|
|
Expert
Posts: 4043
 
Location: Connecticut | My 59 Dodge was sold new in New Jersey. Has anyone researched previous owners of their car by contacting the Motor Vehicle Commission in NJ ? If so, were you successful in getting any information out of them ? Ron |
|
| |
|
  
Location: The Mile High City | Ron, my guess is that NJ is like every other DMV I have talked to: they destroy all their records over five years old. I don't know if they just tell you that to get rid of you or if it is actually true. Anyhow, if you think they are unfriendly after waiting in line for three hours, just wait till you try a records request! |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1324
Location: Hickory, NC | At least here in NC...a normal citizen cannot research previous ownership. They will not give you any information. Now if you got a cop buddy...maybe he can help.
I tried turning in a plate on a car I had sold, I forgot about the plate so it was a month after the fact. They couldn't even find any info that I had owned the car...since the new owner titled and registered the car already. Once its in the new owners name it seems even the DMV can't see previous ownership. |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 4654
| Ron, I did a NJ Title Search in 2002 with no results, so I'm not sure how far back the records are kept. You can still do a search today in NJ for $15, but it might pay to ask them first as to how many years the records are kept for. |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 4043
Location: Connecticut | hemidave - 2015-04-22 8:25 AM Ron, I did a NJ Title Search in 2002 with no results, so I'm not sure how far back the records are kept. You can still do a search today in NJ for $15, but it might pay to ask them first as to how many years the records are kept for. Yeah, that's the route I'm taking. I spent almost 30 minutes on hold before I got to speak to a live person. I forgot to ask that question and don't want to go thru the on-hold thing again. I'm hoping that all the records have been digitized, so it would be a no-brainer for them to research this. Ron |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 2788
Location: USA - KY | 
If you have a lot of patience, a "blind" internet search might be helpful. I actually bought my car from a small used car dealership after the previous owner of my car had sold it to the owner of the car dealership after being told that his old car was going to become a permanent part of a private classic car collection. But the car quickly ended up for sale at the dealership, along with a few other classic cars.
When I was considering buying the car, I asked the owner of the car dealership if he'd tell me the name of my car's previous owner, but of course I knew that he would/could not. I wanted to know more about it before I took the plunge and bought the car.
So I started by searching for photographs of 1957 DeSoto Firesweeps in "Images" on my computer. Eventually I found a few cars that looked similar to mine. Then I'd pick on the photos, hoping that they would be linked to some kind of info; either the person who took the photo, or the event, residence, show, car lot, junk yard, etc. at which the photo was taken. Then I would try to contact whomever I could find listed within that info, usually by phone, hoping that they would/could help supply some info.
Eventually, I got lucky and I found a photo of a car that looked just like mine that was taken at an annual DeSoto event in Ohio called the "3D Picnic". The name of one of the event's organizers was listed, so I called him and he turned out to be an old friend of the former owner of my car. After he asked me a few questions to make sure I was 'ligit', he put me in contact with my car's former owner, who has since become a really good pal of mine. He has sent me a ton of paperwork and other info that he had collected during the twenty years that he had owned and cared for his old DeSoto.
The whole process took a while, but it was well worth the work as the former owner was able to provide me with so much useful, least of not which was an idea of how much the owner of the car dealership has paid for it. Needless to say, I got the car for a good price. 
Best of luck with your search.
|
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 4043
Location: Connecticut | Good detective work, Rosie ! Unfortunately, I can't go the same route, since I bought my car from a junkyard which has since crushed out. The car sat in the junkyard since the early 70s (the owner told me at the time that the car had been there when they bought the yard in '74 or thereabouts). Ron |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1348
Location: Valley Forge, Pa. | About 10 years after I bought my 67 GTO[that was around 10 years ago], I got a call from the original owners son wanting to buy it back. He tracked the car down through all the owners to me, so personally, I believe the info's there, you just have to be the RIGHT person to be able to get it. It was interesting though, he told me the previous owners and where it had been. It was new in Fla., then sold in Fla., then it went to N.Y., then sold again in N.Y. and then to Va., and finally to me in Pa.
My friend was able to track his 57 Chevy all the way back to 1959 through several owners by contacting the owners. He was extreamly lucky that all the previous owners were still alive and they all had info on the previous owners.
|
|
| |
|
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 440
Location: Vermont | I found the daughter-in-law of the original owner of my Imperial through some internet detective work. She is the last surviving member of her immediate family (she had no children) I sent a letter last fall but as of yet haven't heard anything back. She is 84. She was married in 1960 so I had asked if possibly she and her late husband had used her father-in-law's Imperial for their wedding. Would sure be cool to see photos from the original owner. |
|
| |
|
Expert
Posts: 1737
Location: Hay Lakes, Alberta, Canada | The DMV here will provide certain information, like how many owners a vehicle has had, where/when it was registered each year, and for how long it has been active in the records...but no names. I'm not sure that they can dig out info on a vehicle that hasn't been registered for many years, but my experience has been that, if a vehicle has been continually registered since it was first put into the system, that the info is there. |
|
| |
Researching Previous Owners
