Enjoy the heck out of it.

 

AWESOME OLDS!! CONGRATS! That white interior REALLY sets it off nice!!

 

Nice car

 

Very nice car, I also like the white interior. Even though I just did mine I have an itch to change over to white.

Welcome aboard and enjoy...

 

Yes very nice & vaguely familiar
How did you go checking out the car's history?

 

As you advised me earlier in this thread, vehicle history is sometimes hard to research. I did manage to find and contact 2 previous owners but they were family members and did not have a lot of info. I'm not too good at research and get frustrated at all the dead ends. I'm really happy to have found this particular car. Its an all original survivor in great shape so I'm just going to enjoy the heck out of it and maybe someday I will find out more of her past. Thanks COL

 

Hey, that's pretty good and farther than many people get when they try to do any ownership research.

On a kind of related note, just this week I added a tiny bit to my pile of records on my '73 Custom Cruiser, which I bought in January from the original owner's family, so I know all about it's ownership and maintenance history.

The previous owner had had the car painted back in 2005, and the receipt from the body shop was in the pile of maintenance receipts I got when I bought the car. I looked them up, and the shop is still in business, so I sent them a letter with a copy of their receipt and asking if they had taken any photos of the car while it was at their shop as body shops sometimes do for insurance purposes or whatever. I included a self-addressed, stamped envelope and mailed it off. A week later it came back, and, sure enough, they sent a couple of photos taken while it was in the shop being painted. Kind of cool, and a bit more to add to the car's history folder I'm keeping.

 

gotta love the 72 converible