Ever try to find a car you sold??
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Like Jae said, sometimes you don't want to find them. My very first car was a 69 Cutlass Supreme. I sold it in about 1978 and moved on but always thought about finding it and restoring it. About three years ago I parked beside it at the local Walmart and told the old lady driving it that it was my first car. It actually had a for sale sign on it and was reasonable but it was a sieve. I don't know how she stayed warm and dry with all of the rust holes in that car. 
To the guys who've said sometimes it's better to not find them, I'm with you. I've had at least 30 cars over the years but only miss a few.
-Datsun 1200. I sold it about 2 years ago to a guy who planned to completely gut it and do an SR20det swap. My brother saw it on CL and called me. Seller was asking 25% more than he paid and hadn't done a thing to it other than bolt the bumpers on. Ad was gone in less than 24hrs.
-Datsun 240Z. It was sold about 12 years ago. Again, it popped up on CL about 6-7 years later. The car was completely unchanged except for new tires. I sold it for $5k and his price was $8k.
-'64 Rambler wagon. Sold in 2005. I ran into the car at a show last summer. He had rattle bombed everything under the hood red. Everything. It was horrible. The AMC ralley wheels were gone and it had Chrysler steelies and dog dish caps. He removed the roof rack. Had some poorly constructed speaker boxes in the back. When I sold it the car was all original paint and looked good except for the RF fender which had been hit, repaired, then hit again before I bought it. While I owned it I found a perfect replacement fender but never got around to replacing it. He had it painted and installed. Whoever painted it did a beautiful job with the tint match and application. They didn't replace the trim though, so it stuck out like a sore thumb. Wish I'd had my camera but didn't.
-'36 Chevy pickup. Sold in 2005. My brother saw it at a show last summer. It had changed hands twice. He talked to the current owner. He drives it everywhere and every day. He's had 3 transmissions and 4 engines in it. Got rid of the cool '50 Olds steering wheel, added a homemade overhead console, replaced the wheels, and had flames pinstriped on it. It's rough but loved. Glad he has enjoyed it. Before and after...
-Datsun 1200. I sold it about 2 years ago to a guy who planned to completely gut it and do an SR20det swap. My brother saw it on CL and called me. Seller was asking 25% more than he paid and hadn't done a thing to it other than bolt the bumpers on. Ad was gone in less than 24hrs.
-Datsun 240Z. It was sold about 12 years ago. Again, it popped up on CL about 6-7 years later. The car was completely unchanged except for new tires. I sold it for $5k and his price was $8k.
-'64 Rambler wagon. Sold in 2005. I ran into the car at a show last summer. He had rattle bombed everything under the hood red. Everything. It was horrible. The AMC ralley wheels were gone and it had Chrysler steelies and dog dish caps. He removed the roof rack. Had some poorly constructed speaker boxes in the back. When I sold it the car was all original paint and looked good except for the RF fender which had been hit, repaired, then hit again before I bought it. While I owned it I found a perfect replacement fender but never got around to replacing it. He had it painted and installed. Whoever painted it did a beautiful job with the tint match and application. They didn't replace the trim though, so it stuck out like a sore thumb. Wish I'd had my camera but didn't.
-'36 Chevy pickup. Sold in 2005. My brother saw it at a show last summer. It had changed hands twice. He talked to the current owner. He drives it everywhere and every day. He's had 3 transmissions and 4 engines in it. Got rid of the cool '50 Olds steering wheel, added a homemade overhead console, replaced the wheels, and had flames pinstriped on it. It's rough but loved. Glad he has enjoyed it. Before and after...
Im definitely in the same boat as you don't want to find them.
Its upsetting to see, that the things you took care of, others didn't give a damn about and neglected.
My friend found his 69 cutlass that he sold, and when he picked it up, it had not moved from the spot it was parked when it was sold to the guy 2 years back. Sat on a grass lawn basically. Well with a Canadian winter, the moisture really took a toll on the frame and floors. (Happy ending though, he fixed it all, and its a beautiful daily driver now).
I painted my old Firebird with a 300 hr paint job, and polished to a glass finish. I found the car on kijiji last year, with a hole cut in the hood, and a fiberglass scoop "molded in". I think the guy actually used a "top shelf" aerosol spray paint, but obviously it wont match up to a proper 2 stage paint with color sanding. This one probably ended up in the crusher. I didn't really want it back to fix, I didn't feel it was worth it.
My Skylark I sold before my Regal actually went to a decent owner. He lives not too far from me, and I run into him now and again. We talk about how its doing. I've told him if he ever needs help tinkering on it, id be happy to help. So that's kinda cool.
