Stolen car found and returned to owner after 45 years.

I looked at this mornings, "The Daily Herald" paper, and the major headline, "Who stole the '33 Coupe?" jumps out at me. There's a photo of the car, and former owner, some 45 years earlier. I remember seeing a thread, and photos of the car here on the HAMB some time back, posted by the guy who had just bought the car, and was really exited to find out the history of it. I've searched for the thread, but can't find it now. I'm sure that guy is just sick over losing a car he paid quite a bit for, the newspaper article said $7500.00, and having to return it to it's legal owner. I wonder how many old cars have been stolen, sold and passed around for years, but never make it back to the rightful owner? It was a nice story, but sad too. Can anyone remember the original thread here, and maybe do a link of it? "The Daily Herald" also has an online edition at heraldnet.com for those wanting to read the article. Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

I know the Hamber you are referring too, he deleted that thread.

You should probably delete this too.

 

Makes you wonder about all the "found" cars, doesn't it?

 

why?

 

It looks like the car was stolen in 99. I'm happy for the original owner. I hate it for the guy who bought it thinking he found the score of a lifetime.

http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20130805/NEWS01/708059957

 

nice story...

 

And nobody registered it in those 45 years ? Great job DMV....

 

Interesting it stayed in basically the same area. Changed VIN#, this story is sad and good at the same time. Just makes you wonder.

 

The story says it was bought and sold 3 times. 3 different owners and the numbers were changed. Think, guys who find a car with no title and are looking to buy a title. That's why title talk isn't SUPPOSED to be done on the HAMB.

 

I don't know why he would delete the thread, or why I should (???). I don't believe he did anything wrong, and is probably heartbroken over it, not to mention the financial hit. It was an interesting post and a good story, but with an unfortunate ending for him. I'd think that with the amount of time that had passed, the hands the car went through, and his own honesty, the car now should now belong to him, especially if the original owner got any kind of settlement from insurance or whatever. It was his own "digging" into the cars history that lead to the original owner, who now will probably just sell it anyway. If Ryan, or any of the other moderators, want to take this thread down, that's OK with me. Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

First I gotta say my heart breaks for the guy who is out the money. I feel as many back as possible should cough up as much cash as possible. We all know that won't happen I'm sure. But as a guy who has had many cars through the years I would want the guy to have his car back if I had it. Strange circumstances all around but probably more common these days with the Internet than most of us know.

 

what about the guy he paid the 7500$ to. is he not liable for selling a stolen car??

 

Was the owner of the '33 paid off by his insurance company back in '99?

Sad situation for the guy who paid $7500 bucks, because he had paperwork for it. I don't like how the article spoke of the guy in Stanwood. To him, his '33 just got stolen from him too.

 

Wrong, wrong, wrong -- and wrong:
1. So I have a car that was stolen years ago and went through several hands, now it should be mine and screw the victim? I don't think so.
2. If the victim got an insurance payment, then the insurance company owns it and should get it.
3. It was his own digging -- A friend of mine bought a Corvette some years ago, found the original owners name in the car and contacted him... oops, it was stolen, my friend lost the Vette. Oh wait, my friend was honest, screw the victim....
4. Ryan can take the thread down -- sure he can, but he shouldn't, we all have something to learn here.

 

If the guy settled with the insurance company then he was paid for the car, why should he get the settlement and the car, while the new owner gets screwed out of his $7500?

 

you can't go to the guy who lost it and say we found your car but you can't have it back because the new owner says he didn't know it was stolen...

 

How many people had insurance on a local track car? Not many, I'd think. Hell, a lot of people didn't have insurance period.

 

If it was a track car I understand that. However, if it was insured and a settlement was made then he should not get it back.


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To me this is a good example of the mindset of people today. Me, me, me. I was raised to know the difference betwee "RIGHT" and WRONG". The car goes back to the rightful owner or yes, the Ins company,,,period. If one of them wants to reimburse the finder, which they should, very well. If not, the finder still did the right thing.

 

I have a friend that bought a project 50 Merc, from a well know custom builder. CB got the car in a trade with other cars and it was not registered but had a title. When friend went to DMV,,woops the car was currently titled. Long story short, woman asks brother to store car, he gets tired of keeping it sells it with a dupe title. The car goes through a few hands with the dupe title. Friend at DMV is like WTF? Some how he sees the name and address on the screen. Hunts down the woman who had paid the registration all the the years, 12 I think. Friend had to pay woman for all the rego but got the correct title. So it happens alot, as these old cars go from hand to hand with 'proper' looking paper work. He was lucky the woman never went looking for the car and reported it stolen. Back to the stolen car here, if original owner filed a claim and was paid, it is the Insurance companies, and it might be time for some difficult legal time to recover the purchase price.

