How Can I Locate a Vehicle I Owned in the Past Without a Vin?

If you have ever sold a car and wondered where it went, you might be able to answer that question. There are multiple ways to track down a car you owned in the past, but not having the VIN can make the process a bit more difficult. Using the information you have about the car and the last transaction, you can track down the history of owners and discover the current location of the vehicle.

Instructions

1

Contact the previous buyer first. Look through any email and phone numbers for that person and try to track them down. If you only have a name and former address, you can use that to search for the person. Look in the phone book or use an online directory.

2

Pay for an online service to track down the person. It will cost money, but if you give them the current address and name of the person, they will be able to provide you with the most recently registered phone number or address.

3

Ask this person about the vehicle, and if they sold it ask them for information regarding the buyer. You can repeat the first two steps as many times as needed to track down the current location of your old vehicle. If you are lucky, someone down the line might have recorded the VIN number which you could then use to more easily track down the vehicle.

4

Call the DMV and request information about the car. You can provide an old license plate number for them to use. There are a number of valid reasons that allow you to ask for this information. Check with the Drivers Policy Protection Act to see if you have the right to request this information.