If you could talk to the original/prior owner of your car, what would you ask?
My 69 Camaro has been with my family since the mid 80's and only had one prior owner. I have the name of the original owner and am hoping to locate him or his family (I have the feeling he may be deceased).
Oh my God... tons of questions.
If only the car could talk.
Where the car had taken them through the years. Any memorable moments in it? Who the hack was that did the panel replacement!!
Why was the original black standard interior completely replaced with a dark green Firebird interior?
When you picked the car up did you walk through the shop to see the 67 L88 being converted to a race car? This vette was my dream car since I was a kid when I had a 1/12 scale diecast. Having a camaro that is on the dealers lot at the same time as this corvette will be the closest I will come to owning it. http://www.sportscardigest.com/tony-delorenzo-in-bloomington-gold-great-hall/ http://www.supercars.net/cars/4929.html
The orginal owners wife and daugher do not want to talk to me about the car... Tough losing a loved one and they saved this car from new till 5 years ago.
Routine maintenance info, how's and why's of the RPO's ordered, and general history would all be on my list but I also found that for a year my vehicle was reported stolen by the owner and recovered from the son - makes for a long joy ride and an interesting story I'm sure.
Original owner:
What dealer did it come from? Was it an in stock car ir did they order it? Do you have any old paperwork? When did you sell it? Do you want to see it when it is done?
The owner I bought it from. Were you the guy on the title or did you just flip it? What happened to the Motion L-88 hood that you offered me? Were you the one who put the other Motion stuff on the car? The car came with a big recipt for bodywork in 1979,was it wrecked? Do you want to see the car when I am done?
I would ask the last owner those questions because looking back at it,I bought the car in 1988 when I was in high school,and the title and recipts for work and parts all go back to 1979,and to be honest,the guy looked kinda young to have had the car that long. I also know that the recipt said that in 1979 the car got a fender and door and 2 quarter skins,and it also had a non a/c radiator and support in an a/c car.
When I hooked up with the 4th owner of my car (I am the original owner), he wanted to know how the subframe got bent. I told him "a victim of my mispent youth"
Why on earth did you cut that up??? Bondo is a not a magic "fixall" either. Did you keep those junk parts you threw back there in the shed...?? And like Johns question, why were there 4-10 shot gun shells in the trunk...
I would ask many of the standard questions to the orignal owner about options, paperwork etc.
The person who owned the car before the person I bought it from: Did you think that fake fur stuff on the package tray looked cool? Why did you spray can primer over so much of the car?
i would love to find any old photo's of the car through the years....be it with family pics or even if it was just in the background of any picture....i'm "nostalgic" that way
Good news is I did locate the family of the original owner and they are willing to talk to me about the car! Now I have some good ideas for questions. I have asked about stripes and found out it originally had hockey stripes. It is going back to the original Frost Green color, no vinyl top and I was dreading having to chose no stripes (way too much green), hockey stripes that could have possibly been on the car or Z28 stripes that really look good on the car but I know are wrong.
Me too. They say a picture is worth 1,000 words, especially in this case.
Why did you replace the original rosewood steering wheel with that grant wheel?
Why did you put that interstate battery in it?
Why those wheels? The original rallywheels look fine.
Why would you let Earl Scheib paint a car like this?
Do you still happen to have the original exhaust manifolds, smog, shifter, etc..
i tracked down the original owner of my 79 caprice coupe. He told me everything about the car from day one. it was his wife car. Someone hit the door and quarter in early 1980. New parts and a whole new paint job. He told me he rebuilt the drivetrain at 100k, just because. (engineers...) he made his own DRL and other funky things(engineer) his wife died about 10 years ago and the car sat inside until it was too much to look at. He donated it to his church, they gave it to a scrap guy who sold it to me. He said he never wants to see the car again...too many memories. He wouldn't recognize it today, for sure.
I am leary of calling the children of the original owner of my turbo regal.(i have all their info) they're mother died recently...give it a couple years...though i do have the build sheet.
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