Most of us have very fond memories of our first car. In a lot of cases, they were rust buckets with a whole host of problems, but it’s almost a rite of passage to have that terrible first car when you pass your driving test at the tender young age of 17.
Years down the line, you may be wondering if your old car still exists. You could be forgiven for thinking that there would never be a way of knowing. But if you’re keen to see where ol’ reliable is these days, you may just be able to find out.
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Ways To Find Out If Your Old Car Still Exists
If you’re keen to find out where your old car is now, there are a few things you can do to find out. You’ll be able to discover whether it’s still on the road or if it has been scrapped but you won’t be able to find out its current location. This is because these details contain the personal information of the current owner which the DVLA is not at liberty to release.
That said, if you’ve got it in your mind that you’d like to repurchase your old car then there may be some ways you can find it. Although, it may require some detective work.
For example, you could head onto various Facebook groups posting the make, model, and last known registration for the vehicle in the hope that someone, somewhere has some information on it or is potentially selling it. It helps if you know the car is in a certain location, maybe you’ve seen it driving around locally, as this will allow you to focus your search on groups that cover specific areas.
You may also try a website called Drive Archive which allows you to search for a vehicle using the registration number and other information. If you’re lucky, someone may have added images or posted information about the car and its current whereabouts. But do remember that this is not an archive of every car in the world; someone must have inputted the information so it may be a long shot but still worth a try.
There are tons of car forums and clubs out there and while this may be another stab in the dark, it takes minutes to write a post asking if anyone knows about the whereabouts of your old vehicle. This is especially worth trying if the car was particularly rare or had any outstanding features.
Finding Out If Your Old Car Is Still On The Road
The DVLA is an incredibly useful resource for finding out if cars are still on the road. You’ll be able to see whether the car is currently taxed, MOT’d or SORN. If you can see that the vehicle is currently taxed and has an MOT then it’s on the road and you may even have a chance of spotting it, if you’re lucky.
If you notice that the car is untaxed or SORN then this doesn’t necessarily mean it doesn’t exist anymore. The current owner may be keeping it in a workshop or garage but it’s going to be nigh on impossible to find this out.
You may also enter the vehicle details and receive a message that says vehicle details could not be found. In this case, it’s best to assume that the car is no longer in existence.
Using The VIN To Find The Car
Every car chassis has a VIN (vehicle identification number) and while the car may have been modified or painted over the years, it will still keep this same number. So, if you remember this number then it may be possible to find out whether the car is still around using this. There’s even a website called VinCheck that allows you to perform a simple search.
Further Information On Your Old Car
When people buy a second hand car, they’ll often use a paid service to find out as much about the vehicle as possible. This is also something you can do to find out more about your old car. The AA offers just such a service and allows you to see things like whether the car has been reported as stolen or whether it’s been written off.
These services also provide you with information on the number of previous owners, finance remaining on the car, changes to the registration number, details on the logbook and much more.
But you should keep in mind that these services typically cost around £15. While that’s not a huge sum of money by any stretch of the imagination, you have to consider whether you’re willing to spend that much just to sate your curiosity. Of course, if you’re looking to locate the car and buy it back, it’s probably worth doing these checks.
Final Words
The wealth of information you can find online regarding your old car is quite surprising. Whether you use official channels like the DVLA or enlist the help of motorheads on online forums, you may be able to reunite with the car that got away!
