Previous Owner

[Spikedog08]

So interesting story . . I bought my hardtop in 1982 from a friend of my older brother.  I was 17 and still in high school  . . I'm sure the seller looked at me as a young punk kid buying his hot rod and will probably destroy it . . First car and all.  Well needless to say I ended up storing the car after throwing a wrist pin and gouging a cylinder.  I was a young kid and didn't have the cash to fix it.  So sat in the garage for about 10 years.  Now older and having an income, decided time to fix the car.  Once repaired, engine cylinder sleeved and put together, some body work done, I have a nice car.  I thought one day, I would like to find the guy I bought the car off of and show him that the punk kid did the car right and didn't run it into the ground but couldn't find him.

So today, my older brother calls me and tells me a story about a contractor that he is hiring to repair a chimney at one of our offices asked him if he had a brother named David and that he thinks he sold him a car years ago . . A black cuda.  Says he wished he never sold that car!  I'm sure he was surprised when my brother told him I still own the car and it's beautiful.   Haven't talked to him yet but I'm sure I will . . Would like to ask when he bought the car and maybe get some history after all these years. 

I was excited and surprised.  Hope he doesn't want to buy it back . . 

[Cuda Cody]

Small world.  Can't wait to hear what you find out when you talk to him.  Have you thought about what you would say if he tried to buy it back?   

[Spikedog08]

Say?   Not for sale.  After all these years, can’t imagine he would think I would sell . . Certainly curious when he bought it and from who?   

[Jay Bee]

I thought one day, I would like to find the guy I bought the car off

...and it only took 39 years.
I love these types of story. Please let us know how the conversation went when you two meet and what was talked about.

[blown motor]

Cool story Dave. I'm sure it will be an interesting conversation.

[anlauto]

Say?   Not for sale.  After all these years, can't imagine he would think I would sell . . Certainly curious when he bought it and from who?

Funny, 'cause on the flip side of the coin, he could be one of those guys with the "one that got away" or "regret selling" stories that we read on on so many times...He could be not into cars at all now, or one of those guys with lots of money that just wants his ol' gal back.....who knows ???

[Spikedog08]

Say?   Not for sale.  After all these years, can’t imagine he would think I would sell . . Certainly curious when he bought it and from who?

Funny, 'cause on the flip side of the coin, he could be one of those guys with the "one that got away" or "regret selling" stories that we read on on so many times...He could be not into cars at all now, or one of those guys with lots of money that just wants his ol' gal back.....who knows ???

Oh everything has a price.  If he offered enough, I would probably part with it even though I have a lot of history with this car.  Maybe I’d get an AAR or something instead  . . Black or burnt orange would be cool.

[dodj]

Oh everything has a price.  If he offered enough, I would probably part with it

For the right amount of money, most anybody will sell anything, or do anything.....

[mccannix]

Locating previous owners can have strange consequences sometimes.
I bought and still have a 71 Cuda 340-4 spd with 19,000 miles in 1976 from the original owner, about an hour from me in upstate NY.
The original owner/seller moved out of state shortly thereafter.
Years later I found out he had moved back to the same place.
So about 20 years after I had bought it, I was in his area and thought I would stop, show him the car again and have a visit.
He walked down the hill to the car and I got out to greet him.
He brushed by me, slid into the drivers seat and fired it up .
He was acting strange and his father showed up, very apologetic and told him to get out.
Its all we could do to get him out of the car and he kept saying " Look dad my car is here"
It was obvious that 20 years later he was now a few fries short of a happy meal.
I jumped it, backed out, and ran it through the gears getting out of there, never to return.
I also bought and still have in 1981, a 70 Cuda convertible 340-4spd in Theresa NY, about 45 minutes away.
The original owner had picked up a DWI driving it in 1977 indirectly resulting in him losing the car.
The car sat in storage since 1977 when I first saw it until I finally talked the then owner out of the car in 1981.
Once home I found an old insurance slip with the original owners name.
So several years later, I called him, telling him I had a car he once owned and would love to come and show him the car again, and hoping to get a little history..
I was so looking forward to it, until he said "No,... if its the red convertible dont bother, I have bad memories from that car".
So not real good luck for me with those two previous owners........

[7E-Bodies]

That's a cool story and seldom happens it would seem. I'll make a bet with you. He will want to buy it back. Plan accordingly.