With the situation reversed though, I bet any previous owners of my cars would have been happy to find them in my possession. The only exception would be my 79 corvette, which I beat on mercilessly. lol.
Its upsetting to see, that the things you took care of, others didn't give a damn about and neglected.
My friend found his 69 cutlass that he sold, and when he picked it up, it had not moved from the spot it was parked when it was sold to the guy 2 years back. Sat on a grass lawn basically. Well with a Canadian winter, the moisture really took a toll on the frame and floors. (Happy ending though, he fixed it all, and its a beautiful daily driver now).
I painted my old Firebird with a 300 hr paint job, and polished to a glass finish. I found the car on kijiji last year, with a hole cut in the hood, and a fiberglass scoop "molded in". I think the guy actually used a "top shelf" aerosol spray paint, but obviously it wont match up to a proper 2 stage paint with color sanding. This one probably ended up in the crusher. I didn't really want it back to fix, I didn't feel it was worth it.
My Skylark I sold before my Regal actually went to a decent owner. He lives not too far from me, and I run into him now and again. We talk about how its doing. I've told him if he ever needs help tinkering on it, id be happy to help. So that's kinda cool.
With the situation reversed though, I bet any previous owners of my cars would have been happy to find them in my possession. The only exception would be my 79 corvette, which I beat on mercilessly. lol.
I still wonder about the 1974 Dodge Dart I used to own. Factory 318 2-bbl that had a 2.45:1 axle. Despite:
- the axle ratio
- a 195 degree thermostat when it should've been 180
- a carb that was in desperate need of a rebuild
- weighing 3420 lbs without driver
it ran 15.6 @ 90 MPH the one time I took it to the track.
As I recall, bought it in 1993, stupidly sold it in 1994. Got a 1989 Mercury Cougar. I used to brag that the Cougar had all the power of a 4-cylinder, all the fuel economy of a V8.
One conversation I was complaining about it, and a friend said:
"Dude, so let me get this straight... you sold a car you loved in order to borrow money and pay MUCH more insurance to buy a car you hate?"
"Well, yeah. But when you put it like THAT...."
Years later, having still had the VIN and an old copy of the registration card, I did a title-search, and, at least as far as New Jersey was concerned, the guy I sold it to still had it. He was a State Trooper at the time, I believe, and bought it so that he could keep his baby, a Dodge Charger, nice. The Dart Sport was to be his Mopar Daily Driver.
I went to his house actually, and while I was curious to see if he'd sell it back to me, even if not, I wanted to see the car again. I knock on the door, and someone I don't recognize answers. I explain the situation, and he said "Oh, yeah, I just bought this place and moved in less than a month ago..."
Damn!
I don't know what happened to the owner or the car since then. I know that while I got "far more" than anyone expected I could get for the car back then, I probably couldn't touch it for even 1/4 of that money now.
Still, if it were in good shape, I'd be interested in seeing how much the owner would want for it. That was my first classic, and I loved it. I have NO idea how my dad managed to talk me into selling it and buying that Cougar.
- the axle ratio
- a 195 degree thermostat when it should've been 180
- a carb that was in desperate need of a rebuild
- weighing 3420 lbs without driver
it ran 15.6 @ 90 MPH the one time I took it to the track.
As I recall, bought it in 1993, stupidly sold it in 1994. Got a 1989 Mercury Cougar. I used to brag that the Cougar had all the power of a 4-cylinder, all the fuel economy of a V8.
One conversation I was complaining about it, and a friend said:
"Dude, so let me get this straight... you sold a car you loved in order to borrow money and pay MUCH more insurance to buy a car you hate?"
"Well, yeah. But when you put it like THAT...."
Years later, having still had the VIN and an old copy of the registration card, I did a title-search, and, at least as far as New Jersey was concerned, the guy I sold it to still had it. He was a State Trooper at the time, I believe, and bought it so that he could keep his baby, a Dodge Charger, nice. The Dart Sport was to be his Mopar Daily Driver.
I went to his house actually, and while I was curious to see if he'd sell it back to me, even if not, I wanted to see the car again. I knock on the door, and someone I don't recognize answers. I explain the situation, and he said "Oh, yeah, I just bought this place and moved in less than a month ago..."
Damn!
I don't know what happened to the owner or the car since then. I know that while I got "far more" than anyone expected I could get for the car back then, I probably couldn't touch it for even 1/4 of that money now.
Still, if it were in good shape, I'd be interested in seeing how much the owner would want for it. That was my first classic, and I loved it. I have NO idea how my dad managed to talk me into selling it and buying that Cougar.
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