CutlassKid95

I can't stand to see my father so depressed any more he lost this classic beauty back in I think 1998ish to an auto repair owner.My dad just wanted the front window fixed but the guy made up a fake story telling my dad that he (garage owner) had to move the cars, turns out he sold it on him.I am trying to get it back for my father.The car was the love of his life even my mother knew that.The car had white leather interior with furry seat covers it also had tinted Windows all the way around. The car had a CB radio screwed down of the bottom of the dash board .If anyone has this car or has seen this car please reply on this or email me at dfdbb2@gmail.com.

My name is Dennis
Please contact me at 862 377 8691


Thank you for your time.

CutlassKid95

this is the picture of my father and mother in the cutlass

vette442

Dennis,
To help narrow things down a bit, what city and state was it in when it was sold?

In any case, good luck with the search!

Terry

(How could the shop owner sell a car he didn't own, without the title?)

MDchanic

+1 on both of those.

Also, when looking for a stolen car, it usually helps to list the VIN.

Finally, the horse has been out of the barn for fourteen years - why start looking now?

- Eric

oldcutlass

I think he lives in N. Jersey. I would have thought that somehow the garage owner would have to have filed a mechanics lien to get a clear title. Or do you think possibly your dad gave the mechanic a title. The only other way, it could have been sold as scrap. The vin should be traceable through your DMV and should list last or current owner.

redoldsman

I think winning the lottery has better odds than finding that car after 15 years. Is your Dad really depressed after 15 years. I find this story very odd. If it is true, why not just buy your Dad another Cutlass.

jaunty75

I agree. It's fishy right from the start. No one gives the car's title to the guy who is replacing the front windshield. Do you give the deed to your house to the guy who comes over to unclog your toilet? No way this guy could have sold the car.

And Eric hits the nail right on the head, too. 1998? Fifteen years ago. Way too long to suddenly start worrying about a car that was supposedly stolen from you.

Was this "event" ever reported to the police?

oldcutlass

If the OP's dad could not afford the repair he ok'd, quite possibly he may have surrendered the title to settle the debt.

I also agree with Eric that this happened some time ago, and yes hard to swallow.

jaunty75

This seems highly unlikely given that the OP said the following:


How could the car be sold without the garage owner having the title, and why would the father have given the garage owner the title?

Unless the garage sold it without a title "for parts" or something like that. In which case not only is the car unlikely to still be in one piece somewhere 16 years later, it is REALLY unlikely.

Diego

Looks like Passaic for some reason....

MDchanic

I was thinking upper Manhattan, but it could easily be Passaic or Patterson.

- Eric

jaunty75

One google search result of the OP's phone number, 862 377 8691, reveals it to be a telemarketer.

MDchanic

Ooooooooooh. You are SO sneaky!!!

ferndaleflyer

Its pretty easy to sell or take possession of a vehicle left for repairs. When I had a garage it was 10 days after repairs were finished. If you scrapped it you filled out a "property owner in possession" paper at the shredder. If you filed a mechanics lien you could auction it off 10 days after you filed and notified the owner.....If you took possession through the auction all you had to do was file the paper work with the DMV and they would issue a title in your name.......That certified letter to the owner usually got you your money.------Of coarse you now have those containers going out of the country and it is bye, bye.

CutlassKid95

The location of the garage was in Wayne, New Jersey and I think he sold it with no title.

jaunty75

Why didn't your father IMMEDIATELY call the police?

CutlassKid95

The place the picture was taken was the Bronx but once we moved out here to new jersey the car was taken

CutlassKid95

jaunty that's a very good question that I don't know the answer to.remember I was 3 when this incident happened

MDchanic

So I got it within a mile or so, anyway.


Hard to remember what we never knew.

- Eric

oldcutlass

Have you tried the DMV route?

redoldsman

Guys, it has been 15 years. I doubt he even has a VIN. He is looking strictly from a 15 year old description. This car has probably been made into rebar by now.

MDchanic

As you may recall from your previous domicile, the most you can expect from the NY or NJ DMV is a stick in the eye.
And they'll make like it's the effort of a lifetime to even do that.

- Eric

oldcutlass

So his best bet would be to find another blue one, jam a CB in it, and say DAD looooooooky what I found .

Yes Eric, visions of old Seinfeld episodes come to mind, but with some persistance, a vin#, and patience...who knows.

jaunty75

So ask him.

If he's as depressed about this as you say he is, he ought to be eager to help out, including answering a few questions as to why he didn't, back in 1997, take the obvious actions one would take if one's car had been stolen.

I still have my doubts that your story isn't anything but a total fabrication as it still, with all due respect, fails the idiot test.

nj_cutlass72

even if the car is found, what do you do if someone bought it legitimately?

jaunty75

After this much time, the law wouldn't do anything. The statute of limitations has expired. He could just offer to buy it from whomever owns it. They worst they could do is say no.

70cutty

I say forget about this and look for another.
After 15 years a little too late to be looking for it.