Searching for my first car

Watchdog

New Member
I bought my first car from my mom when I was 17 in 1987. She passed away from cancer and is no longer with us. Anyway, in 1987 I bought the car from her and drove it proudly for 5 years until I joined the military in 1992. I went to boot camp, tech school...more tech school and was finally stationed. During this time apparently my car was towed and put into storage because someone said it was abandoned!! Anyway I get back home to find my car is impounded and was told while standing infront of this guy, pleading in fresh military uniform to let me keep my car that I need to pay the impound fees now or surrender my title. Needless to say, I had no money and surrendered the title to impound lot. This was in 1993 and I havent seen the car since. I figured times have changed and nobody would treat a military service member that way anymore but its what happened to me and its what seperated me from my first car. One with the value of being my mothers before me. My hope is to one day find it so keep a look out for it just in case.


 
Do you have any paper work with the VIN??

Sorry to hear your story, that does suck. Do you have the VIN of any other info that could help identify the car. If the car survived (I see it was in CA so that makes it possible) and if those trim details on the targa are still there, someone might recognize it. Beyond that, it will be hard to pick out an individual gold 76-78 X without some identification.

Now if you just need any gold 76-78 to bring back memories, that can be found. Here is a two for one sale in Iowa:
http://cedarrapids.craigslist.org/cto/5136106428.html
 
My hope is someone will recognize it. It has different rims from what I have seen. I never even had then chance to get my belongings from the car. The guy was a real ass about it and honestly I think his girlfriend that was there got the car. I had my 1989 graduation tassel hanging from the rear view mirror, my cassette collection in the trunk. For some reason I just got all sentimental about losing it over 20 years ago. :(
 
Some hope?

My hope is to one day find it so keep a look out for it just in case.


You can go to your local CA DMV & fill out a form INF 70R (Request for Vehicle/Vessel Record Information), pay the $5 fee, & they will run a search through their database using either the vehicle's CA license plate number (which is shown in your photo) or the actual VIN (if you have any records of it). You'll also need to give them the model year of the car (necessary info for Section B, Line 1 of this form). This will at least tell you if the car is currently registered in California with that same license plate &/or who the current owner is (each type of search costs $5). If you can provide the actual VIN instead of just the old blue/yellow license plate number, chances are better of it coming up in the DMV's search (since it may currently have vanity plates or newer-style plates on it & the old plate number is no longer active).

https://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1dmy&urile=wcm:path:/dmv_content_en/dmv/forms/inf/inf70

Note that the owners' personal info (address, phone #, etc.) might not be given to you (due to privacy laws), but you can always run a search later on their name using other methods, which might lead you to a mailing address - in case you want to write to them about the car.

It's a "needle-in-a-haystack" search for sure, but ya never know! :wink2:
 
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