Trying to find an old car
Discussion
Hello folks.
I'm sure i'm not the first person on here who has sold a car for whatever reason and then tried to find it again.
I once owned a beautiful BMW Z4 Coupe in Phoenix Yellow that I bought in Essex in late 2007. I moved up north and in 2009 had to sell the car as I was buying a house and needed to tighten the belt. It was one of the few cars i've ever owned that I never wanted to sell and still kick myself to this day that I let it go.
Fast forward to 2022 and I started buying 2nd cars to do up and sell as my wife was dealing with cancer and it was a much needed distraction for me. I started with an MoT failure Vauxhall Monaro, then an MoT failure Jaguar S-type R, most recently a 1965 Jaguar S-type. That sold two weeks ago and i'm now looking for a new car to play with.
I would love to find my old Z4 Coupe but i've taken my search as far as I can.
Its MoT ran out in July 2021.
Tax ran out in July 2022.
It isn't insured.
Its last V5 was issued in April 2012.
I sold it to Halliwell Jones BMW in Chester and they sold it to a local person in the Chester area and the car had a private plate applied. I assume they sold it on around 2012, the original plate was put back on and i've not heard of it since.
From what I've read on the Z4 Forum (which is ace), it is one of 4 Phoenix Yellow Z4 Coupes that were registered in the UK. One has been written off, but not mine. Another exists on the forum, but again it isn't my old car. The spec of my old car was pretty much one-off and was from the BMW individual range.
So, does anyone know where the Z4 might be? I appreciate if you know of it, you wouldn't just give me details as that would be a huge data issue and I wouldn't like it doing to me. However if you think you know where it is, maybe know the owner or know anything about it at all, i'd love to hear from you and maybe I could somehow be put in contact with the owner if they were willing and try to buy it back. The MoT history seems pretty chequered in places, maybe it needs work doing and the present owner isn't up to it? Who knows, i'd just love the opportunity to buy it back if possible.
I have loads of old pictures of me and the car if people are suspicious of me. I won't post the VRM out of respect to the owner of it now. Its a pretty unique car if you do know it.
Can anyone help me find it? I owe my wife an eternity ring and want to do a crazy road trip to Antwerp where we went before we were married to buy her a ring, thats the goal, and yes, she does think i'm mad trying to find an old car again....
Cheers,
Mark
I'm sure i'm not the first person on here who has sold a car for whatever reason and then tried to find it again.
I once owned a beautiful BMW Z4 Coupe in Phoenix Yellow that I bought in Essex in late 2007. I moved up north and in 2009 had to sell the car as I was buying a house and needed to tighten the belt. It was one of the few cars i've ever owned that I never wanted to sell and still kick myself to this day that I let it go.
Fast forward to 2022 and I started buying 2nd cars to do up and sell as my wife was dealing with cancer and it was a much needed distraction for me. I started with an MoT failure Vauxhall Monaro, then an MoT failure Jaguar S-type R, most recently a 1965 Jaguar S-type. That sold two weeks ago and i'm now looking for a new car to play with.
I would love to find my old Z4 Coupe but i've taken my search as far as I can.
Its MoT ran out in July 2021.
Tax ran out in July 2022.
It isn't insured.
Its last V5 was issued in April 2012.
I sold it to Halliwell Jones BMW in Chester and they sold it to a local person in the Chester area and the car had a private plate applied. I assume they sold it on around 2012, the original plate was put back on and i've not heard of it since.
From what I've read on the Z4 Forum (which is ace), it is one of 4 Phoenix Yellow Z4 Coupes that were registered in the UK. One has been written off, but not mine. Another exists on the forum, but again it isn't my old car. The spec of my old car was pretty much one-off and was from the BMW individual range.
So, does anyone know where the Z4 might be? I appreciate if you know of it, you wouldn't just give me details as that would be a huge data issue and I wouldn't like it doing to me. However if you think you know where it is, maybe know the owner or know anything about it at all, i'd love to hear from you and maybe I could somehow be put in contact with the owner if they were willing and try to buy it back. The MoT history seems pretty chequered in places, maybe it needs work doing and the present owner isn't up to it? Who knows, i'd just love the opportunity to buy it back if possible.
I have loads of old pictures of me and the car if people are suspicious of me. I won't post the VRM out of respect to the owner of it now. Its a pretty unique car if you do know it.
