can somebody help me out I had a 84 monte carlo cl that was stolen 10
years ago and just the other day i run into it i know its my car it had a custom candy paint job custom half vinyl top.they put some paterns on the paint and painted the white vinyl red it still has the same brown interior i got chillz when i saw it so i call he highway patrol the run the plates and the car is not stolen it checked outl the only thing that was recovered was the frame so they had plans to change the vin numbers
is there any way to prove thats my car

 

Welcome to the forum.

Wow. I can understand your anxiety about the car. I would be the same way. I'm no legal expert. But I would think that if the VIN number doesn't match, you definitely have your work cut out for you.

I'm sure it is your car. Some thieves are smart enough to swap the VIN with a "clean" one. This makes your work harder. I'm sure police will probably be polite and run the plate and VIN. But outside of that, I think they'll probably tell you things like 10 years is a long time, people occasionally make their car look like others they've seen, the parts from your car are probably installed on many different cars, etc, etc...

If your insurance company paid you a settlement when your car was stolen, I don't think you'd get it back even if it is your former car.

Again, I'm no legal expert. And I hope others will be able to offer you some more encouraging info.

Being a car enthusiast, I'd feel the same way you do. A large part of me would want it back at any cost. But another part of me knows that if the car has been gone that long, I won't be getting it back.

But me being a car guy, I'm keeping positive thoughts for you in the chance you can get it back. Good Luck. Please let us know how things turn out.

 

If they found only the frame and changed the vin on the body I hate to say your sol.because these guys are smart, there hidden numbers on the frame only the cops and insurance people know where they are.so long story short there is no way to prove it. sorry I know thats not the answer you wanted.
brian

 

That truly sucks. I know when you enter the world of being a "car enthusiast" you begin to recognize things that become signature to your car (such as paint chips, dings, custom mods and such).

As Taz said, 10 years is a pretty cold case. I would be curious what the history on the VIN reveals. If you are able to obtain the VIN on the car now and run a CarFax, you may uncover some fishy info (such as that VIN may be registered to a car that 10 years ago was totaled out).

What you were suggesting is the old original "Gone in 60 Seconds" concept (original movie from the 70's). That might be the case, but it's a HARD one to prove. And again, chasing a 10 year old case will be tough to get the police to explore.

If you feel this truly is your car, it might be worth finding an attorney that knows a lot about auto theft. Perhaps someone like that could aid you in what you need to know/do to validate this car and open the case back up.

 

Good luck and keep us posted

 

I would have put a note on the windshield... something like.. "I see you found my stolen car from 10 years ago - Thank you! Where did you find it?"