The Lost Car Registry

Recovering the One that Got Away

Kelly Spies
People across the globe, particularly middle aged men, are scouring the web, searching classified ads, trolling classic car auctions and contacting total strangers in hopes of locating an old car they wish they wouldn't have sold.

Car enthusiast now have new way of tracking these lost cars through the Lost Car Registry, a company determined to find "the ones that got away." The Lost Car Registry has hundreds of postings from both previous owners and current owners of old cars.

Keith Ingersoll founded The Lost Car Registry in 2001 as a result of years of trying to locate an old 1969 Ford Mustang Mach I that his father, a former drag racer, had sold twenty years prior. Since its debut The Lost Car Registry has gained hundreds of listings by people hoping to be reunited with an old, much loved car. Ingersoll created the site to be free to anyone that wished to list a car including those who have an old forgotten car rotting in a barn on the back 40. Virtually anyone can use The Lost Car Registry.

Tracking down a car that was sold 30 or 40 years ago has its challenges; many of them have been junked or scrapped. Not to mention there are laws regarding the privacy of DMV records that have put a kibosh on finding an old car through paper trails. In addition cars made prior to 1981 don't have history reports with companies like Carfax.com because it wasn't until then that the government standardized the VIN system.

Before the days of the internet, searching for an old car was comparable to finding your lost wallet in Downtown Las Vegas. Owners were forced to search classified ads, attend auctions, hire private detectives and make personal contacts. The odds of reuniting with a lost car were far worse than they are today thanks to listings websites like The Lost Car Registry.

Now, seven years after the conception of The Lost Car Registry there are untold amounts of websites that list old cars and other memorabilia, many of them exclusive to particular makes and models. The Shelby American Automobile Club is one of these. They receive requests regularly from people searching for their lost car.

Found of The Lost Car Registry, Keith Ingersoll, is aware that there isn't a very high success rate with the listings on his site, only 5 so but that doesn't stop him from having faith that more car owners will be reunited with their lost cars. The Lost Car Registry lists links to DMV offices in every state of the United States and accepts donations to support his cause.

To list your old, beloved car visit The Lost Car Registry and maybe you will be one of the lucky few to be reunited.

Published by Kelly Spies

I'm just a chick with a lot to say about different things. I've been writing for most of my life and aspire to someday be a published novelist as well as content writer.   View profile

  • The Lost Car Registry helps people find their once owned, old cars.
  • Anyone can use The Lost Car Registry for free.
  • The VIN system wasn't implimented in full use until after 1981.

14 Comments

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  • Nikki 3/8/2008

    I can see where this would be an attractive idea for people who liked their first cars ... mine barely ran and I had to kiss several toady clunker cars before I finally got a decent vehicle :-)

  • Marie Lowe 3/2/2008

    Makes me think of the 68 Chevy Bel Aire I sold like an idiot

  • Maggie O'Leary 2/21/2008

    Great article! I know where my first car-baby is - she was totalled after I sold her (should have kept her). Now I'm looking for a 1986 LeBaron GTS to replace her in my garage, though she'll never be replaced in my heart. :-)

  • Daniel Dunkin 2/9/2008

    Excellent article... If only I caould find my old '68 Datsun 2000 Roadster. She was special, and really fast. Thank You

  • Jody 2/9/2008

    Very interesting! I've never heard about this, but I knew a few people who really would be interested to know... I'll have to forward it - thanks for sharing!

  • katie frances 2/9/2008

    Very informative article.

  • Rodney Southern 2/8/2008

    Very cool read Kelly. Interesting and well written as well. Wonderful!

  • Justice Lives Not 2/7/2008

    This is a new one on me as well. Excelent article!

  • Jennine Thompson 2/7/2008

    Cool! Great article

  • Rebecca Foster 2/6/2008

    Never heard of this! A unique idea!

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