I know my dealer data-now what?

[Patrick N.]

Very excited that I also recieved my dealer data- zone 9, code 134, Courtesy Chevrolet, now Courtesy Automotive, still in business. Can't imagine they would have any records going back to 68. The original owner will be in on Thursady and I can talk to him if I want. New to collecting the history/documentation of a car, is there any documentaion or information I should ask for from the dealership?

PS, similar to others, my trim tag is march 7 68, and the build date is the next day, March 8th.

Thanks,
Pat

[Tom H.]

Re: I know my dealer data-now what?

Pat, I doubt you'll find anything left from the dealership. You might ask if there are any "old timers" who used to work there who might recall the car !! If they weren't a large volume Corvette dealer, somebody might remember the car and get you on the right track.

Now to answer your question, assuming we were in fairytale land, you would ask for the original purchase order and any service records available. Of course the original invoice may still be in the folder. Keep in mind, that would probably be in fairytale land !

[Michael H.]

Re: I know my dealer data-now what?

Very excited that I also recieved my dealer data- zone 9, code 134, Courtesy Chevrolet, now Courtesy Automotive, still in business. Can't imagine they would have any records going back to 68. The original owner will be in on Thursady and I can talk to him if I want. New to collecting the history/documentation of a car, is there any documentaion or information I should ask for from the dealership?

PS, similar to others, my trim tag is march 7 68, and the build date is the next day, March 8th.

Thanks,
Pat

Pat,

Got mine on Saturday for my 67, my trim tag march 3 (Friday) " GM Offical build date" march 6 (Monday). My dealer is still around as well, making a visit on Friday.

Mike

[Patrick N.]

Re: I know my dealer data-now what?

Tom, you're right, I highly doubt anything exists, I'll still ask the question though-maybe they are in fairytale land. Who knows, they may have a file cabinet similar to your drawer of targa top ratchets

Good luck Michael, who knows, perhaps you can find something out. let us know if you get lucky! If nothing else, a pic of the car at the dealership is a nice touch for the album.

I found my dealership online and the building is a very retro dealership, would love to make the trip out to cincinnati for a pic. of course I need to get the car back on the road 1st!

Thanks
Pat

[John H.]

Re: I know my dealer data-now what?

Pat -

My '67 was sold at a small country dealership in Elgin, Iowa (pop.602); they sold over 600 cars a year, but only one or two Corvettes.

I ran down the General Manager of a dealership by the same name in West Union, Iowa; turns out he bought the Elgin dealership in 1991 and merged it with his shop in West Union.

He hooked me up with Leo, the owner of the original Elgin dealership, who is 82 years old; I spent about 30 minutes on the phone with him, and we had a delightful conversation. Since he sold so few Corvettes, he remembered mine, as he sold it himself - he even remembered the buyer's name. Turns out that the young buyer, from Clermont, Iowa, developed mental problems two years later, was committed to a state mental institution, where he died a year later of a brain disease in 1970.

When I asked about any records, Leo said that he stored the old records at home in his basement (didn't have space at the dealership), and the day he sold the dealership in 1991 and retired he took them all out back and burned them, then finished the basement. When Leo sold the dealership, he had five employees, each of which had been there for at least 50 years.

He also said the original buyer's sister still lives in Elgin, and he'll see if she remembers to whom his estate sold the car. Leo's sister also was the county clerk for 37 years, and although she's retired, she still has access to the records and will go through them when she has a chance to see if there's anything there that may be of use.

Didn't get any paperwork, but had a great conversation with Leo, and something may show up later. I had previously tracked the car back to the third owner (who refuses to talk to me about it), and now I know I'm only one owner's gap (the second owner, who bought it from the original owner's estate) away from having the car's complete history. Fun stuff .

[Patrick N.]

Re: I know my dealer data-now what?

Pat -

My '67 was sold at a small country dealership in Elgin, Iowa (pop.602); they sold over 600 cars a year, but only one or two Corvettes.

I ran down the General Manager of a dealership by the same name in West Union, Iowa; turns out he bought the Elgin dealership in 1991 and merged it with his shop in West Union.

