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That would have to be a Bronze interior, to match up with the Autumn Bronze paint, and very similar to same. In 1966, there were no orange or red color interior colors.
I didn’t open the door to look inside and the windows were very dusty. I do recollect that the interior looked to be in good condition but needs a thorough cleaning and detail. I didn’t walk around the back of the car either.I did notice the OEM air filter housing was in the front passenger floor. The phone number is listed publicly in Sagamore Beach MA. The car looked really good to my eye, and I posted it here so maybe somebody would grab it. The 5K seems like decent price for a good foundation to work with. I spoke with my bride about possibly buying it but she wasn’t interested and I really have no place to store it.
So far, as of Tuesday morning, no luck reaching the guy. I know yesterday was a holiday so maybe today. I left phone and text messages to that number (I googled it, and it's a wireless number), but no response so far.
I tried again just now, and the call went to voicemail again. I didn't leave a message again because once should be enough. I'm done trying to reach him. Unless he returns my call or my text, that's it. On to the next one...
Update: The owner contacted me this morning. Great car guy. We had a good conversation about the car, and he sent me many photos. I would have already agreed to buy it by now except for one big issue. He does not have a title and would sell it apparently on a bill of sale.
Using the car's VIN, I paid $5 for a Motor Vehicle Information Report from the National Motor Vehicle Title Information System, and it shows that there is a current title on the car issued in 2015 by Florida. A check of the Florida DMV website confirms this, shows that the title is "active," and also shows that the car's most recent registration expired on 11/1/2017.
I told all this to the seller, and he is checking with the guy he bought it from. I am certainly not going to buy a car where someone could come out of nowhere down the road and claim that I stole his car. I don't know what the process would be in getting it titled here in Michigan or anywhere for that matter, if it's even possible to do so.
The seller said he's going to contact the guy he bought it from, and I don't know how long that will take and what information he can get if/when he does contact him. So I'm waiting on him, but I'm not holding my breath. He might end up forgetting about me and try to sell it to someone who doesn't care about the title situation or would just part it out.
The seller is pursuing the guy he bought it from in the hope of either getting the title or getting his money back, and he's also asked for help from someone he knows at Hagerty Insurance in the hope that this fellow can offer some advice.
He also sent me a few more photos. The car does look pretty good. As I said, I told him I'd buy it if he can get the title issue straightened out.
He said the air cleaner is off the car because he sometimes has to put fuel in the carburetor to get it started because he doesn't keep much fuel in the tank because the tank has a leak. Guess what will be a first order of business if I get the car. The air cleaner, filter, etc. can be seen on the passenger side floor in one of the photos.
I hope for his own sake he can get that title issue squared away, because I think he'll have a hard time selling otherwise. Not everyone is going to fall for "no title, bill of sale only". Good work.
No, it did not show as stolen. It showed no issues whatsoever. I've shown the entire title report below.
I keep trying to figure out what went on with this car. The seller bought it without title 1.5 years ago. He told me he intended to get a title out of the state of Maine because they'll somehow title out-of-state cars, but he never go around to it. He said I could do this, then once I had a Maine title in my name, I could transfer it to a Michigan title. Seemed weird to me. He gave me a link, and the site said that Maine does not issue titles for vehicles older than 25 years. So what does that mean? If I was a resident of Maine, bought this car without a title, and brought it to Maine, I could register it and get license plates? I don't know. Anyway, this was of no help to me.
Is it possible that the Florida title owner, when he went to sell the car, could not find the title, which happens, and rather than go through the paperwork necessary to get a duplicate title, he found someone who would buy the car without a title? Perhaps that person figured he could apply for a title, or perhaps he was from a state like Maine that wouldn't have given him a title, anyway, or maybe he planned to just part out the car. Whatever the reason, he might never have gotten around to any of this and ended up selling the car again on just a "bill of sale," and that buyer had plans that never came to fruition, either. So he sold it without a title. So now it's several "owners" beyond the titled owner, and then someone like me comes along and insists that the title situation be fixed before I'll buy the car. No one prior to me, apparently, bothered to spend the $5 to check the title status, and now the current seller is wondering if he'll ever be able to sell the car and if the car might eventually be considered stolen and he'll have to give it back and lose what he paid for it.
Here's the title report. Note the items listed under the heading highlighted in orange on the second page. The vehicle has no "brands," which is the word they use for issues like "salvaged," "flood damaged," etc. "Prior theft" is also listed as a possibility. So the vehicle has not been reported as stolen.
A mess, to be sure. It seems the most straightforward thing is to find out whose name is on that Florida title, contact that person, and see if he/she will sign the title over to the person who currently possesses the car. But who has the authority to acquire the owner's name? Certainly not a private citizen, like the current seller. I would think it would be some official, like law enforcement, an insurance company, or something like that.
Here's the Florida DMV title report. Available for free on their website.
