Surprise Finds
02-04-2019, 11:12 AM
#1
Racer
Thread Starter
Surprise Finds
Being that most of us bought our cars used, some quite used, it's not uncommon to find little surprises along the way. The majority of these surprises are of the negative variety, especially considering the age of the cars.
That said, i did run across quite a positive surprise this weekend. I bought the car a year and a half ago from my brother, who bought it from the original owner. I always noticed that my front calipers said "Corvette" on them. I figured the previous owner put covers on them. I didn't think much of it until i started shopping for brake pads. I checked them out and the 'Corvette" aren't covers but the calipers actually say it. i text my brother, who contacted the original owner and what do you know? They've been upgraded to C5 brakes! Nice to find a surprise of the positive variety once in a while.
That said, i did run across quite a positive surprise this weekend. I bought the car a year and a half ago from my brother, who bought it from the original owner. I always noticed that my front calipers said "Corvette" on them. I figured the previous owner put covers on them. I didn't think much of it until i started shopping for brake pads. I checked them out and the 'Corvette" aren't covers but the calipers actually say it. i text my brother, who contacted the original owner and what do you know? They've been upgraded to C5 brakes! Nice to find a surprise of the positive variety once in a while.
Last edited by 2LZ; 02-04-2019 at 11:13 AM.
02-04-2019, 01:53 PM
#2
Team Owner
Pro Mechanic
My surprises were mostly great.
*My LT1 has a lot of low end torque
*It drove "better" and was more fun than the C6 I had when I got the C4
*It shifted SO good!
*The Roof fit in the back (I didn't think that was a feature of the earlier, C4)
*It got/gets over 30mpg on road trips; 2-3 mpg better than the C6 did.
*It had "no" rattles.
The one bad surprise? Someone had let loose a confetti bomb in the car. I was finding confetti everywhere, for a long time.
*My LT1 has a lot of low end torque
*It drove "better" and was more fun than the C6 I had when I got the C4
*It shifted SO good!
*The Roof fit in the back (I didn't think that was a feature of the earlier, C4)
*It got/gets over 30mpg on road trips; 2-3 mpg better than the C6 did.
*It had "no" rattles.
The one bad surprise? Someone had let loose a confetti bomb in the car. I was finding confetti everywhere, for a long time.
02-04-2019, 04:48 PM
#3
Safety Car
I found the original owner's paperwork. The sales papers and insurance cards were tucked into the back of the owner's manual.
These papers backed up and verified that I am the 2nd owner and the story that was told to me when I bought it. The car was bought for her 50th birthday and then sat for most of the 10 years prior to 2016. For some reason it was traded in and I got to it pretty quickly. It does have the 1996 HVAC issue, so maybe that was the problem, or she had health issues or simply it was an impulse buy that didn't turn out to be quite what she thought.
Averaging out the mileage, it equated to 590 miles per year put on the car before I bought it in July 2016 with 11,800 miles.
These papers backed up and verified that I am the 2nd owner and the story that was told to me when I bought it. The car was bought for her 50th birthday and then sat for most of the 10 years prior to 2016. For some reason it was traded in and I got to it pretty quickly. It does have the 1996 HVAC issue, so maybe that was the problem, or she had health issues or simply it was an impulse buy that didn't turn out to be quite what she thought.
Averaging out the mileage, it equated to 590 miles per year put on the car before I bought it in July 2016 with 11,800 miles.
Last edited by drcook; 02-04-2019 at 04:49 PM.
02-04-2019, 05:56 PM
#4
Team Owner
Pro Mechanic
Damn....that car was a find! ^^^ Cool that you got the papers that echoed the story.
02-04-2019, 07:55 PM
#5
Race Director
How did your c6 ger worse fuel economy than your c3? That doesnt make sense, my C6 GS still gets better fuel economy than my c4, and both are sticks. The c6 sits a few hundred rpm below the c4 at cruising speeds.
02-04-2019, 11:47 PM
#7
Team Owner
Pro Mechanic
02-05-2019, 08:44 AM
#8
Racer
After I had my car for awhile I decided to do a through cleaning and discovered a little clear plastic bag full of green plant material under the drivers seat. 
