So long to my first 240Z

[pete280z]

I would like to think that I did the right thing for the guy. I told him that I'd be willing to take a couple of parts that had been added to the car since he had it in exchange for my expenses in tracking him down. He stalled for a while and finally said that he'd sign the title over to me last summer. I could tell that he never really trusted me and I'm sure his story is very different.

 

In the end, life is just too short to worry over what to do with this car any longer. A project that goes nowhere is a burden. I'd be out the same amount of money had I wrapped the car around a telephone pole. It just happens that this way was a lot less fun.

[Pwbull09]

Me personaly im very bitter and dont trust the "Original Owners" after what happend with me.I look at it as a scam the owner sets up.But yes its dif for other people.But i know it dosnt always happen like what happend to me.But he never reported it.He probly didnt sign it over to you cuz mabe he has no proff he ever owned it.So many things not to trust from the way it sounds.I would have looked into the guys more if i was you.

[pete280z]

I hear you about the lack of trust. The best thing you can do is get educated about identifying markings on a vehicle and confirm that everything matches the title. VIN numbers, dates, names, addresses, etc all have to match. I consider bonded titles and salvage titles worthless at this point. If the seller doesn't have a title in hand that meets all of these criteria, don't even consider making an offer.

 

I'm confident that the guy I returned the car to owned it legitimately. I ran a title history through the state. He owned the car from the mid-70's. The last time the registration was paid was in the mid-90's and it was paid by him. So if he wanted to apply for a lost title, he could have a new copy in his hands in a couple of weeks. I even delivered it to the address that was on the title history. If he was trying to pull a fast one, he had the stones to lie to the auto theft detectives over a car that in restored condition would be worth around $5000. But I don't think that is the case.