Finding Previous Owners

[kenshapiro2002]

One of my most rewarding projects is finding POs to learn everything about my vehicles history. It started with a '64 Vette I once owned. I found out the owners back to the day it was bought. One was actually Don Yenko. My search was the topic of a story in a prominent Vette magazine. I've always done this and sometimes it's been easy.

My current "stalking" is proving to be difficult...my '67 Deluxe. The owner I bought it from only owned it for a few months. The kid he bought it from only remembers that he bought it "about two years ago from some guy on Craigslist somewhere south of Alexandria VA". I am awaiting a vehicle VIN search that VA is doing for me, but their literature says something about not providing personal information, so I have no idea what my $8 is going to buy me. Watching the mailbox every day. The car was bought in MD, from a dealership that closed about 20 years ago (Auto City / Silver Spring MD). The best clue are the Walter Reed Army Hospital stickers, bumpers and windshield ) from 1989. Love to find that owner, but getting any information from DOD seems impossible. I even posted a request on Walter Red's Facebook page. I'm considering using a private detective in this one if that would work.

Any suggestions?
_________________
Looking for a correct 1967 rear seat

Looking for '67 Engine / Block HO 183xxx - HO 194xxx

[kenshapiro2002]

Just talked to an investigator who wants a $300 retainer and can't guarantee me results. Says he has access to the DOD and DMV that civilians like myself do not, but can't tell me for sure if MD and VA Motor Vehicle database, or the DOD's will turn up anything solid. Told him I'd pay $300 for the information about the POs but wasn't about to pay $300 to possibly get an , "I'm sorry" from him.
_________________
Looking for a correct 1967 rear seat

Looking for '67 Engine / Block HO 183xxx - HO 194xxx

[Mr Mike]

Finding original owners of old buses can be difficult. If you read back through this sites old postings you'll find the same question asked over and over. As an economy vehicle and long before they became "collectable" they often changed hands, I think, before winding up abandoned in some field or being used as a shed or chicken coop.
Finding the original owner for some is almost like finding "the holy grail".
Often its a matter of luck or circumstance. Over the years I've owned four buses. Only on the last one, a '63 15 window I've owned about 18 years, did I have any knowledge of the original owner. And thats only because the bus was delivered here in the Seattle area, where I live, from the factory to be delivered to him. When he passed away, nearly 20 years later, his family sold the bus to a friend he'd worked with who eventually passed it along to his daughter who later sold it to me. And I bought the bus sight unseen while working civil service in Japan! I learned of the bus from my daughter who was in school with the girl selling the bus. It was strictly luck of the draw.
I'd advise you to hang on to your three hundred bucks. If you haven't done so already, invest in a "birth certificate" from Germany. That's a good place to begin your records search. I don't know much about the DMV thing, but as a 30 year retired navyman, that DOD window sticker won't help you much.
Window sticker/base decals, were/are usually a base by base thing.
Each base had/has a policy for issuing those decals to military and civilians
authorized to be on an installation. The Decals were dated and unless the vehicle owner renewed the decal, eventually the record (kept locally) was discarded. There is no central agency anywhere that maintains copys of that info. A decal issued in '89 is history other than for its sentimental value.
Recent policy changes ( at least in the Navy) have directed that decals be discontinued. Personal ID will be the focus of security as people go through the gates from now on.
Not trying to discourage you. But I urge you to hold on to your bucks.
Good luck!

[kenshapiro2002]

Thanks for the DOD information... very helpful. Yeah...hanging on to the $300.
_________________
Looking for a correct 1967 rear seat

Looking for '67 Engine / Block HO 183xxx - HO 194xxx

[SkooobaSteve]

I've tried to hunt down info before, pretty hard people forget and get things mixed up. Its like Mr Mike said almost luck to get that info. I got mine from the og owner, pretty cool my neighbor worked at the dealer and remember the bus and the owner. Got some cool stories but they never got me pictures of it back in the day need to follow up on that lol.
_________________
Jonathan
Romans 6:13
WTB 67 beetle rear seat belts.
59 Euro ragtop build with my dad
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=493553&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
65 dlx Slow build
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=391061

[kenshapiro2002]

Lucked out today. Got back the report from the Virginia DMV, with the names , addresses and phone numbers covered over with marker. At an angle everything was totally legible!!! I now know the info. on a guy who picked it up abandoned in 2000 in Spotsylvania, VA , worked on it for 11 years, then got a title in 2011 and sold it to my PO. Can't wait to contact this guy. Fingers crossed that he wants to talk.
_________________
Looking for a correct 1967 rear seat

Looking for '67 Engine / Block HO 183xxx - HO 194xxx

[Soul Built]

I've never understood the fasination with finding previous owners of cars. I guess the person I bought it from and its current condition is enough for me. I equate it talking to my girlfriends ex

[kenshapiro2002]

[mandraks]

[kenshapiro2002]

[Soul Built]

Not trying to argue with you Ken?, just trying to broaden my horizon.

