Topic: Researching my Mustang history

[don.piotrek]

I bought my '68 coupe from a car dealership in Des Moines, IA. I know the name of the person that had sold it to the car dealership.
I also have the Marti Report, which reads the dealer number and the name "Rabenbergs INC" in Selby, SD. But after a brief google search I found out this was not a dealer, more a farming company. Could this be their side business? Or is it the name of the first customer - in this case was it a company car?

I live in Europe, have no possibility to visit the DMVs, even if they could provide me with any info. Is there any way to learn how many owners did the car have? Where was it registered and maybe some pictures from the past times?

[Coralsnake]

More than likely there was a dealership involved.

I have not known Marti reports to ever release original ownership information.

In the states, most motor vehicle departments will not release information due to privacy concerns.

There is no one source to get the information you seek. One owner at a time working backwards usually works best.

[Coralsnake]

Selby South Dakota is a very small city.

[jwc66k]

I bought my '68 coupe from a car dealership in Des Moines, IA. - - the Marti Report, - reads the dealer number and the name "Rabenbergs INC" in Selby, SD. But after a brief google search I found out this was not a dealer, more a farming company. Could this be their side business?

Many businesses in small towns in rural America had "side businesses". One of my distant cousins in Wisconsin had a John Deere Tractor dealership, a silo business (community grain storage facility), a barber shop (he did that too) and his wife ran a general store in the building next door. One of their sons became a doctor and returned to there and hung a shingle (sign). That was typical of the way rural America was in the early 1900.

In the states, most motor vehicle departments will not release information due to privacy concerns.

There was an incident where an obsessed fan stalked and killed a Hollywood actress, Rebecca Schaeffer, in 1989, from info he got from the California Department of Motor Vehicles. After that tragedy, no info could be obtained from the DMV. Other states followed. A private investigator could/may/might be able to find out, but you cannot.
Jim

[J_Speegle]

Only possibility that might work is to hire a private investigator to do the work. No guarantee and it will cost but I've got no idea what the going hourly rate would be nor how many hours they might charge you for. Of course you would need to find one likely at he closest large metro area since not many if any in smaller rural communities.

Just something that others have suggested over the years. Never been something I was wiling to spend money ot time doing but good luck with your search

[bryancobb]

TIMES HAVE CHANGED!  Look at my history research I was able to do back in 1987, before internet.  The DMV in NC was very helpful.  Every previous owner I spoke to was very friendly except the first married couple that owned it and they were divorced by 1987 so the fact that I had re-drawn a dotted line between them ruffled their feathers at first.  After they realized I was legit, they softened-up to what I was doing and the information began to flow.  I was shocked that it was STOLEN from them for a long while and recovered in a police road-check with no damage.  I smiled when they told me they soon traded it for a brand new Buick Riviera which had just hit the market.

http://www.concoursmustang.com/forum/index.php?topic=5143.msg28750#msg28750

[ExportMach]

Like Bryan I too made the trip to my local DMV in Anchorage in 1986 right after I purchased my '70 Mach1 T-5. After submitting the owner history I was handed nine (9) different registrations for my Mach in chronological order. The first owner in the stack brought my Mach to Alaska around 1975 after having purchasing it on the used lot of Virginia Beach Ford for $1900 in Dec 1970. The Mach had 1900 miles on the odo. Ive spoken to him twice and he was very helpful with details. I am missing the first owner and assume he/she was a US serviceman because that is who would have bought my Mach and probably sold it upon return to the US. I'm told Kevin Marti has all the original owners names for each vehicle but cannot release those names under penalty of law. There is NO WAY any DMV will ever be able to release this type of info ever again due to the enactment of privacy laws in every state. Just glad I thought to do it.

[ChrisV289]

Unfortunately the first and second owner of my honey gold fastback have both passed on. Even the dealership that sold the car New has since closed and had no info on the car when we called them back in 90’s

[RoyceP]

Kevin Marti does not have the names of any original owners LOL!

Like Bryan I too made the trip to my local DMV in Anchorage in 1986 right after I purchased my '70 Mach1 T-5. After submitting the owner history I was handed nine (9) different registrations for my Mach in chronological order. The first owner in the stack brought my Mach to Alaska around 1975 after having purchasing it on the used lot of Virginia Beach Ford for $1900 in Dec 1970. The Mach had 1900 miles on the odo. Ive spoken to him twice and he was very helpful with details. I am missing the first owner and assume he/she was a US serviceman because that is who would have bought my Mach and probably sold it upon return to the US. I'm told Kevin Marti has all the original owners names for each vehicle but cannot release those names under penalty of law. There is NO WAY any DMV will ever be able to release this type of info ever again due to the enactment of privacy laws in every state. Just glad I thought to do it.

[Bossbill]

When I did this many years ago I found out that the first owner of my Shelby was an apartment building and it sold for "$1 and other valuable considerations."
Ohhhhkay.
Only through DMV records (avail at that time) could I get the name of the REAL owner when he released title to another person.
A call to the dealership netted me the dealer owner who verified the original owner name. Since he only owned it for a year and was no longer in the area, I let it slide.

The rest of the owners were much more interesting.
Yet another Shelby fitted with a trailer hitch.