LTL_DMON

iTrader: (1)

So, my dad had a black 1985 Trans AM with T-tops 350 with a stealth ram, and sub frame connectors... he owned it for about 18 years when it was stolen and wrecked, but word is that it might have been bought by a guy named Mark (he use to work on the car) the thought was he would turn it into a track car. Mark had a falling out with the garage he worked on the car at so I don't think they'd know where he is. I was hoping to find this TA, I have the VIN and some information about the modifications my dad had done to the car... how would I go about finding this car?

Anyone ever track down a car they use to own third gen or not?

AmorgetRS

iTrader: (6)

Only sold one Thirdgen, never really wanted it back.

FYI, that is not a StealthRam, that's a Super Ram.

LTL_DMON

iTrader: (1)

That's ok, originally I called it a short ram.

whitedevilTA

iTrader: (8)

This wasn't really a hard one to track down but after I bought my 2000 firehawk I "sold" my dad my 86 TA and told him to give me the money whenever he had it. Well almost a year and a half later after he had driven it a bit and I decided to sell the firehawk, I kindly asked him for it back since I missed it so much and he agreed since he hadn't given me any money for it yet lol. Sometimes things just work out for the better!

KMK454

I went through this for the past few years... my dad had a 91 RS with plenty of bolt-ons and 25k miles when he traded it in 2006. I always wanted to buy it from him at some point.

I searched the VIN but nothing would come up every time. Eventually, I started to give up. Then I found a 91 B4C for sale that was an exact copy looks wise but had better factory equipment due to the B4C optioning. I ended up buying it; I imagine if I find the one I was looking for, I might be try to come up with some cash.

Here's the thread I started regarding the old search, with pics:
https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/auto...-have-you.html

GerryCat09

iTrader: (1)

I attempted to track down my dads 82 Firebird S/E, the car I always wanted, but was unsuccessful, the VIN hasn't turned up anything in years and years so its probably scrapped, thats when I found my 86 T/A and later my 91' Firebird, but I can sympathize, my dream was to find my dads old car since its the first thirdgen I remember.

Dartht33bagger

I'd like to see how this thread goes. My grandpa had a 72 K5 Blazer that he bought from the factory and ended up throwing in a 454 bored over to 460 at some point. He sold it in 2002 when he got his 2002 Dodge Ram pickup. I really want to track that thing down someday since it was my favorite vechile to ride in when I was little and it was in pristine condition with all of the original documentation when he sold it.

LAFireboyd

iTrader: (3)

Interesting topic for some of us. I've run the VINs of a couple of past thirdgens through (I think it was) carfax, and I was able to learn of their registration histories, including the cities they were in, but nothing specific about ownership. But that was something, and it led me to even more questions...

I was the original owner of a 1982 Z28 that I sold in 1983 when I ordered my 1983 Z28 HO. Then in 1984 I ran into the guy I sold the '82 to, and he told me that the car had been totalled in a pretty bad accident.

My 1983 Z28 was stolen in 1986. All searches I've done for its VIN throughout the years have always come back with nothing, as if the car never existed. Only GM's and my own records prove it once existed.

Then a couple of years ago when I had access to carfax, I ran both VINs to see what I'd find. Nothing at all came back on the 1983, but the supposedly-totally 1982 resurfaced, coincidentally in... 1986.

The "1982" continued to have a registration history through 1997, but nothing after that. So it was most-likely junked at that time, or it might still be sitting in someone's garage or barn... or it could be at the bottom of Lake Michigan, as it was registered in Chicago.

This all seems strange because both cars were owned by me when I lived in Indy, which is where both cars were originally registered, and Chicago is just up the road. And as far as most people could tell, the cars were identical to each other, so swapping the "dead" 1982's VIN onto the stolen 1983 would've probably been pretty easy to get away with back then.

Then for the disposal of all the original records of the 1983, learning of the dead 1982, seeing that the cars were basically the same, and that both were originally owned by the same person, then swapping VINs... it would've all been pretty "convenient." So there would had to have been a connection at the DMV, which might not be unusual for car theft rings. Oh well, it makes for a good "conspiracy theory" anyway LOL. And it is oddly-coincidental, to say the least.

Another coincidental oddity is that I moved to Chicago later in 1986, which is where I ordered my 1987 Formula. So during the couple of years I lived there, one of my previous Z28s was also there!!! But which one? *Twilight Zone theme plays*

So to the original poster, try carfax or one of the other car history data sights. Who knows what you might find?

cs2000

I did the same thing with car fax to track the '89 and '91 RS's I bought new, as of last fall they still exist, I bought the '89 New and traded it in '91 For a new loaded RS, I sold the '91 to my boss' daughter when I bought a '93 Z28 new. I traded the '93 for a '95 Z28 convertible which I still have today. I'm sure the '91 is probably rough today, but it was one of my favorite cars, last I checked it lived in Keokuk ,Iowa. Anybody know of a Teal, T-top, Leather, 5.0 efi- 5speed RS coupe from that area?

supr_fly03

iTrader: (2)

I got the 83 Z28 I drove in high school back after 15 years. There is a huge thread about it here in the history section. I am about to put an update in there in a min.

jharrison5

I use carfax or similar program and find the last place it was registered then contact the DMV in said area and find out who owns it. Not too hard to do if the car in question is still registered and you know how to sweet talk DMV personnel. However if the car has been put to salvage then you are out of luck, plus the cost to gain the info can escalate quickly in certain states.