I personally could care less who farted in the seat before me and if my inspection doesn't tell me what I need to know, I don't buy it.

Carry-on and I hope you find what you're looking for.

[kenshapiro2002]

[Mr Mike]

Kenshapiro, for what ever its worth, good luck on your search. In my earlier post I stated find former owners can be tough. Theres lots of posts on this site from folks searching for 'em. None the less not totaly imposible.
Each of these own vehicles has a story and it is neat to bee able to find them when you can.
I've often wished automobiles like our buses had log books like airplanes.
In my time I've owned a couple of Cessna's and done some flying on my own. I recall the first aircraft I owned had been built back in 1947 and came with complete logs. The first owner was a ex military pilot who was building time for an airline job. In filling out the flight log he added comments such as how it was to fly a small airplane after his military bomber. Flying out to California from the mid west he added a note that he intended to ask his girl to marry him. No further notes on how things went but I thought it was neat that he wrote at all. There were 16 owners of this plane before I got it. Number 12 was a guy who rebuilt the airplane in Alaska and put on floats. A later note in the log book after he finished the rebuild read: "Took youngest son for first flight, beautifull day, ten thousand feet over mount Mckinely."

I don't know if you can make stuff like that up. It was great to read and know some of that airplanes history. kinda wish vehicles particularly our old buses had stuff written like that. Again, good luck on your search!

[kenshapiro2002]

Thank. Just sent my newest discovery PO a letter.
_________________
Looking for a correct 1967 rear seat

Looking for '67 Engine / Block HO 183xxx - HO 194xxx

[EverettB]

Personally I think it's interesting because it would be awesome to get vintage pics or any information or history from way back when.

Good luck!
_________________
How to Post Photos
Everett Barnes - [email protected] | My wanted ads
"Water is the only drink for a wise man" | "Communication prevents complaints"
Stop dead photo links! Post your photos to The Samba Gallery!

[jeffavatech]

Go ahead and find the past. I am still hitting a wall in my search. It was imported to NY and ended up in Maine. I know the last owner but not the other(s). Seems DMV only goes back 15 years for history. I did find an old parking ticket from NJ but the office said no joy. Keep looking. I wish you the best on this.

[BarryL]

[hitest]

I loved trying to talk to the PO (93 yo. original owner) of my '63 bug. With his daughter- it went something like this: "My dad bought it new and then tortured us kids in it. We hated that car. No, I didn't save any pictures." That was a treat.

The PO of my vert was dodging questions and being vague. Through the WA DMV during the title search, I learned the PO paid $600 for the car a few years ago and never transferred title- and wouldn't tell me because he felt "ashamed" for flipping it for 4k! I congratulated him and further learned the PPO died- and none of his kids wanted t.

Sometimes it sucks when on this trail.
_________________

[kenshapiro2002]

[Stanagon]

Way to go, patience pays off. I like the craigslist idea. I should try that for my '65 panel bus that has an extensive history (i have docs from DMV) in North Dakota. It would be great to find some old pictures of it being used as a TV service van, which it did from '65-'69 near Grand Forks, ND.

With my '61 bus (avatar image) I found a previous owner's plastic dealership card behind the driver's front door panel (under the door pocket). I managed to get a phone number and talk to the gentleman on the phone one day. I learned the bus hit a Pontiac in front and a truck hit the rear. He put the big steel front bumper on the front it still has, but eventually they parked it in NH near a lake house in '64. I was the next person to put any miles on it, some 43 years later. He didn't know anything about the various bullet holes in the bus. I haven't been able to reach him again but did write down the information he passed on to me. The bus was local to Quincy, MA back in the day, not far from where it lives now.

Tracking down previous owners is great fun.
_________________
Stan's Classic Service, specializing in air-cooled VWs:
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/classifieds/detail.php?id=614073

www.stanagon.com


My '61 Mango bus thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=110367
My '64 vert thread: http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=386344
My '71 squareback thread: https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=637709