DriftFB

I was just reading a thread and I started wondering how many people know, or have looked into the history of their car(s)?

For instance, I know that my car was produced 10-30-81 in Japan, and was shipped here to the USA. It was originally sold in Texas for $13,918 as a 1982 GSL, and then from there it gets kind of sketchy.

I have some replacement parts from a "Arizona Radiator", I don't know if its actually in Arizona or not. Then another gap, to a sticker in the door frame that says it was rebuilt on 6-13-99 by Adams Custom Engines in Sparks NV (a suburb or Reno) at 120336 miles. In the time between then and when I bought the car (with 146413 miles) in 2002 the guy I bought it from had it in the Mazda dealership almost every other month having them chase down every squeak and rattle in the car.

And now its mine, at 180356 miles its still running good and is getting into better shape all the time. And now I'm thinking of getting a carfax or similar report on the car to fill in some of the blanks. Any one done this? Good or bad?

So does any one else keep closer track than this? I'm sure some one does.

trochoid

iTrader: (6)

What you are looking for is called provenance. The paper trail from day 1 of a vehicle. A good set of provenance will include the build sheet and dealer's window sticker, along with all materials that came from the dealer and a paper trail of all work, maintinance and ownership transfers.

Unfortunately, most used car dealers clean out the glove box and toss all of this once the car gets to the sales lot.

IanS

iTrader: (4)

I know that I am owner numbers 4 and 7. I personally know 2, 3, 5, 6. I never met the original owner, she no longer lives in the town that she lived in way back in 83. It sounds like I am a stalker but I wanted to call her and ask her about it. OK so maybe I am a stalker of sorts.

Yellow '79

i know mine, it was my dad's bought in summer 79 and driven and hit a movie theater parking lot in 84 then he left the car to die in our yard in 1989

purple82

Carfax also probably won't be much help. They started in the mid-90s. The only thing you'll get is random dealer visits and MAYBE an accident if it was professionally repaired and reported.

Lucky for me, my 82's been in the family since new. I put the first dent in the car when it was a month old. I know it's complete history and carfax doesn't catch ANYTHING that happened to it, including a vandalism act that occured in 2004 and was fixed by insurance!

Pronkie

I know I'm the third owner of 85 gsl-se...Bought from second owner in May 2004 with little over 69k miles on it...The guy I bought it from said he bought it from the orginal owner in 1990...Still has all orginal suspension and struts...A/C still works great and have both sunroofs...Just a little over 70k miles on it now...Don't drive it that much because I have three other cars...

Lt. Dan

One of the reasons I paid so much for my car when I bought it 4 years ago is because A: I bought it from the original owner, and B: It came with two binders detailing every shop receipt ever billed to the car. Kinda cool knowing your car's whole history.....

Dan

Mazdax605

iTrader: (5)

I have every document for my car ever.the original owner was very **** about his record keeping.I even have a list of every gas fill-up from August 78 when the car was purchased up until 2000 when the car came off the road for the winter for the last time before I bought it.I have been keeping up with the records pretty well,but not the gas fill-ups.

Chris

DriftFB

^Gas fill ups? Jeez. I have all the receipts from the services at Mazda. But gas receipts?

I think if I buy a new car I'll be that ****, have a nice binder and everything.

boyee

iTrader: (3)

my dad bought it off the trailer back in april of 1982 as a 1982 GSL model and has never had any problems. except it started to leak oil and smoke. it sat for 5 years until i resurected it. lots of work and money still needs to be spent to brng it back to a overall decent condition. its love. its my bebeh lol

Zyrano

I have met all 4 previous owners of the vehicle, including the one that ordered it from the dealer back in 82, It's also been autoxed on and off since the beginning, though I probably have the most done to it since new in terms of prepared for racing...

64mgb

iTrader: (1)

This won't be difficult. I bought mine new on May 24th, 1978. I was 6th on the waiting list, and bought the second one sold at the local Mazda dealer...it's an 'S' model and everyone wanted to wait for a 'GS'. I too have a record of every gas fill, oil change, and all other service performed. Well, that's really not that big of a deal, since there has been virtually no service required. The biggest problem I've had was when the oil cooler had a leak and I had to get that fixed. Other than that, it's been just normal plugs, points (until I switched to electronic), finally replaced the brake pads and shoes a few years ago, and even replaced the radiator hoses 2 years ago (but all the heater hoses are original).

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2114698

Rich

Yellow '79

^^^ i love your car, wish it was mine

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

i purchased my 1980 Leather Sport from the original owner back in 2003. the original owner, a woman named Elizabeth, purchased the car new on Dec 15, 1980. the car came from Armonk NY. i drove the sucker back to OH in December of 03 when i purchased the car. it took most of the night to get back as a truged through several snowstorms. i dont have any paperwork on the car other than a copy of the original title. i have all of my paperwork and recipts since i bought the car.

my 84 GSL-SE, i bought from the second owner in Alliance OH. i got the car from a girl who's boyfriend bought it from the original owner for her as a winter car. it now bears a rocker panel scar from that winter. the original owner i'm told, kept the car in a garage and never used it in the winter. the SE came from the impound lot where the girl got caught driving under suspension. i paid for the car to be released from the yard and the owner took that off of the price i paid for the car. i have a few recipts for the car but most were lost during a move.

my 88 10AE is a two owner car. i found it at a dealership in 2000, where the original owner had traded it in and test drove it. i came back 2 days later to buy the car and it had been sold. i found the same car this year and bought it from a friend of a neighbor. the car originally came from Perrysburgh OH and was owned by a woman named Debbie. the guy whom i bought the car from recieved the car as a gift from his gorlfriend who bought the car from the dealer as a gift for her boyfirend, the guy i bought the car from.

