Original Mustang

[dburdyshaw]

I check in on this thread from time to time ---- and wanted to give it a bump in case any new people had not seen it.

Someday I hope to find it. Thanks to everyone who has made suggestions and thanks for just reading about it.

It's been about six months since I've brought this thread back to the top.

I am still advertising locally. I thought that I had a lead on CL ---- but the guy never responded to me.

Thanks to all that help. It's appreciated.

[dburdyshaw]

It's been about four months since I've brought this thread back to the top.

Update: I've been running CL ads ---- changing up the wording and re-posting.

I got a response from a guy that had an '84. He said that some friends of his saw "my car" on CL and called him and he contacted me. Well, that one turned out to be an '84. It was a decent hatch -- but not my car (not my '80 Coupe).

More recently, I got an email from a guy who wrote, "I bought this car from a guy in Bono. Painted it back and then sold it a few years ago." Bono is a nearby town. I emailed him back twice asking for more information ---- with no further response from him.

I'm still trying. Sigh.

[bluesfannoz]

Have you run the VIN through the NMVTIS database. Different than carfax. Won't give you owner info, but might give you more history that might help locate it. Its not free, there are several vendors that offer searches.

http://www.vehiclehistory.gov/nmvtis...lehistory.html

[dburdyshaw]

Thanks Steve! I wasn't even familiar with that service ---- though I'll be doing it forsure. Thanks again.

A "Brand" defines the status of a vehicle, such as Theft, Flood, Salvage or Rebuilt. A brand is carried with the title as the vehicle travels from state to state. There are over 250 brands recognized by NMVTIS that can be categorized by type.
BRAND CATEGORY	NMVTIS SEARCH RESULT
Total Loss	No Brand Reported
Salvage	No Brand Reported
Disclosed Damage	No Brand Reported
Bond	No Brand Reported
Flood	No Brand Reported
CARS/Cash for Clunkers	No Brand Reported
Gray Market	No Brand Reported
Junk	No Brand Reported
Manufacturer Brand	No Brand Reported
New/Re-Issued VIN	No Brand Reported
Odometer	No Brand Reported
Rebuilt/Repaired/Reconstructed	No Brand Reported
Dismantled	No Brand Reported
Rental/Taxi/Police	No Brand Reported
Agricultural/Logging Vehicle	No Brand Reported
Title Copy	No Brand Reported
Antique/Classic	No Brand Reported
Undisclosed Lien	No Brand Reported

Current Title Information
State	VIN	Issue Date	Odometer
Arkansas	0F02A187351	03/08/1989	000082120 Miles
Historical Title Information
State	VIN	Issue Date	Odometer
No historical title records for this vehicle.

[dburdyshaw]

Okay ---- I did learn one thing (see end of post above) ---- and that is that it appears that a TITLE was issued for the car on 03/08/1989 when the odometer had 82,120 miles on it.

So now, what does that mean?

If the car was last titled in 1989, does that person still own it? If he sold it, there should be a record of that sale -- hence another title listed on this report.

We sold the car in 1984. Shouldn't there be a record of that person getting a title in 1984?

At the time we sold it, the car had about 44,000 miles on it.

___________________________


More info from the report (below).

Reporting Occurrence	Reporting Entity Information	Date Obtained	Vehicle Intended for Export?	Vehicle Disposition
No Junk/Salvage Reportings Found

Reporting Occurrence	Reporting Entity Information	Date of Total Loss Declaration or Date Total Loss Claim Paid
No Total Loss Reportings Found

There are no liens reported for this vehicle.

[Travis T]

It could have been sold to another person who never titled it, or it could have been junked without a title, it's hard to tell what is going on since it has been so long without any reports. Could be parked in his garage too.

[dburdyshaw]

It could have been sold to another person who never titled it, or it could have been junked without a title, it's hard to tell what is going on since it has been so long without any reports. Could be parked in his garage too.

All true and possible scenarios.

Ya know ---- I have this feeling that it's just sitting somewhere near my home in Arkansas ---- and that I drive past it frequently.

