How Much Of Your Car’s History Do You Really Want To Know?

While working on my white 944 I discovered some white overspray underneath in the wheel arch, and a bit around the side window. I just pretended not to see it, I didn’t want to know if it was just a paint touch up or accident repair. Ignorance is bliss sometimes. (I’m pretty sure it was just a touch up…)

Although my car is not a classic (2007 525xi) I can relate to this very well. I bought the car because it had a rare color combination , at least in my area, with the Auburn interior. Although I did a mechanical inspection, I didn’t dig through too deep because I didn’t want to be dissuaded from the purchase. My father’s advice of car-shopping on a full stomach has never been more true.

Once I took possession of the car, I found evidence to what I believe is that the previous owner was a careless female. The plastic window switch frames were all scratched with nails (hand lotion is especially corrosive to BMW plastics), coffee spilled on the AC plastic surround and general wear from a careless owner.
Outside shows sign of a repair on the rear bumper and over-spray on the C Pillar but no claims on the history report.
Mechanically, there was a blown control arm bushing and bent wheel from supposedly hitting a curb during parking by the same owner. I have actually built an FBI-style profile of what I imagine the person to be like.

After 3 years of ownership, I have fixed all of the things that showed signs of a previous owner and I feel like this is my car now. I’m also not digging into the history anymore because I don’t want to be disappointed.

Like the old BMW Certified ads used to say, “You know you’re not the first”…but I can pretend like I am.

There is an owner of an E30 M3 that used to be a drug dealer’s car. He found a secret compartment(s) while working on the car.

From a non-owner’s side, it’s interesting digging back and seeing what a car’s seen, done, and been through. When I worked at a pick’n’pull yard, I’d spend whatever free time I had rummaging through some of the yard inventory to see how much I could find from leftover possessions and papers alone. Some lived in the same city and got scrapped at 200k, some came from California (to central Ontario) with well over 500k on the clock. Some were appliances, like the litany of Grand Caravans and or Intrepids that flooded in on a weekly basis. Some were service vehicles like taxis or delivery Vans. But some were prized possessions, like the 1977 Lancia Scorpion, or the 1969 Olds Cutlass Convertible, or the 1963 Jaguar MkII Sedan that briefly graced our yard.

It was also always interesting to see why they got scrapped. Often it was just age, but some would come in with angry notes from their last owners. Others would come in with accident damage, and a few unfortunate ones would wind up in the yard after the lot owners unsuccessfully tried to find new owners for them (one that comes to mind was dark grey BMW 3.0 CSL, forgot the year). But it was always fun seeing where they came from, how they got here, and what they saw along the way.

As for owned vehicles, it’s still fun to see where they’ve been, but it’s more for situational awareness than anything. I know my Saab was in two accidents in Quebec when it was only a year old, and I know my Explorer was a rental in Alberta up until 2014. My F-150 before that was a bank repo, and it showed badly. The Cabriolet was neglected and de-registered at some point until 1995 and experimented on electrically. Then it started being kept outdoors in the winter, and then it stopped seeing repairs beyond basic maintenance. Then the odometer broke about 3 years ago. While I’m not fond of some of the history, at least it lets me know where to expect problems at buying time or in the future.

Michael, this gets to the heart of the Petrolicious mission of documenting the intersection of a car’s history with the personal life of the owner or owners, something that Petrolicious tries to show weekly.

In my particular case, I know virtually the entire history of my 1973 Porsche 914 2.0 which was purchased new initially by owners in Warren, Michigan, passed into the hands of Ron B. R. of New Haven, Michigan. This 914 was only driven during the summers and was in extraordinarily good condition when I bought it in 1979 from Ron. I have been the owner of record since 1979 and have full detailed records and photos of all of the events in the life of the fourteen since till the present.

I have had great fun with my fourteen over my past 39 years of stewardship and whenever it is sold and whoever acquires it from me will have full records and photos of repairs, upgrades, and the trips enjoyed over the years with this 914, although I am not ready to sell it yet, since it has many more adventures to share with me. Likely it will be sold by my estate, only after my passing.

You personally are very familiar with this fourteen having driven it during the 2015 Maple Mille in Ontario. This year I shipped it to Redmond, Wa, from where my wife and I crossed the border into BC for the Spring Thaw Rally, after which it made a long delightful trip down the Pacific coastline to San Luis Obispo, then across the hot 114 degree Mojave desert ( it has an auxiliary thermostatically controlled fan booster oil cooler), through to Las Vegas, across Utah into Colorado for the Silver Summit Rally, then onto the Dakotas (Mt Rushmore), then Michigan’s upper Peninsula, before returning to Ohio covering over 8500 flawless miles in the adventure. There were documented service stops along the way. I believe that any future owner should the full history of a car and the pleasures that it has given its owners along the way.

Incidentally, while in Las Vegas, I visited with a friend who gave me the pleasure of driving his 1953 MG TD with a fully documented service and race history since 1953. A wow history, great patina, and a delight to drive.

History matters, so I believe, and adds to the enjoyment of the driving experience, the Petrolicious mission.

I know my 328 has a sketchy past. It only had a couple of owners but it was treated poorly. It was a 20 footer when I found it baking on a lot not too far from DFW. The interior was toast but mechanically the engine was good, though the tires were dry rotten. She was like a sad dog in need of a good home…so I rescued her. Now this car is beautiful and extremely well kept.