# 60's GTO VIN Search for ownwership



## 66gtoquest (Jun 29, 2009)

Greetings,

I am primarily a Buick guy but I have one 70 GTO project that is taking a while due to the extreme neglect of the PO....

I have an opportunity to acquire a 66 goat in good condition with no motor. Everything else is very restorable and I am in love with this car.

The Problem:
I found this car by accident at an estate sale and no one has any record of the vehicle...I have tried AAA, and plan to go to the CA DMV, but they won't issue a new title without a bill of sale.....

Are there any creative ways to get this info? I'd hate to see the car get parted out if the current person in posession of the vehicle can't sell it in it's all original form....

Any help would be appreciated.

=GQ


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## 67/04gto (Jan 15, 2005)

you could always go through the ads in the magazines that offer to help get a lost or stolen title.


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Why can't you get a bill of sale from the estate?


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## ppurfield001 (Jan 21, 2008)

Rukee said:


> Why can't you get a bill of sale from the estate?




:agree


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## 65GTO421HO (Mar 1, 2009)

I don't think I totally understand your question/issue. You haven't bought the car? You don't want to buy it until you know you can title it? Well anyway, maybe this will help: I had a friend who used to work at a bank dealing with cars and the DMV. I bought a classic jeep CJ3B one time and it had no title. One of the things she told me was that I'll need a Bill of Sale to title it. She said I could have anyone, even my wife, write a Bill of Sale, saying I bought it from her, they don't really care and it's really of no value to them but for some reason they need it. It seemed really strange to me but that's what she said. Of course, I'd use a buddy instead of my wife, "just in case". I ended up selling the jeep when I bought my GTO so I never did get to go through the experience. Best bet: call the DMV and talk to someone.


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## 66gtoquest (Jun 29, 2009)

Rukee said:


> Why can't you get a bill of sale from the estate?


As stated above "I found this car by accident at an estate sale and no one has any record of the vehicle..."...not even the people selling off the other stuff. They don't even know where the car came from, just that it's been there for many years....




65GTO421HO said:


> I don't think I totally understand your question/issue. You haven't bought the car? You don't want to buy it until you know you can title it? Well anyway, maybe this will help: I had a friend who used to work at a bank dealing with cars and the DMV. I bought a classic jeep CJ3B one time and it had no title. One of the things she told me was that I'll need a Bill of Sale to title it. She said I could have anyone, even my wife, write a Bill of Sale, saying I bought it from her, they don't really care and it's really of no value to them but for some reason they need it. It seemed really strange to me but that's what she said. Of course, I'd use a buddy instead of my wife, "just in case". I ended up selling the jeep when I bought my GTO so I never did get to go through the experience. Best bet: call the DMV and talk to someone.


CA DMV are real sticklers when it comes to titles and registration. I plan to try what you said, I just wanted to make sure the car wasn't stolen or otherwise before I start a paper trail and end up getting someone in trouble...and no, I have not bought the car yet...


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## topfuel67 (Dec 23, 2008)

I bought a 1965 Lemans that was sitting beside a house in Palmdale, CA. The guy that had the car had owned a machine shop that rebuilt the engine. The guy never came back to pay for the engine or for having it installed. 10+ years later the guy sold the car to me. I got it titled with a bill of sale from him and the car was never even in his name. I live in CA too.


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

66gtoquest said:


> As stated above "I found this car by accident at an estate sale and no one has any record of the vehicle..."...not even the people selling off the other stuff. They don't even know where the car came from, just that it's been there for many years....


It doesn't matter, if you buy the car from the esstate, then THEY can give you a bill of sale for it. After all, you ARE buying it from them. You pay money, you get a receipt, the receipt IS your bill of sale.


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## 66gtoquest (Jun 29, 2009)

*The plot thickens...*

Come to find out, the VIN tag is missing......no tag inside the drivers door between the hinges, no body options tag, etc.

I personally could care less about the legitemacy of it being a "bonafide" GTO, but it looks like it's time to move on....

Even if I could get a replacement VIN, it would be classified as a 2009 vehicle....

Thanks for the assistance.


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

66 GTO quest.........you are making the right decision, big time. Move on to the next. They're out there, and, in this current economy, priced fairly.


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