Mom also sold her Mercury LN7 to someone in another small town in Arkansas ---- called Walnut Ridge. Every now and then, I go to this town ---- and just drive around looking for it. I just know it's sitting behind someone's house -- or in a barn -- or somewhere.

[mustangmania]

Danny, did you try this?

http://www.arkansas.gov/services/lis...count-services

Also,

http://vehicledataregistry.com/recor...2a187351&last=

[dburdyshaw]

I will -- and THANKS for the information.

[dburdyshaw]

Cross-referencing my other post -- which is in the BS section.

http://vb.foureyedpride.com/showthre...87#post1692087

[85GT-79FJ40]

I'll bet it's sitting on the property of the last person who titled it. My advice would be to make good friends with someone in law enforcement down there. One of my friends located a 65 mustang another friend restored back in high school. Unfortunately it turned out to be in really rough shape. Somewhere along the way someone drove it year round. It had changed hands like 6 times in the 10 years that had passed. But there was a paper trail and he found it.

[dburdyshaw]

I'll bet it's sitting on the property of the last person who titled it.

I never thought of that. That is an EXCELLENT thought.

My advice would be to make good friends with someone in law enforcement down there.

I'm working on it ---- though your post has given me some new ways of going about it.

[vintageracer]

Go down to the local DMV and do a VIN search OR call the DMV and do it over the telephone.

Tell them you are buying this car with this VIN number and want to confirm the current title status. If asked why tell them you want to make sure the title the seller has is current, that there is no lien on the title etc and that title is valid for transfer. The DMV will cooperate as they know that there are MANY people out there who now pawn their title to get a loan against a car and immediately apply for a lost title BEFORE the lien is recorded and a new title issued. That means the seller has a "Clear" title in his name with no lien on the title however that duplicate title ultimately will be no good as a new title with the lien recorded and therefore a new "Title Number" will also be issued for the new title with the lien recorded. That new title will then become the title of record.

Duplicate Titles are a HUGE problem. Some scammer's will pawn a title to their car 5-10 times doing the same thing over and over again by pawning the title or getting a bank loan on the car and then getting the duplicate title before the lien is recorded as they know lenders are very SLOW to record their lien and process the paper.

I have done this MANY times and done it over the telephone in many states to confirm the title the seller has is the current title of record. The DMV will not tell you who owns the car but they will tell if the car is registered, the current title number and if there is a lein. This is still NOT the safest thing in the world as once again the lenders are slow to record their interest (lien) on a car but at least it helps a little when dealing long distance or right in your back yard.

REMEMBER this is most important when the seller has a "DUPLICATE TITLE"!

Ever wonder why so many cars are for sale on CL with NO TITLE?

Simple!

The title has been pawned and the seller in most cases is committing Felony Fraud by selling "Mortgaged Property". Since people who do this live their lives with their best friends "Desperate and Stupid" they do no know and really do not care what they are doing and what the consequences could be if the lender chooses to pursue legal action!

All the seller knows is "I Want MY Money"!

Trying this method of title search will not confirm or deny if the car still exists only if there is a current title on the car since the car may not be licensed or sitting in someone's backyard. Remember you can do this method of VIN/Title search for any and all states with a telephone call to the DMV. Also remember that some states have purged their old records with no activity and therefore the car may no longer be in "The System"? Also the car have have gone to a "None Title" state for older cars such as Alabama or Georgia. Typically it is my experience that they will still have the old registration records that are tied to the VIN and license plate number.

The privacy laws make it tougher to find the owners name once you find their is a valid title however if you are headstrong and want to find the owner you can hire an attorney or PI who can gain access to the records.

[dburdyshaw]

Thank you, Mike. I appreciate the time you took to put down this information. I'll give it a shot.

[dburdyshaw]

I haven't posted here in a long time -- though my search continues.

