Brewin4u

I posted a message here awhile ago regarding my search for the 79 Z28 I once owned. I've been searching off and on for the past 2-years and finally received a good lead last week.

The car was last registered in 2004 to a person in Poulsbo Washington. The VIN # is 1Q87L9L597054, last registered plate was 707 LZC, and last name of the person is Sharpe. Amazing what various agencies have on file when you ask the right 'Yes or No' questions...

Well the trail has grown cold once again so I'm reaching out to the community to see if the recent information I discovered rings any bells.

The car was Copper with Black wheels, no decals, tinted windows, 350, 4-speed. I miss it and would like to buy it back.

Thanks for reading this message - if you have any information please email me: Brewin4u@msn.com.

krazzycowgirl

if you are still in Washington state stop by this weekend at XXX drive in in Issaquah on sunday it may be there, if its alive.

97QuasarBlue3.8

If you haven't already done so,

1. Check Carfax for the last registration reports. The reason I say this is because someone can leave the state of WA with a car, and the state will have no record of it leaving other than the registration expires and the last known plate issued to the car. Then, you can call to the state which Carfax reports its registered in.

I think you may also be able to pay the state $5 for a registration report on a particular license plate.

2. Make friends with an insurance adjuster. They have access to the state VIPS website which can look up plates, VIN info and return addresses of registered and legal owners. It's illegal for them to provide you that information and illegal to look it up, but great things would not happen if people never bent rules... They can also look up the vehicle in insurance databases. This will tell you any claims made against the vehicle, what company handled it, and if it has been totalled. If it's been totalled, you can call area wrecking yards, and they will be able to tell you if they took it in or not.

3. Keep a watch out on Craigslist. Post up in the wanted ads. Owners of older Camaros regularly trade parts on there or sell their cars on there

4. Go cruise Poulsbo. It's not that big of a city, and like most people in America, someone probably has the car parked outside.

I was able to find my old 1997 Camaro by word of mouth. First I found out it was totalled. Then I found out it ended up in Spokane at Spalding's. So, I called Spaldings, gave them the VIN, and had a rep go take pictures of what was left. It wasn't worth saving, so I had to let it go....

Good luck on your search!

Brewin4u

Awesome suggestions, thank you.

For the sake of documenting my efforts I will plan to track progress in this thread. Hope no one minds too much - it's almost like therapy for me.

#1 - CarFax
Unfortunately the VIN must be from a car or light truck manufactured for the North American market since 1981, in other words 17-digits in length.
79 Camaro's such as the one I am seeking (1Q87L9L597054) are 13-digits.

#2 - Breaking the law
I wouldnt have as much information on the car had I not already asked friends to 'bend the rules'. Didn't even think about the insurance industry - excellent tip that I will follow up - lucky for me our agent is a long time family friend.

#3 - CraigList is my friend as well as eBay and of course this site.

#4 - Pouslbo here I come. Actually, I'm planning to visit the City Hall so I can access the public records database. I have a 'general area' of where the last known address where it was registered. Tax Records are considered public record but the website only displays current year information so an onsite visit will be required. It's been awhile since I've been to Poulsbo - hopefully there is a good place for Fish and Chips.

I've read stories on the internet about people who have searched for their old lost loves. Many amazing cars have been found and restored, I hope to do the same.
Thanks again for your support and suggestions.

Brewin4u

Well ladies and gentlemen, the search for my beloved 79 z-28 has come to a sad (but somewhat expected) end.

After countless hours of research by myself and a private investigator, in addition to the (sometimes reluctant) assistance of many government agencies, I was finally able to trace the car back to a specific individual. By shear luck and personal diligence the information I was able to obtain finally included a (current) physical address.

This past weekend, armed with my recent discovery I hopped a ferry and traveled from Mill Creek, WA to Silverdale, WA aboard the Washington State Ferry Spokane. http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/your...m?vessel_id=11

It took about 2 hrs to locate the address but I suddenly found myself standing at the end of a gated driveway. My nerves started racing as I looked around the yard to see if I could find the car. After about 15-seconds a shout came from a window ‘Is there something I can help you with?’ I promptly introduced myself and started to explain my story. At first the gal seemed intrigued but then she started nervously laughing and with a hesitant tone asked ‘Are you a repo man?’ I reached into my pocket and pulled out a business card and said ‘No mam, I’m truly looking for a car I once owned 19 years ago’. In disbelief she suggested that I talk to her neighbor since she had only recently moved into the house. I thanked her repeatedly and headed off to find the man she referred me to.

For some reason a feeling of confidence came over me as I walked over to find her neighbor – it was like I had a valid reason to be there because the neighbor referred me so I walked right onto the property and found a nice guy named Mark. Again, I introduced myself and started explaining the situation, how I’d be searching for so long and my search brought me here. I could tell by the look in his eyes that he understood exactly how I felt; we ended up talking for about 15-mins when he suddenly said ‘Let me tell you about that house next door.’ To make a long story short, up until 12-months prior the house had been a meth lab. The police finally got smart and raided the place and several of the residents were booked into jail. The police had found ‘several’ stolen cars and many more in pieces. Mark didn’t remember ever seeing a Copper colored 79 Z28 but he remembered the last name of the person the car had been registered to. Mark and I talked for another 10-minutes or so when I suddenly realized based on the conversation the car I once loved and adored would probably not be in the same pristine condition when I sold it. I don’t know about you but when I’m watching the TV show ‘Cops’ and they raid a meth house – the average person in that environment doesn’t really care about maintaining themselves let alone a car. Combining my recent discovery with the fact of the car not been registered for 2 ˝ years – I believe my chances of finding it are almost nil and if I did find it – would it be worth fixing or restoring it? Probably not.

So at this time, I would like to thank all of the people who provided assistance, support, and information to help me with my quest over the past 2-years. I received several emails from people in various parts of the county, some with similar stories so I know I’m not alone. This has been a fun project - one that when I started had no idea where it would take me.
I’ve learned a lot about myself and believe I can finally close this chapter of my life and put it behind me. But then again I just realized that I’m wiping away tears so maybe not…

97QuasarBlue3.8

I guess that's how some of these stories end

But, 19 years ago you sold the car for a reason that seemed right or necessary at the time. And that's not to say it won't turn up in the future in a weird twist of fate.

I know how you felt...I felt bad after I sold my 1997 Camaro in 2003. I tracked it down in 2005 only to find it had been totalled and parted out. I even got pictures! It was bad...

Time to start a new project, or purchase another ride that you can have new memories with...Best of luck.