He hooked me up with Leo, the owner of the original Elgin dealership, who is 82 years old; I spent about 30 minutes on the phone with him, and we had a delightful conversation. Since he sold so few Corvettes, he remembered mine, as he sold it himself - he even remembered the buyer's name. Turns out that the young buyer, from Clermont, Iowa, developed mental problems two years later, was committed to a state mental institution, where he died a year later of a brain disease in 1970.

When I asked about any records, Leo said that he stored the old records at home in his basement (didn't have space at the dealership), and the day he sold the dealership in 1991 and retired he took them all out back and burned them, then finished the basement. When Leo sold the dealership, he had five employees, each of which had been there for at least 50 years.

He also said the original buyer's sister still lives in Elgin, and he'll see if she remembers to whom his estate sold the car. Leo's sister also was the county clerk for 37 years, and although she's retired, she still has access to the records and will go through them when she has a chance to see if there's anything there that may be of use.

Didn't get any paperwork, but had a great conversation with Leo, and something may show up later. I had previously tracked the car back to the third owner (who refuses to talk to me about it), and now I know I'm only one owner's gap (the second owner, who bought it from the original owner's estate) away from having the car's complete history. Fun stuff .

you're so right, there is more to these cars than the pursuit of perfectly finished hardware. Wish I had more info when I purchased the car, but I at least know its starting point now. I recently tracked down the owner since 1970 (as far as i can tell), will be giving him a call. I would love to know what he was up to when he exploded the transmission and parked the car in 84!

[Michael F.]

Re: I know my dealer data-now what?

any reason why owner 3 won't talk to you about car, never had that happen on any car I have ever owned.

[John H.]

Re: I know my dealer data-now what?

any reason why owner 3 won't talk to you about car, never had that happen on any car I have ever owned.

Nope, dunno why he won't discuss it - maybe it's a sore spot (lost in a divorce, or??). I finally found a friend of his through a car club, and he said the guy is "kinda weird".

[Clem Z.]

Re: I know my dealer data-now what?

mrs clem was the office manager/title clerk for the dealership and she said as soon as it was legal to destroy the stored records they did because it cost $$$ to keep all this paper work because it was paper not a computer file.

[John M.]

Re: I know my dealer data-now what?

so far it seems like this new dealer data is not worth much, I've been waiting to find out if it was worth the $40 and I have not heard one person say it was worth the $$$. I'm am interested in my cars history like every one else but this just seems like another dead end.

[Michael H.]

Re: I know my dealer data-now what?

so far it seems like this new dealer data is not worth much, I've been waiting to find out if it was worth the $40 and I have not heard one person say it was worth the $$$. I'm am interested in my cars history like every one else but this just seems like another dead end.

John,

I'll say its worth $40 as I had no idea where to start looking ( I had no documentation ) for my paper work, now I know what state to do a title search in an yes my original dealer still exist and I'm headed that way on Friday. Maybe I'll find something maybe not but its been worth $40 to me.

Mike

[Patrick N.]

Re: I know my dealer data-now what?

John,

I'll say its worth $40 as I had no idea where to start looking ( I had no documentation ) for my paper work, now I know what state to do a title search in an yes my original dealer still exist and I'm headed that way on Friday. Maybe I'll find something maybe not but its been worth $40 to me.

Mike

I agree with Michael, I have nothing in terms of paper work and a build sheet that is highly deteriorated. This may not be the most complete information by any stretch, but it is a great start. For me, totaly worth 40 clams.

[Michael H.]

Re: I know my dealer data-now what?

Pat,

I did this back in the 1990's when I had a 67 435 car and it took my about 18 months and I did find the original owner and the original motor during my journey. I got all kinds of information from the various owners ( 14 ) and pictures as well of what the car looked liked over the years. It was a lot fun waiting for the mail man everyday not knowing what I would get in the mail.

Good luck in your search and have fun.

Mike

[George J.]

Re: I know my dealer data-now what?

John Hinckley,
did your story come as a result of the paperwork provided by the NCRS, or does your story take place a while ago?

George

[Ken P.]

Re: I know my dealer data-now what?

any reason why owner 3 won't talk to you about car, never had that happen on any car I have ever owned.

Maybe the car drove him NUTS also.