Who Owns My 1933 Car Now?

[leo]

Sounds like a reasonable question does it not? However, the information may be veiled under the secrecy of state records and finding the answer may be as hard as finding the Oak Island treasure. OK, so NJ does not hold any automobile registration records over 7 years I'm told. That means that you cannot reference an old license plate number to obtain a registration number. Another approach could be to find out who currently owns a 1933 (make/model) in NJ. Well that information is on a need to know basis and the state has determined that I don't need to know! What I'm trying to do here is to find a vehicle that I sold 50 years ago. There is a chance that the vehicle may still be registered in the state. All the written inquiries I've made to the DMV will not allow me to obtain any current ownership information. So my question is can this be pursued under freedom of information or has anyone been able to obtain information from any DMV's database and if so how?

[2manycars]

I tried the same path to find my 48 ford. I have a good friend at the DMV, and she said she was not allowed to provide names or address of owners, and could only say that the car was no longer registered in the state.
I put several ads on craigs list with photos and descriptions, and two weeks later the current owner contacted me. He does not want to sell, but at least I know who owns it.

[my2nd40]

I find it ironic that practically all your personal information can be found by an internet search. Your financial history, your relatives, where you live and what your home's market value is. The kind of car you drive and what you ordered this week on the internet, your high school graduation picture, your rank in the military 50 years ago......absolutely every thing! But a car you owned in the past? No, god no, we can't let you have that information, we could go to jail for telling you. My suggestion? contact the Russians, they have better sources.

[Kurt in NJ]

Do you have the serial #---perhaps you can try to " get a title" and for that they can say that number is being used

[leo]

Hi Kurt, no the serial number would be great if I had it, the only thing I have is the old license plate number. Come on guys! Hacking into the DMV database should be soooo easy. Oops, did I just say that?

[Mitch//pa]

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Have a police buddy run the tag for u

[leo]

Hi Mitch, can't run the tag because it's 50 years old, nothing kept after 7 years.....

[Jason in TX]

You would have a better chance of finding that 1977 NJ license plate on eBay than you would on the back of that car still.

That tag has LONG been removed from that car. Maybe even weeks after he bought it in 1977. The buyer may have even gone down to the DMV and got new tags in his name and threw your tags in the trash.

[Art Newland]

Pretty sure "help me find my car" is a gimmick craigslisters use to get leads to cars they want to buy, possibly even for a client.

[leo]

Hey Art, how suspicious you are, no scam here, the car is a 1933 Chevrolet Master coupe which I owned back in 1967. I'm in earnest.
Hey Jason, not looking for the plate, some guys are just implying that if I know the plate number it can be used to find the VIN or registration number but that is not possible here in New Jersey.

[Ed in Maine]

Hello Leo, I love your picture, I think it is a 1932 Buick. I remember a movie in which Shirley Temple was hitch hiking in an opening scene and she was picked up by someone driving a 1932 Buick Roadster. Just wonderful. This car is one of my favorites. Take care, Ed

[2manycars]

Originally Posted by Art Newland

Pretty sure "help me find my car" is a gimmick craigslisters use to get leads to cars they want to buy, possibly even for a client.

I did have a responce to my ad from some guy who said he charged $500 to find the car and $1000 if I bought it. I am too polite on this forum to say what I told him.

[leo]

Hi Ed, that car is indeed a Buick and the photo was an updated photo to promote the 1936 re-release of "Two Tars". Of course you know the "boys" in the photo....

[Tom Wesenberg]

Originally Posted by my2nd40

i find it ironic that practically all your personal information can be found by an internet search. Your financial history, your relatives, where you live and what your home's market value is. The kind of car you drive and what you ordered this week on the internet, your high school graduation picture, your rank in the military 50 years ago......absolutely every thing! But a car you owned in the past? No, god no, we can't let you have that information, we could go to jail for telling you. My suggestion? Contact the russians, they have better sources.

:d x2 :d

Strange that the smiley face didn't show, but these symbols show up instead?

[leo]

I really don't want to get political but let me say this. Certain "people in government" don't give a hoot about certain "other people" who are here "under a cloud". They don't care who they are or what they are doing, sometimes to the extreme detriment of the country and populus. But, providing someone who is known, respectable and untinged by anything untoward with some fairly innocuous information is considered a major breach of public privacy, safety, etc. etc. and very much concerns them. Go figure.

[Neil Mylar LakewoodCA]

You might contact the early Ford V8 club to see if they have a national roster that's list owners and the type of car they own. You could then send letters to owners in your state.
But maybe your 33 ford was not an early V8 vehicle.
Do they have Model B club?

[leo]

Neil, thank you but the ACCA might be better since it is not a Ford. Another aspect is that it may have been hot rodded and that would put it in an entirely different environment.

[ronn]

no state in America has records going back past 15 years..............

would entitle too much storage and for no real value.

I think since it is a 33 and rare-going through the clubs would be the best venue.

and if it has been rodded, you are def out of luck, in most cases.

[leo]

Hi ronn, no state records of prior ownership but current ownership for sure, just how many 1933 Chevrolet coupes could there possibly be and would it not be nice to see where they are if it were possible in New Jersey.

[mhsprecher]

In reality, many of those records were in different databases, maybe were on paper records and why do they need to convert them, just so a few people can figure out who owns their car now? Do you want your fees to go to the cost of converting those records or having someone look them up on old computer systems or in paper records? I don't think so. As for privacy, there are probably pretty good reasons not to let just any Tom, Dick or Harriet get information on your tag number, your old car VIN, etc. DMV processes are the way they are for pretty good reasons having to do with car and identity theft, stalkers and who knows what else.

Many states have passed open records laws that give citizens access to most any public records, but I think DMV records are pretty much exempt, for many of the reasons outlined above.

As for Mitch's suggestion, the police are careful about whom they let look up tag numbers and the like. That that capability has been abused internally on many occasions.

As to Leo's comment about letting people that are okay get access to this information, you can't guarantee what people are going to with it. How many cases have there been of fine, upstanding citizens having secret lives or end up committing some heinous crime that no one ever would have suspected?

Do you want people having access to your data? I doubt it. Of course, insurance companies and motor vehicle manufacturers have access to some of it and DMVs probably make a little cash off of it, but I suspect it is fairly limited.

BTW, Congress just passed a law that makes it okay for internet service providers to sell your browsing history to others. That doesn't sound like a particularly good idea to me.