 

This is precisely why, if I purchase a car in-state, I call my friend with the county sheriff's office. I ask if a vehicle has been reported stolen, and provide the VIN, plate number AND the decal number on the plate. If it comes back good, then I'll talk money with the seller.

And, no way in Hell will I purchase a no-title car UNLESS it comes from a no-title state, and only then, if the seller has irrefutable proof of ownership.

 

I happen to be lucky enough to be friends with the Hamber that got the raw end in this deal. He is a stand up guy and he never questioned who deserved the car. he let it go back to the original owner with out a fight.

He did however ask the owner if he could buy it from him....

This is where the real tragedy here is the guy who got his stolen property back is turning that beautiful survivor into... into... uuuuh a STREET ROD!!!

 

Insurance companies don't insure race cars, track cars or whatever. If the car went back to the owner, an insurance company wasn't involved. IF there was a settlement, usually the insurance company would offer the car back to the owner for the amount paid out.

 

I was't expecting this thread to turn into a "food fight". MANY years ago I had a friend who's sister boarded her horse at a small farm. My friend used to take his sister to and from the farm all the time, and on one of these trips, went exploring. He found a 56 Chevrolet, 2 dr, model 150, Utility Sedan behind a barn with tall grass, weeds, and brush growing up around it. He kept telling me about it for a few weeks, then one day I went with him to look at it. We rounded the barn, and I literally stopped dead in my tracks; it was my FIRST car. I did't even have a drivers license when I bought it, and had to have a friend drive it home for me; it threw a rod getting it home. I had NO mechanical knowledge at the time, and at my Father's insistence, sold the car. I forget the particulars of how my friend got in touch with the current owner, but my friend wound up buying the car, and we found out it was legally STILL in my name. It had been through at least 3 other owners we found out, the last one had put a Pontiac engine in the car with the center, front, factory mount welded to the suspension crossmember (currently had no engine/trans). It was a simple deal, I just signed the title over to my friend, but I did kick around the idea that I could actually claim it for myself. I know this situation is different than having a car stolen, but it illustrates what can happen when people don't transfer titles/paperwork. I could't see why so many people had't done so with with "my" car. My friend had big plans for it, but wound up selling it. As far as this situation involving the 33 coupe, well, it's a real mess. I don't know the true owner of the car, and I only "know" our fellow HAMBer because of his original posting. My statements were formed on my view of "the statute of limitations", and how that might apply here. Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

I'm also in awe of people who don't change a title right after purchase. There are guys on the HAMB right now, who have finished a car, then want to know how to get a tile. How could a person leave themselves open to so many problems? Just doesn't make sense. I transferred my last car the day after I got it.

 

I was told by your friend, who is a HAMMER, that the guy he bought it from paid him back his funds so he was out nothing other than the loss of a dream car to build. So there are 2 stand up guy's!..................................................

 

Now if that is true, I don't know how you could have an ending any better!

 

I'd be more than a little pissed if my '55 Chevy D/G car ever showed up, and someone thought it belonged to THEM, just because they bought it without knowing it was stolen from me in 1972!
I've still got that title in my lockbox. Hope springs eternal!

 

I once removed a '57 Chevy that had been abandoned at a rent house owned by my grandfather. My intention was to make it a driver so I could drive it back and forth to Ole Miss where I was attending classes. Mississippi was not a title state back then, and only a few particulars were needed to get a tag. The '57 didn't have an engine. While I was in the process of putting one in, a couple showed up waving a piece of paper from a finance company. They said that it was their car. I said, "You owe me a towing fee, and money for cleaning it." It had been knee deep inside with the nastiest stuff humanly imaginable, and covered with tree sap, and bird dung. Of course, an argument ensued about my bill. They wanted their car, and it was theirs, or else. So, I relented. "Go get someone with a wrecker, or a trailer to come get it," I said. After they left I took an acetylene torch and cut it into pieces. Funny thing is, they never came back.

 

I would call this a case of cutting off your nose to spite your face..