Contacting Car's Original Owner

[Woj]

Originally Posted by njsteve

The original owner of my SD455 was ecstatic. I call him. No one was home so I left a message saying who I was and that I had a 73 Firebird that I think he bought new.

Within ten minutes he called back, all out of breath repeating the same phrase: "YOU FOUND HER! YOU FOUND HER!!!!!"

and the rest is history. :-)

When I attempted to contact the original owner of my COPO Chevelle, I got a recording and left a brief message stating that I owned an Orange 69 Chevelle with a 427 and the original owner's name matched the owner of the number I called.

He called back shortly thereafter and was thrilled that the car was still around and couldn't wait to come see it (it had been 45 years). We have been friends ever since (3 years now) and exchange emails on a regular basis. He's still a car guy.

[Crush]

I have done this 3 times so far. In one instance I even hired a guy who specializes in such.
Overall, they have been good experiences. As already stated one particular owner wanted to know how much I paid for it and then went on to say how he couldn't afford to own it now. He was a little crusty but still was kind enough to share important details about the car
I have only been able to receive a few old pictures but nothing more. I didn't go into it with the expectation I would find POP, old books etc.. but was hopeful to document the conversations via email and add such to any other documents I had.
Im sure like many on this board it is part of the thrill of having these cars and trucks. Many times I feel like a little kid finding something that no one else could and then being able to tell the story of my findings.

Have fun with it!