Here is the problem, My brother has found an abandoned 68 hardtop vert he wants to buy. It has been sitting for 20 years and is locked up so we can`t get inside. If we bring a lot of attention to it I can gurantee you one of the local cops with pull strings to get it so we are keeping things as quiet as we can. All we can get is the VIN number and tag number from Michican in 86. The local highway dept won`t run the vin and we have no idea who the owner is. Do any of you guys have any suggestions

 

He wants to buy it from who? Is that why you need to run the vin so you know WHO to ask if its for sale? Right now the picture in my head is a 68 vette locked in a garage in the middle of the woods. This could be a tough one.

 

ummm yeah, buy from who; or is that what you are trying to figure out? Go to the city hall and find out who owns the property which it is sitting on. Good chance that is the same person who owns the car.

 

you hit the nail on the head exactly and the car is in darn good shape to have been sitting so long the tires aren`t even flat

 

already tried that we can`t find anyone who knows anything, I spent a year running down the owner of my Austin Healey 3000

All I have is a vin number and a tag from Michigan in 86

we aren`t sure the owner is still alive

 

Do you have any friends who are cops who could run the plate, even know its expired it might come up with some info.

 

Unless you have a legal reason for the info it might be hard to find. There is a Driver's protection act that protects individuals.

I like the idea mentioned about checking with the owner of the property. You can get the info from your town hall free. Also you might try talking to neighbors.

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thats what we have been running up against the privacy act or something, I even called a cop friend and he said he could get fired for running it and telling me, we are kinda up against it with this one but the car would be a really easy rebuild and a great car, it was under a car cover that has completely rotted away and only the cable that held it under the car is there I am afraid to bring a lot of attention to it because the city fathers will impound it and sell it at auction

 

Maybe blow the whistle on it and buy it at the auction.

 

thats our last resort but we may have to go that way but like I said it`s a last resort

 

It hasn't been sitting too long if it's in good shape and the tires aren't down.

Careful. Sounds like you and your brother might be trespassing. It's possible the owner of the '68 doesn't want you or anyone else looking at it. That explains why she's locked up.

 

I say back off , or you could be looking down the barrel of a shotgun. If he wanted to sell it , you would see it advertised. It is locked up and not sitting in the middle of a field, so he is saying STAY AWAY !!

 

Why not leave a note with your phone number on it see if the owner calls you.

 

As an LEO, I'll tell you that the is probably the quickest way to end your law enforcement career, short of doing very bad things on tape.

 

Why not give this a shot http://www.publicrecordfinder.com/property.html
might be worth the 5 bucks

 

There has to be a record of the property owner and that is public information. Go see who is paying the property taxes. Check with the neighbors. Even if its acerage they have to have a neighbor somewhere.

 

it is sitting abandoned on State property so there is no property owner, it had a car cover on it at one time but the cover has rotted away, the tires are still holding air but they are rock hard and dry rotted and the tag is Michigan 86, another year or so and it won`t be worth doing anything with. I am guessing it could have been someone in the National Guard or something or a state employee that left it. I contacted the Michigan DMV and they have no record of it either by VIN or tag

 

If its on State property I dont know that I would mess with it without contacting someone. it could be the States because the owner died and no relatives then it would go to the state. I dont think the State could sell it without it going to an auction of some sorts. Unless you bought the property of course. Id give it another try with the State, it has to be worth one more try. See what theyre plans are for the property. At the rate the State moves though it could be a pile of rust before they do anything with it.

 

Well since it is apparently abandoned on State property, the State may be able to take ownership of the car,
and then it would go to auction. They would attempt to locate the rightful owner but after a period of time,
the car would be theirs. Don't know how your brother could get it unless he bought at at the auction. You need to
notify the right person at the State, I can't imagine they would let the car sit on State property for another 20 years.

 

That is exactly our problem we can notify the state and try to get it at auction but I doubt it would ever get there, I am sure the car would just vanish before it got to auction and we would never know where it went or someone would have a buddy who wanted it and somehow it would get gone.