[7E-Bodies]

Yeah, my current car, 70 440 RT had almost all, if not all of it's history in Ohio. When I got it in 2018, I searched the vin on Barry Washington's site and sure enough, he had documents for the car back to 1976. I was enthralled. Barry did the usual and made me prove ownership, not saying exactly what he had (and I admire that). Once I satisfied proof, he sent me the documents free of charge. There were a few of the previous owners listed including addresses and home towns from back in the day. I sent snail mail to them and got nothing. I verified the guy from the '76 document was still alive because his wife had an odd first name, possibly an immigrant and it was a perfect match. I looked under current listings and got their mailing address directly from property tax records. Mailed the guy the entire story, provided email, home address, land line, cell phone...nothing. Man, if someone that still had one of my old E's were to ever hunt me down I'd be elated.
Great topic, @Spikedog08

[Chryco Psycho]

I bought mine in 80 & when I restored it 29 years later in 09 I called the guy I bought it from & asked about a few parts he had when I bought the car that I should have been able to get at the time but couldn't , he just would not let go of them . His Daughter answers the Phone & gets him & he pretty much dropped the phone when he found out it was me & I still had the car !! He asks if it still in good condition & I told him better than when he had it , He was boggled he goes I have not seen the car around & I told him I had moved all over Canaduh for work & I reminded him that when I bought the car I had told him it would not be for sale again during my lifetime which he actually recalled !
Anyway the parts I needed were not at all important to him & he had no clue where they went .

Fast forward almost another decade a guy calls me to confirm that I had my car for real , so I confirmed & he says well I own the car now all we have to do is sort out the price . I hung up on him !! He calls back to try a different approach & offers me a blank cheque just tell him the # to fill in on the cheque , I told him he didn't have enough money & I hung up on him !!
He calls back to ask what he can do to make this deal happen & mentions that I don't actually know how much $$ he has & I told him Nothing . I explained that he had more $$ than I do & yet cannot find my car to buy so if I sold it the first thing I would do is replace it but I would have the problem & not him so why would I sell what I already have & know to search for an unknown replacement  when I already have what I want .
Some things just do not have a monetary value & Therefore cannot be bought .

[DrEamer]

I was the prior owner once on a 1972 Chevy Blazer that I sold when I was 19. We traded it in at a car lot, so we never knew who bought it. Forward 22 years later I bought another Blazer from a local paint shop that we had done business in the past. After working on things , I realized it was my old Blazer. My wife thought I was nuts, but we sent in the paperwork to confirm it was my old ride. It had been painted a different color, the interior color changed, lifted, the 4 speed replaced with an auto, and a 454 sat where to 350 once did. The give away for me was how I had cut the dash to fit the stereo in 22 years earlier. One day the UPS man asked where I had found the Blazer, because he had owned it at one time as well. I sold it on eBay to a shop in Mississippi, so I am guessing I'll never see it again.

Now on another note, I have tried to track down one of the the prior owners of my Challenger with not luck. The person I bought it from never changed the title in all the years they had it.     

[RUNCHARGER]

Funniest one I had happen was with my 69 Hemi GTX, one of 99 automatic cars. I brought it back from the dead and had it at a car show when a fellow wandered up and said "he used to have one just like it". We've all heard this before so I asked was it a GTX or a Satellite? He said "no it was a GTX, just like this one". So then I asked 440 car? He replied "No a Hemi, just like this one". I had some ownership history of the car so I said you must be  ___ _______? He looked at me in shock at knowing his name. I then explained to him just how rare the car was and that it had to be his old car. A lot of the owners of these cars originally or in the early 70's just figured they were regular cars and there were 10's of thousands of them built.
I've bought a few cars back after selling them but it's not the same feeling as the first time.

[Spikedog08]

Some cool stories here  . . so in my lifetime, I have only bought 3 cars from individuals. 

1973 Cuda
1969 Camaro
1970 Barracuda Conv.

Two of them I still own . . funny when I go to shows and see a 69 Camaro like the one I used to own, I wonder if it was my old car. 

Also the convertible . . After my 7 year build on the sun cooked Florida car, I did reach out to the guy I bought it from by snail mail to the address I had for him but it came back as undeliverable.  I think his name was Greg Greenman but my memory is not that good.  I also watch thinking he may post here saying . . "looking for my old car someone in Michigan bought years ago!"  Just want to show him what his old car looks like now!