Using Mike's post (above) as a guide, I visited the local DMV -- and while they were nice, they essentially had no real information to give to me -- with one slight exception. When looking up the car by VIN, the girl seemed a bit puzzled -- so I guessed what was troubling her -- and that was the VIN. As the car is an '80 model, it does not have a 17-digit VIN -- and I explained that to her -- and she understood. She didn't find the car -- at first -- and asked me if the car had ever been titled in Arkansas -- and I said that I was sure that it had. She did a little more looking and said, "Oh -- it had been archived." I'm not sure if that meant anything.

I'm still looking -- and any help is appreciated.

[Quicksilver]

I can't really help at all. All I can do is wish you good luck in your search. Hope you find it ...waiting for you.

[dburdyshaw]

When the girl at the DMV looked it up and said that it had been archived, should that have told me anything?

I can't really help at all. All I can do is wish you good luck in your search. Hope you find it ...waiting for you.

Thanks Rob for taking the time to write your message. It is appreciated.

[markpregler]

Currently I am awaiting Kansas to reply with any public information on my old 86. I assume it has been traded as the car was registered there in 11-2014 and is overdue for registration in 2015. Either that or it is sitting in pieces in a salvage yard. Anyone have a way to check salvage databases? I have the VIN.


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[FoxChassis]

When the girl at the DMV looked it up and said that it had been archived, should that have told me anything?

That means whatever information that they do have is not available for an immediate search but rather is in a format that requires time/labor to retrieve.

[dburdyshaw]

That means whatever information that they do have is not available for an immediate search but rather is in a format that requires time/labor to retrieve.

So I'm guessing that this means that there hasn't been any activity on this VIN for a long, long time.

Thank you for your response. I appreciate it.

When I bought the NMVTIS report that Steve suggested (see below), it showed the last activity to be on 03-08-89 ---- with recorded mileage of 82,120. When we sold the car in 1984, it had about 40,000 miles on it.

Thanks Steve! I wasn't even familiar with that service ---- though I'll be doing it forsure. Thanks again.

A "Brand" defines the status of a vehicle, such as Theft, Flood, Salvage or Rebuilt. A brand is carried with the title as the vehicle travels from state to state. There are over 250 brands recognized by NMVTIS that can be categorized by type.
BRAND CATEGORY	NMVTIS SEARCH RESULT
Total Loss	No Brand Reported
Salvage	No Brand Reported
Disclosed Damage	No Brand Reported
Bond	No Brand Reported
Flood	No Brand Reported
CARS/Cash for Clunkers	No Brand Reported
Gray Market	No Brand Reported
Junk	No Brand Reported
Manufacturer Brand	No Brand Reported
New/Re-Issued VIN	No Brand Reported
Odometer	No Brand Reported
Rebuilt/Repaired/Reconstructed	No Brand Reported
Dismantled	No Brand Reported
Rental/Taxi/Police	No Brand Reported
Agricultural/Logging Vehicle	No Brand Reported
Title Copy	No Brand Reported
Antique/Classic	No Brand Reported
Undisclosed Lien	No Brand Reported

Current Title Information
State	VIN	Issue Date	Odometer
Arkansas	0F02A187351	03/08/1989	000082120 Miles
Historical Title Information
State	VIN	Issue Date	Odometer
No historical title records for this vehicle.

[Travis T]

Probably in someone's backyard.

[dburdyshaw]

Probably in someone's backyard.

And that's the reason that I'm always looking when I'm out riding around.

[dburdyshaw]

I'm still trying. Input is welcomed.

CL Ad.

[BLUECRAPI]

I'm rooting for you to find it. Have you considered stalking your state city by city, block by block via google maps?

I know it would be time consuming but it is a small world and the car could be hiding in someones back yard... Not sure I like the fact that people can do this but considering how long you've searched....

[dburdyshaw]

I'm rooting for you to find it. Have you considered stalking your state city by city, block by block via google maps?

I know it would be time consuming but it is a small world and the car could be hiding in someones back yard... Not sure I like the fact that people can do this but considering how long you've searched....

Firstly, THANK YOU very much. That really means a lot to me.
I had not thought about it -- but that's a good suggestion -- and I'm up for trying essentially anything.
Thanks again.