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Author Topic: Tracing your car's history...  (Read 4496 times)

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Diamond Black Geezer

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Tracing your car's history...
« on: 24 November 2018, 22:15:41 »

Just wondered if anyone's had any experience on tracing their car's history - specifically the original Dealer which it was sold from? I have no paperwork dating that far back, only some from when she was a rep's car in her first year on the road, but nothing with an address on.

'OH' reg is Birmingham, so unfortunately I have maybe about half a dozen dealers to choose from (many of which I suspect have since closed/merged etc)

Any thoughts? Bit of an odd one, I know  :)
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BazaJT

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Re: Tracing your car's history...
« Reply #1 on: 25 November 2018, 08:06:44 »

Could be a bit of an awkward one what with data protection and such.I suppose you could try getting in touch with Vx/Opel and giving them chassis number to see if they can tell you which dealer it was shipped to?
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Lagondanet

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Re: Tracing your car's history...
« Reply #2 on: 25 November 2018, 09:54:20 »

Can't you obtain copy of earlier registration docs from dvla for a fiver still?
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Lizzie Zoom

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Re: Tracing your car's history...
« Reply #3 on: 25 November 2018, 11:00:30 »

Yep, my local main Vx dealer Caffyns obtained the build dates for my car.

But, as for individual owners going right back to the first, no idea! ;) 
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Re: Tracing your car's history...
« Reply #4 on: 25 November 2018, 16:51:38 »

Yep, my local main Vx dealer Caffyns obtained the build dates for my car.

But, as for individual owners going right back to the first, no idea! ;)
.



DVLA will supply a list of previous owners cost me £5 in 2007 when I wanted the history of my 190e
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Re: Tracing your car's history...
« Reply #5 on: 25 November 2018, 17:06:52 »

Jimbob found my last Omega, which was registered in December 2003, actually rolled off the production line in Germany in June 2002.

How many muddy fields was it sat in for those 18 months, I wonder. :-\
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TheBoy

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Re: Tracing your car's history...
« Reply #6 on: 25 November 2018, 18:36:23 »

GM EPC lists build date and build spec for any VIN, but only the companies that service them hold any records.
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Diamond Black Geezer

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Re: Tracing your car's history...
« Reply #7 on: 25 November 2018, 18:44:03 »

Thanks for the replies people!  :y

I think that obtaining info via the DVLA is no longer doable unless you have a legitimate excuse, for date protections reasons. The days of writing a letter and discovering Elvis Presley used to own your Cadillac etc are nearly gone. Looking at other classic car forums that seems to be the case, anyway. What a 'legitimate' reason is, I don't know.

That all said, however, I am not really looking for a personal owner (though that would be nice) but just the original retailer. Which surely can't really contravene any data laws - but the DVLA wouldn't hold that info, only registered keepers.  :-\

I have one document - the 12 month annual inspection (circa 1997), which the Dealer has thoughtfully not bothered to stamp in the space provided!

SO... Bit of progress - I have found a 1994 copy of the Dealership Guide - a list of all UK Vx Garages. There are 5 in Brum... only TWO of which are marked as Fleet Garages (she was a Company Car) and one Company bought all the Vx Franchises for Birmingham in 2002.  That company are still going - Lookers Group. SO if they didnt sell her, they bought the garage that did.

NO idea if theyd hold records, but next thought...

How are numberplates assigned their 'area codes'? OH is Birmingham, as are about a dozen others OV, OM, OA etc - do they work like postcodes, or are they distributed 'evenly' in a given area. So a car anywhere in Birmingham may get the code OH, or would it have to be from, eg: the NE corner only.. Anyone have a clue?

 :y
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Diamond Black Geezer

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Re: Tracing your car's history...
« Reply #8 on: 25 November 2018, 18:44:21 »

PS Ta TB  :y
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BazaJT

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Re: Tracing your car's history...
« Reply #9 on: 25 November 2018, 18:59:52 »

As said in my original reply try writing/getting in touch with the factory with your chassis number they should hold records as to which dealer the car was shipped out to.I know with our local Ford dealers[so presumably all dealers are the same]DVLA would issue "blocks" of registration numbers for them to use and they could be one of two [FW and FV for instance] choices so in your example the answer would be no one particular set of letters doesn't really pin it to one "locality".
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Diamond Black Geezer

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Re: Tracing your car's history...
« Reply #10 on: 25 November 2018, 19:11:35 »

Ta  :y  But, as you say, for example - if one dealer (as I've now narrowed it down to two) were issued with letter codes OX, OY and OH, and the other was issued that year with OV, OB and OA for instance, then we'd know that she had to have been registered at the first dealer  :y

All good info  :)
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Re: Tracing your car's history...
« Reply #11 on: 25 November 2018, 19:13:45 »

That’s not the way it works normally, as they are issued very small blocks of maybe 20 at a time
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Diamond Black Geezer

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Re: Tracing your car's history...
« Reply #12 on: 25 November 2018, 19:20:22 »

Ahhh fine! Just a thought (perhaps a shade optimistic)

But any information is good information. I wonder if AndyC, or indeed anyone else at a main dealer would be able to punch in a chassis number and find out where it was delivered. (perhaps, again, a tad optimistic)

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Re: Tracing your car's history...
« Reply #13 on: 25 November 2018, 20:06:23 »

If its a Birmingham dealer then the original ones I know of were Colliers (Dorridge + elsewhere), Evans Halshaw (Shirley - they crashed my Cavalier company car on a test drive) and Elt Bros (Yardley Wood)
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Diamond Black Geezer

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Re: Tracing your car's history...
« Reply #14 on: 25 November 2018, 20:17:22 »

Aye, cheers mate  :y

Yes the ones I have narrowed it down to are Elt Bros Ltd, 109 Amington Road and Ryland Birmingham - now both Lookers.

Checking Google streetview (brilliant thing) if you look up their addresses Elt seem to be still trading - the showroom rather sadly gutted but signs up claiming 'spares dept still open' but the other seems to have been knocked down and replaced with flats.

However, as I say, Lookers have bought both and so if they've chosen to keep the information, there is still a functioning organization that could have access to it. I can well see the ring binder long since slung out of course. But it's technically possible.
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