I have an interesting situation I am looking for advice on. I recently purchased a 1978 Corvette. The guy who I purchased the car from was selling it for parts. I have been looking for a C3 for a while. I have actually owned a few, however personal life issues seem to always arise shortly after I purchase one leading the sale of the vehicle shortly there after. This was not going to be that car. I was going to push this one into the woods and use it for parts when I found a decent one to restore. Well, to my surprise when I went to go pickup the car (as I purchased it sight unseen) it turned out to be a very complete, rust free 78 that spent the last 20 years or so I a barn.

Needless to say, I want to restore it. Now the problem: The guy I purchased it from sold it to me with a bill of sale. Supposedly about a year ago he purchased it from some who found it in a garage on a piece of property they purchased. The property has been sold about 3-4 times over the past 20 years. I have a friend who was able to run the VIN through a database and the car came back with no hits (its NOT stolen). Problem is that it also came back with NO owner history.

Their has to be some method of titling this thing in my name. I know rare cars turn up in barns from time to time, and I am sure the people who find them don't crush them if they don't have titles.

Any thoughts?
DG

 

Contact your DMV and ask them what you need to do.

 

Sounds like an out of state car.

Asking DMV would probably be easiest.

USAF

 

DMV is definitely the answer. The Catskill NY office has some very knowledgeable people that are easily accessible by phone

 

Well,

I contacted the DMV and the car has been in storage so long, they no longer have any records of it existing. This is really sad. If I can't come up with a way to find the previous owner, this clean car is going to be nothing more than a parts car.

Is their a General Motors number I can contact to try and find out which dealer sold it, and even maybe who they might have sold it to?

DG

 

this is pretty sad that you cannot save a piece of history just because they have not kept prior records.if you created the car from scratch you could never register it?there should be a new classification of historical restoration vehicles.but politicians around here worry more about what size soda you order.

 

Yeah, that's an easy one.

 

"i am a politician,and i am disgusting".

 

The interior is musty from sitting so many years anyway. Next opportunity I have a day off, I am going to strip the entire interior in hopes of finding a registration or something.
DG

 

There's something I don't understand here...You have a bill of sale, why can't they issue a new title?


OK, let's assume they can't. I believe there's a "C-3 registry", who might be able to help you track down some of the previous owner history, as long as you have a VIN.

 

Take a copy of the bill of sale along with a picture of the VIN # to DMV and they will tell you what else you need....too long ago to remember what else they asked for. Good luck and let me know how it worked out being that you're so close.

Sonny

 

Will do guys. I am working with a title company right now, I will see where it gets me.

DG

 

No, not from GM directly, but you could go here: http://www.corvetteactioncenter.com/...x.php?cmd=area and see if you can obtain a copy of the original dealer invoice for the car. The invoice will show the original dealer name and address, when the car was shipped, and about when it was delivered to the dealership.

Knowing the dealer may not be of much help; the dealership may no longer be in business or may no longer have records of selling the car.

 

Try contacting a repair shop, body shop, towing shop etc that is familiar with this process. In most states for a fee and some paperwork, you can end up with a good title thru a Sheriff's bill of sale.
Cost around here is a few hundred bucks and takes a couple months.