Tracing down previous owners

[Henri Kroeze]

My '79 Vette is a 'California' car. Having Corvette History as my second hobby, I want to know everything from the past from my Vette. During an interior restoration I found a note on the radio with the address of the owner at that time (1981). Wrote a letter and guess what, the mother of the owner still lived there! Turned out that I traced the original owner who had the Vette until 1990. Great contact, nice person!

Then I have a 'hole', until 1994, when the Vette was exported to Holland, Europe. With the Vette I got an official piece of paper (Certificate of Title ???) stating to whom the Vette belonged when sold in the States. Complete with address. So far I haven't been lucky to get in contact with that person. It is likely he doesn't live on the given address anymore.

I know I should contact the California DMV, but how does that work? Would anyone who has 'been there, done that' please tell me what steps to follow? Any luck on finding this owner throught the DMV? Other methods that would work?

Thanks!

Henri Kroeze, the Netherlands

[Mark J.]

Re: Tracing down previous owners

Henri,

Go to the following DMV website and print out the PDF form. Send it to Sacramento or drop it off at the DMV along with a check for five bucks. Either way it has to go to Sac. Then there is a ten day waiting period before they take any action. I had limited success with my '66 title research. The DMV records only went back to three owners.

The DMV form is as http://134.186.4.210/forms/inf1125.pdf There is more information at www.dmv.ca.gov. Do a search on the homepage for "vehicle history".

Mark

[grr]

Re: Tracing down previous owners

Mark, thanks for the info, I'm sure I'm speaking for many as Calif. has been a stumbling block for past owner checks.grr#33570

[Henri Kroeze]

Recap & more q's

Thanks for the url. Living in Holland and not used to the DMV system in the States: what info will I get when I fill & post this form? The names & addresses of the previous owners? Are these the current addresses, or the addresses at the time of ownership?

I know the license # when the Vette left the States. But isn't it true that the license # is a personal belonging, so when you sell a car you keep the license #? In Holland the license # belongs to the car. Is there any use in mentioning the license # of the Vette? Wouldn't the VIN be a better source for a history info request?

Please help me guys, I know almost nothing regarding this subject!!!

Henri Kroeze, the Netherlands

[Mark J.]

Re: Recap & more q's

Living in Holland does present a problem. If I recall correctly, California DMV requires that you be the present owner and registered in California. You may have to move back....

As far as the information provided, the only relevant DMV information is the name of the previous owner and the dates when previously registered. There are no addresses, as that could be construed as an invasion of privacy. You will have to do your own footwork to track down the names.

Mark

[Michael R.]

Re: Tracing down previous owners

There's a couple of other sites that may help, www.eztitlesearch.com and www.carfax.com. Both will provide you with a history of the vehicle for a fee. Also, www.ussearch.com can help you find the owner once you know who they are. STW, Mike