Copyright January 1998 Barbara Spear
In 1991 I published How to Find Cars & Owners with my co-author Mike Brezden. That book was revised and reprinted in 1992. Now, How to Find Cars & Owners is out of print and both I and my wholesalers are out of inventory.
On September 13, 1997, the Driver's Privacy Protection Act of 1994 took effect. This Federal law prohibits state motor vehicle departments from giving out records to individuals. The law was drafted to protect citizens from stalkers who could obtain personal addresses from motor vehicle departments. Several states have already gotten injunctions against this Act, based on the 10th Amendment of States' Rights. Media groups seem to be leading this effort. For additional informatin on the first injunctions obtained, see E&P Interactive's article.
How to Find Cars & Owners also contained many tips, techniques, and resources which did not require the use of State Motor Vehicle Departments. Why was this information included?
Well, let's say your car was once owned by a fellow who bought it, stuck it in his garage or barn intending to restore it, then sold it two years later because he never got around to that project. The odds are that owner never registered your car. If he didn't register it, none of the State Motor Vehicle Departments would have a record of him owning it. Yet, he's an owner you definitely would want to contact--because he's probably got the original radio and a few other parts he disassembled and forgot to toss in the car when he sold it.
There are a number of reasons for tracking the past owner history of your car.
It completes the historical documentation of your car.
If you don't have a build sheet or original window sticker, the past owners can confirm original options and subsequent modifications.
You may find some original parts and documents.
You'll learn where your car has been and what it's been through.
You may be able to compile a photo album showing your car at various points in its past.
You can meet some wonderful and interesting people during your search.
Here's some examples of the information and surprises enthusiasts found when they traced the past owners of their car.
One couple thought they were the fourth owner of their car and that it had spent its life in two states. Upon tracing the past owners, they discovered that they were the fourteenth owner of their car and it had "lived" in many states--from Alaska to Florida.
The fourth owner of a Shark located the original radio, still in the attic, of the second owner.
A very happy searcher found the original bill of sale for his car when he located and contacted the first owner. That owner still had the document thumbtacked to the back of a door. Though the original owner was willing to give up the document, he insisted that the current owner take it down off the door--he was just too emotional to do it himself..
Several folks have organized past-owner reunions, when all of the past owners got together and shared happy memories of the time they spent with a particular car.
The owners of one car that is currently on the show circuit publish a newsletter for that car's past owners. In addition to updates on the car's latest achievements, the newsletter contains birth, marriage, and graduation announcements about members of the past owners' families. It seems that this car has created an extended family for its past owners.
Ok, so I've presented the "bright side" of past owner searches. It seems that many searches do result in happy reunions and new-found friends as well as great historical information. There is, however, a potential "dark side" to past owner searches--and you should be aware of it before you decide to undertake a search.
Depending upon the age of your car, you simply may not be able to locate or contact all of its past owners. Some, literally, may be dead--and their relatives may not know or want to talk about the car.
In other cases, you may find an owner, but be unable to get him or her to talk to you. Why? Well, folks sell cars for many reasons--and not all of them are happy ones. The past owner may have had to sell the car to settle debts or because of a divorce.
The "darkest side" of a past owner search comes if you discover that somewhere in its past, your car was stolen. I don't mean stolen--recovered--resold; I mean, you've got a hot car! This doesn't happen often, but it is a risk you take when you delve into the past. Many years ago I reported a story about a car owned by a farmer in Pennsylvania. The car had been in the farmer's family for 12 years and passed from father to son. When the farmer needed cash for farm equipment, he had no choice but to sell the car. An astute car dealer noticed a discrepancy in the VIN number and the car was identified as a stolen vehicle. While the farmer and his family had no knowledge of the theft--and the thieves had successfully "legitimized" the car before selling it, once the original owner was identified and contacted, the car was returned to him. The farmer was not prosecuted as he was an innocent victim; but, he lost his car and the money he'd hoped to raise for farm equipment by selling it. Does this happen often? No.
Once you decide to begin a search, you need to put yourself in the right frame of mind.
Past Owner Searches Take Time!!
There is no magic computer with an all encompasing database of past owners, so, you can't type a VIN number and press a button to get a comprehensive list. Sorry.
Your past owner search can take years and will take persistence and patience. The resources you contact will certainly take longer than you'd like to reply. You'll probably find a few dead-ends along the way. But, if you stick with your search, there's a very good chance you'll eventually identify most if not all of the past owners of your car.
In Part 2, you'll learn how to get started.
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Copyright Barbara Spear 1996, 1997, January 1998