Do you research your cars ownership?

[jim1932]

Just curious survey. I bought a car my uncle has owned and my cousin came up with the bill of sale from 1959. The surname of the person he bought it from, is a family still in the general area (although no one we know). I can google the name and come up with possibly the previous owner, who obviously would be quite elderly. Is this a bit nutty? Or should I go ahead and see if I can track all the owners of the car. It would be neat to know if I am the third owner.

[Old Henry]

I have certainly tried to find out the "geneology" of my 47 Ford that my father bought in 1959. Unfortunately, the UTAH DMV does not disclose prior owner information nor do they have it back that far so I couldn't find out anything. Wish I could have.

[Steve_S]

I'm very into researching my cars' histories. I have my '39 tracked back to the 60's, and also found a note which was left of the windshield back in the 60's from a car dealer in Studio City, CA called "Gossett-Ames Ford Co.". Interestingly, Ames was an established actor in the 1930's through the 1980's. Gossett was his wife's family.

[46ford]

I bought a '56 Chevy once in Colorado and traced the owners all the way back to Searcy Arkansas where it was bought new. One of them helped me get the title, saving me a ton of money on the stupid bond-title process.

I think I had to send away to the original state to get the info, though. You can get a VIN or a plate run in Michigan for less than $20.

[sp1ke]

Yes I have been researching mine ever since I bought it 5 years ago.I know the last 3 owners but that is all.it was built in atalanta in oct. 1950 and lived in Il.,In.and Mi. but cant find anymore info as all DMV has gone to computers and do not keep the records back that far.If anyone can help me futher let me know.
thanks
sp1ke

[John Mc]

Sponsored Links (Register now to hide all advertisements)

Several years ago I bought a '70 Torino GT. In the glove box I found the selling Ford dealer and the name of the original owner, a woman. She had passed away many years ago, but I spoke to her daughter who told me all about the car, from the day it was delivered. Now here's the cool part........after calling the Ford dealer who was still in existence they told me the salesman STILL works there!!! The next day I spoke to the salesman who recalled the entire story of how the car was sold!! Still give me goose bumps!
My '39 1/2 Ton was originally from CA but who knows? Love to find out more about it though.

[wiretwister]

When I bought my 1913 Ford Touring from an old gentleman in Lander Wyoming, he said he was the original owner. He had bought it in Beeville, TX. and had driven it to Lander Wyoming when he moved ther. He said he had the original papers somewhere. He was going to look up those original papers and would mail them to me. Yah, right?

Well some weeks later one day in the mail was an envelope with a little folded up piece of paper, folded over and over untill it was about 2 inches square. I very carefully unfolded the paper. IT WAS THE ORIGINAL BILL OF SALE FROM FORD MOTOR COMPANY FOR A 1913-1914 MODEL T FORD TOURING CAR. AND THE SERIAL NUMBERS MATCHED.
Do not know where the car is now, but when I sold it to a local club member he also got the original bill of sale all flatened and comfortable in an antique picture frame with real glass protecting it. That member died and the car was sold out of the state.
The original owner drove from Texas to Wyoming and I trailered it from Wyoming to Missouri. bill

One of my collector cars a 1909 Brush Runabout see picture.

[41panelmark]

I have done a lot of research on my old panel and I have come up with very interesting things, (see my story in my albums). Came to some dead ends but being the 3rd owner I did manage to get quite a lot. Wish I had the original bill of sale like "wire twister".

[Merc Cruzer]

Can you still get the information from the state in California on past ownership? I have the "Pink Slip" for my car, from years ago, when it came from CA. I would love to know what dealership it came from along with the history of the prior owners.

[Brendan]

I met the son of original owner of my truck, he was 90 years old.
his Dad was a house painter and he used the truck as a work truck.
my truck has also lived in the same town it's whole life

[jdl]

My Avatar 51 Coupe...After the restoration I showed the car to Carl & Mary Longest and their now grown daughter, they were very glad to see it again and a little teary eyed, it brought back many good memories for them.

[ken-r-mer]

Unfortunately, there is no history on my '52 F-1 other than the prior owner. But I do enjoy the knowledge that my F-1 is only 25 days older than me.

[Merc Cruzer]

JDL:
Any idea if the Patterson Ford dealership also sold Mercury’s? My car was built in the LA plant and stayed in CA (Santa Barbara) until 2001 and then was sold to the next owner in NM. I still have the original registration and a copy of Pink Slip for the car.

[sanborn]

I have owned my 40 sedan for over 30 years. I have known part of it's history since purchase. The car came from the Hank Williams family and I know Hank Jr. drove the car in high school---don't know the history earlier than that. A friend in the music business told me years ago that it is the car that Hank Sr. drove from Alabama to Nashville where he got his start. The rumored reason that the car was sold was that Hank Jr. had too many young ladies in the back seat(Ah, those were the good ole days).

The only way to get earlier history is to talk to Hank Jr. personally---which I will try to do sometime in the future---when I get around to it.

[Kens 36]

I was fortunate to buy my '50 Crestliner in 1988 from the original owner, who bought it at the Ford dealership in my home town in Missouri. She was 92 at the time. Received the original title and a stack of paperwork, including service receipts, insurance records, inspection slips, etc.

The first picture is me on the left with my dad, shortly after buying the car. Note the nice blackwall tires! The second picture is after restoration in 2008.

Ken

[two488]

I really enjoy the stories of ownership history. I wish I knew more about mine. I only have owners names back to 1985, that's all we get with the 'Vehicle Information Package', issued by the ministry of transportation, that they use here. I can tell that my '52 was traded in during the 1958-59 timeframe since the dealer tag on the trunklid lists the dealership lines as Ford-Edsel-Monarch.

[metalman]

I always try to get the history if I can, I don't know why, really. Not like it makes a big differance today.
Trying to get a title on a 39 Standard 60 hp Tudor. Found a name on some old paperwork dated 1982. Found a matching name in the phone book, sure enough he owned the car, had inherited it from his Grandmother who had bought it new. He sold the car to the guy we bought it from so now we know how and where it spent it's whole life.
Oh, yeah, he helped get the title, turns out it was still in his name!
I know who owned my 40 since 1973. I did find this photo hidden in the sunvisor and I assume it's of my car. The note on the back mentions the guy goes by "Bucky" and lived near a town of Curtis. Looks to be late 40's, early 50's. Don't guess anyone here recognises him and /or the car by chance!
img018.jpg

img017.jpg

[Fibber Mcgee]

I would love to know more about my 49 F1 all I know is was last registered in Kansas in 82.Is there a way to tell what plant they were made at,I would be happy to even know that much.

[southfork]

I'd been wanting to learn more of the history of my Model A, so on a whim, I looked under "Yellowpages/White pages" on the internet to see if I could locate the guy I bought my 1929 Model A Standard Coupe from 33 years ago. A guy by that name turned up in a southern Utah teleophone directory. I called the number listed and the old gentelman who answered remembered the coupe since he fixed it up and drove it during his senior year of high school (1955). He told me he had bought it from an old school teacher (male) in Delta, Utah. He even got his sister to email me some pics from when he drove it.

[southfork]

I just noticed some interesting background in those pictures. In the one there is what appears to be a Model A roadster in the background, and in another a coverted wagon??? This was 1955!