The new owner of my old Tacoma tracked me down today, 2 years later.

I wish I could give the story of that 69 ten likes... Frickin awesome.

 

You can't know how many friends and relatives I had to beg to let me keep it in their garage while I was in school then college....

 

I had an 86 bronco that I solid axle swapped and had about 17 inches of lift on between springs, bucket drops" perches, body. It was a fun truck to cruise around town in with the top off. Anyways sold it to a kid because it was a useless project. Couldn't tow or 4 wheel due to its enormousness and got about 3 miles per gallon with stock 3.55 gears and 42s (largest set of used tires I could afford when I put it together a decade ago lol). I saw it for sale in an auction a couple months ago and really really wanted it back or at least wanted to interview it new owner to make sure it will be cared for and finished.

 

How would I go about tracking down the owner of my Tacoma? It had no records in the glove-box.. All I can do I guess is lookup the vin maybe

 

I was going to ask a similar question to the guy above me, this thread made me nostalgic about my old 4runner. Tried facebook stalking the guy I sold it to with no luck, and the VIN search didn't pop anything up. What VIN lookup are you guys using to find some of this info?

 

WOW! I kick myself often for not keeping my 79 Trans Am.

 

I think this might be a regional thing (I'm in MA) but I usually get the previous names of the former owners on the title. Or paperwork somewhere. I always call them (the previous owners, what have you got to lose?) to ask if they had any problems, what got replaced, etc. But it varies greatly from State to State. For a while I was buying totals off of insurance companies (especially Geico..they'll total a vehicle for a cracked headlight) and got in touch with almost every owner as their name was on all the insurance forms as when you buy a "total" or "salvage vehicle" you need that paperwork to bring for (what I call) "The Shakedown". The State Police have to *re-inspect* the vehicle and "clear it" so you can re-title it as a "Rebuilt" (Former Salvage, Prior Collision) title. You cannot *drive* it there (it has to be towed...even though it's driveable..they don't care..but yet they let their buddy's drive up without having to have it towed..awesome) and you have to have those insurance papers on what exactly deemed it a "total". *And* if you don't have a *receipt* for something (no matter how large or how small)...they..."remove it" as they consider it stolen. I was rebuilding totals for a buddy of mine who has a shop up in NH. In NH the State Trooper barely (if at all) gets out of his cruiser and says "wow...it came out nice" or whatever as they sip coffee and stay in their cruiser. In MA...I had my vehicle (the last was a Ford Explorer Sport 4X4 loaded) towed to the "inspection station" in Westboro MA and holy crap..they treat you like a criminal. I thought i'd do the right thing and title this vehicle in MA as I was going to drive it for a while (seeing I live in MA). Huge mistake. It doesn't pay to do things the legal way in MA. The guy SCREAMED at me to stand on some yellow-taped "X" after the flatbed dropped it off and he SCREAMED at me to "open the hood, hatch, and both doors (Explorer Sports are two doors)" and "stand back" while they inspect it. After "passing me" the guy took me into his office and told me it has to be done this way (I guess he looked up my name or something as my entire family is law enforcement, State Troopers, Cops, Detectives, etc.). "Uhhhh....okay". I told him how it's done up in NH and he laughed.

 

I was in NH for some work training. Lots of smart people there. We were just talking during lunch and one guy says he calls people from MA MAssh*les.

 

2 or so years after I traded my 97 Tercel in at the dealer for my Taco it drove past me on the street I was driving down. My headlights were still in it and working.

 

Have you seen us drive? Lol

 

I was behind this one guy at this stop light, the guy in front of him was distracted and missed the light. The guy in front of me then rolled down his window and with a heavy Boston accent let him have it with many expletives. Then a cute girl walked by and he tried to flirt with her.

One thing I noticed about East coast peeps is that if there is something that pisses them off, they are not afraid to let others know how pissed off they are.

 

Lol.... Get it out, get over it, and move on.

 

A friend who used to live there calls it Massghanistan.

 

I had a 1995 Camaro (V6) once upon a time. Traded it in on a 2003 Dodge Datota R/T. Buddy and I drove to a Best Buy like two weeks later. Found my old Camaro in the parking lot. It had a very unique issue with the back hatch that proved it was my old car. This was in the city of Tucson, AZ which has like 1 million people in it. What are the chances right?

 

Yep...we're pretty notorious... ("M*ssholes that is).

 

"How sad but yeah, that's about right..."

 

Found the guy who bought my first truck from me, wanted to buy it back from him. Turns out it was totaled about a month before I found him though.

 

UGH...that sucks. Sorry to hear it.... I have a guy trying over and over to buy my '69 Camaro Z/28 for *his kid*. Over my dead body. I'd set it on fire in a drunken voodoo-dance before that happens. Been burnt with that so many times it isn't funny. I've gone through *hell* finding storage for it since '80. And to have some spoiled kid wreck it within a week? Hell no. Not happening. Buy a new one. Money might get you everything, but he's not getting my Z.

 

If it doesn't love me back, it's for sale."

 

Does that mean I can sell my girlfriends cat?