my Ranger was purchased in TX brand new and driven weekly to kansas from texas for business. the truck was traded in an bought from a dealer by a girl named Summer. she drove the truck to ohio when she moved here with her family from TX. i bought the truck from her with 159K in April of 2003 when she shipped for the army. i was active duty in the army at the time so her parents cut me a break on the price of the truck. the truck also came with a set of factory steelies for an 03 Ranger which i had sold.

my 92 Camry SE i bought at an auction wrecked in Aug 05. some muslims people had it. i know this from the paperwork in the glove box and under the back seat. some papers about a wedding reception written in arabian(they also had the english translation on the card.) i fixed the car, put a clutch in it and gave it a huge tuneup and fluid flush, replacing all filters, plugs, wires, cap, rotor, tires, brakes, that sort of thing and had the title converted from a salvage to a rebuilt salvage. its now my daily driver.

my 93 Camry SE i bought in Aug of this year from a kid who trashed it. he carved the paint on the hood and deck lid, punched in the RR quarter panel, tore the factory spoiler off, gutted parts of the interior, put a fart can on it, and replaced the clutch(the only good thing he did to the car other than selling it to me) he bought it from the original owner. i've had to replace the RF lower control arm, exhaust donuts at the manifolds, put the interior back together(basically stripped), and fix the fpr(which had the diaphram screw laying on its cap. all i did was thread the rascal back in.) which was spraying gas everywhwere. i got the car for $100 because he said it didnt run and that an injector had exploded. i drove it the second day i had it. the car remains in my garage as a project.

my 83 parts car, which was a GSL, was purched new by a woman. some time in the car's short life it stopped running for one reason or another and she garaged it. they guy i bought it from purchased the car from her and took out the engine, trans and rear end. it lay rotten on the ground for 9 years in the guy's yard until i came along and bought the car. i parted it because the floor was practically gone and it really didnt have any wheel well metal left. it's spirit will live on in many other RX-7's.

FirstGen85

WOW lol all i know is that the last owner got it from some cologe kid and when they got it they had the "motor rebuilt"(ya right) lol and i rebuilt the carb(well sent it to be rebuild) have taken out the rats nest broke something so my fuel pump dont work (have one from my dads old jeep in it works good) head lights dont work window dont roll down and other little stuff o and iv ionly got gas like 4 time and like all of them 4 times it was for 5-10 dollors lol

wineguy13

My Gold 1980 Leather Sport was purchased, by my father, at Import Motors in Grand Junction, CO. Then I bought it this year. The End. It IS nice to know the history of your car.

clbsinvaders

Mine was bought in Pataskala, Ohio, in 1984. It was kept as the owner's daily driver until about 2 years ago, when the engine lost compression and it was sold to the guy i bought it from with 160k on it. He started stripping it for a 302 swap and I bought it for $150. It now sits in my grandma's garage.

j9fd3s

iTrader: (3)

did a guy named scott own yours? i think i went to h.s. with him...

Cascadia

Original owner of an 82 GSL here, so I definitely know my car's history . . . me

Zyrano

Hey Mike,

Yup, Scott owned it, and her sister owned it as well (I think before Scott did).

and I plan on keeping it for a very long time...

Alvin

Rogue_Wulff

All I know about my car's history is that the last owner was too stupid to keep the registration up. I found it sitting in an impound lot, where the previous owner failed to bail it out after it had been impounded due to expired tags, and no insurance, no drivers license, no inspection......
Someone, at some point in time, prolly prior to last idiot, I mean owner, put a ton of money in it. New paint, interior, engine, 15x7 wheels/tires were all already done when I found it.

gsterror

In December of '81 my Uncle went to the Ford/Mazda/Honda (I know, wtf) dealership looking for a fun sports car. They were literally pulling it off the truck when he saw it.
He paid $14,789 for it (according to the window sticker) cash. In December of '85 he bought an FC, and made the FB his 'weekend car.' I learned how to drive in it.
In '92, at 85,000 or so miles, he pulled the motor and rebuilt it, adding a very mild streetport. Some time in the mid to late nineties, he bought a carburetor from Paul Yaw (and many many more when he heard that Yaw might go out of business).
The headers to tips racing beat exhaust was added around '89.
When it was given to me on my 18'th birthday, I bought some Enkei mesh rims for it from a junkyard. About a year ago, I added a Carter fuel pump, an E-Fan, and a GSL rear end.
That is the history of my car, abbreviated due to tiredness.

Jonny2x4

3rd owner of my 79 bought from a dealship some where in texas(a volkswagen dealship wtf?) was driven on the 12 a until it sezied was sold to a Howard Ong, some how howard ended up in wyoming replaced the 12a with a 13b 4 port with a large street port or racing port(not sure) and dual weber carbs. did all the work himself and still have all the receipts. and i have some pics of the little asian man working on the car too he looks very very happyin them. most of the parts if not all were orderd from racing beat. i bought it end of 2004 with 46000 on the new engine. interior is in bad shape but she runs wonderfully. Now shes getting sanded and primered so i can paint her and redo the interior.

boohame

Don't know the specifics, but I do know mine's an 84, driven weekends by an old man, then he went accross seas so he parked it, and it was forgotten, in storage, for 10 years, until I bought it from his grandson who wanted the room in the garage.

mazdaverx713b

iTrader: (91)

these are all pretty neat stories! this is a good thread!