02-05-2019, 10:50 AM
#9
Safety Car
we never think about things like this, who would have thought that someone forgot their bag under the seat, especially in a Vette. Not that a Vette owner would not have partaken, but that they forgot that it was there.
02-05-2019, 01:47 PM
#10
Drifting
with that thought in mind, every owner of a used car should do a thorough inspection even up to the point of possibly asking the LEO that you see a lot (etc) if they would let the dog sniff it. can prevent an unexpected surprise down the road.
we never think about things like this, who would have thought that someone forgot their bag under the seat, especially in a Vette. Not that a Vette owner would not have partaken, but that they forgot that it was there.
we never think about things like this, who would have thought that someone forgot their bag under the seat, especially in a Vette. Not that a Vette owner would not have partaken, but that they forgot that it was there.
02-05-2019, 02:03 PM
#11
Racer
with that thought in mind, every owner of a used car should do a thorough inspection even up to the point of possibly asking the LEO that you see a lot (etc) if they would let the dog sniff it. can prevent an unexpected surprise down the road.
we never think about things like this, who would have thought that someone forgot their bag under the seat, especially in a Vette. Not that a Vette owner would not have partaken, but that they forgot that it was there.
we never think about things like this, who would have thought that someone forgot their bag under the seat, especially in a Vette. Not that a Vette owner would not have partaken, but that they forgot that it was there.
02-05-2019, 04:01 PM
#13
Drifting
Besides, once that happens you are in possession of it. Period. Unless you happen to know an officer well. I was a scared teenager in possession of an illicit substance. No thanks, no regrets.
02-05-2019, 04:12 PM
#14
Safety Car
My point about a thorough search and/or getting a drug dog sniff test in today's world, with DUI checkpoints, that employ drug dogs, you would have been charged with possession as there is not way you could not have proved it was not yours without extensive/expensive tests to prove no drug usage and making sure that any fingerprints off the bag were pulled, but if they (police) would have touched it with bare hands, they would have corrupted evidence, which might have been an out.
I have a dumb *** family member who was in a car that got pulled over and because the drugs were under the passenger seat,where certain dumbass was sitting (absolutely not yours truly, I would not risk my security clearance which I still sort of have, plus other licenses) they were charged with possession and I believe the charges stuck.
I have gone through my car thoroughly even though the prior and only owner was a woman who had turned 50 in 1996.
I have a dumb *** family member who was in a car that got pulled over and because the drugs were under the passenger seat,where certain dumbass was sitting (absolutely not yours truly, I would not risk my security clearance which I still sort of have, plus other licenses) they were charged with possession and I believe the charges stuck.
I have gone through my car thoroughly even though the prior and only owner was a woman who had turned 50 in 1996.
02-05-2019, 04:29 PM
#15
Drifting
02-05-2019, 08:01 PM
#17
Safety Car
Better than the dead rodent or the used.. well the used ones that you pick up with the vac or tongs :-) Watching Junkyard Empire it was amazing what they found when dismantling cars.
02-05-2019, 09:10 PM
#18
Melting Slicks
I found like a buck seventy under the seats when I pulled them to vacuum. But when I changed the heater core I struck gold.
When I pulled the center console, on my way to pulling the dash, I found a gold bracelet stuck to the tunnel with old soda. Cleaned it up and gave it to my daughter.
When I pulled the center console, on my way to pulling the dash, I found a gold bracelet stuck to the tunnel with old soda. Cleaned it up and gave it to my daughter.
02-05-2019, 09:30 PM
#19
Racer
Owner's business card, hot red lipstick, some coins, Jimmy Hendricks tape, and the plastic handle thingy off the top stowage lever in the hatch. Was really pleased to find the handle thingy and the Hendricks tape plays like new. Lipstick not my color.
Last edited by rblakeney; 02-05-2019 at 09:31 PM.
02-07-2019, 01:57 AM
#20
Burning Brakes
My 89 was purchased from the second owner. When I pulled out the trays in the rear compartments found the front license plate filler with screws still taped on, pre- delivery inspection sheet, a $$$ saving coupon book from the selling dealer and a overdraft notice from the original owners bank. I honestly believe the second owner didn't know the trays came out.