Can anyone help me find it? I owe my wife an eternity ring and want to do a crazy road trip to Antwerp where we went before we were married to buy her a ring, thats the goal, and yes, she does think i'm mad trying to find an old car again....
Cheers,
Mark
Can't help with that but we're regulars to Antwerp as our son lives there. It's only a couple of hours away from the tunnel, so if you need any advice.
Do be careful of what car they'll let into the center due to their low emissions.
https://www.slimnaarantwerpen.be/en/LEZ
Do be careful of what car they'll let into the center due to their low emissions.
https://www.slimnaarantwerpen.be/en/LEZ
Byker28i said:
Can't help with that but we're regulars to Antwerp as our son lives there. It's only a couple of hours away from the tunnel, so if you need any advice.
Do be careful of what car they'll let into the center due to their low emissions.
https://www.slimnaarantwerpen.be/en/LEZ
Cheers mate, it I get that far, i'll be sure to double check. Thank you.Do be careful of what car they'll let into the center due to their low emissions.
https://www.slimnaarantwerpen.be/en/LEZ
A potential avenue for you is to use the DVLA Subject Access request service. It says you require reasonable cause to obtain the information. 'Abandoned vehicles' is one example of a reason they will issue the info. No reason why you couldn't claim it was abandoned and you wanted to contact the owner... I guess it's the sort of thing you only have one shot at so rather than compromise your chances you would be safest going with one of their recommended reasons - not that I'm advocating you mislead them but the vehicle is potentially abandoned, you just don't know where!
You may have to look into it further but here's the link: https://www.gov.uk/request-information-from-dvla
You may have to look into it further but here's the link: https://www.gov.uk/request-information-from-dvla
When i was trying find my wife's fathers car the dvla allowed you to see where previous MOT's had been carried out and i contacted the garage.
That hole appears to have been tidied up as it requires the v5 reference number to view it but perhaps if you can find a friendly MOT tester they can look it up so you can contact the test station, they may very well know the owner and the car given its unusual nature.
That hole appears to have been tidied up as it requires the v5 reference number to view it but perhaps if you can find a friendly MOT tester they can look it up so you can contact the test station, they may very well know the owner and the car given its unusual nature.
andburg said:
When i was trying find my wife's fathers car the dvla allowed you to see where previous MOT's had been carried out and i contacted the garage.
That hole appears to have been tidied up as it requires the v5 reference number to view it but perhaps if you can find a friendly MOT tester they can look it up so you can contact the test station, they may very well know the owner and the car given its unusual nature.
The only issue is that this will most likely be a breach of data protection and the last thing I want is anyone getting in trouble. That hole appears to have been tidied up as it requires the v5 reference number to view it but perhaps if you can find a friendly MOT tester they can look it up so you can contact the test station, they may very well know the owner and the car given its unusual nature.
I’m just hoping someone on here might know of it, maybe drives passed it everyday etc and can give me a clue.
il-mostro said:
andburg said:
When i was trying find my wife's fathers car the dvla allowed you to see where previous MOT's had been carried out and i contacted the garage.
That hole appears to have been tidied up as it requires the v5 reference number to view it but perhaps if you can find a friendly MOT tester they can look it up so you can contact the test station, they may very well know the owner and the car given its unusual nature.
The only issue is that this will most likely be a breach of data protection and the last thing I want is anyone getting in trouble. That hole appears to have been tidied up as it requires the v5 reference number to view it but perhaps if you can find a friendly MOT tester they can look it up so you can contact the test station, they may very well know the owner and the car given its unusual nature.
I’m just hoping someone on here might know of it, maybe drives passed it everyday etc and can give me a clue.
And both of these are amongst the reasons why the DVLA firmed up who gets access to current owner info via V888 when the GDPR changes were undertaken.
OP has no right to the info from DVLA. By all means they may get lucky posting on various forums / model specific pages in the hope that maybe someone there either owns their old car / knows the owner of the car / knows what happened to it.
I've recounted this before on a similar thread, but someone tried doing this to me years ago. I blocked a user on an RS forum who kept repeatedly messaging me wanting to buy my Mk1 FRS because it was evidently "a waste" having it locked away in storage / not being used. The numerous refusals and blocking didn't work as they then tried (and thankfully failed) to get my details via the DVLA V888 route and then thought it was a good idea to try the tuner who works on the car - who also told them where to go (not very politely).
ingenieur said:
A potential avenue for you is to use the DVLA Subject Access request service. It says you require reasonable cause to obtain the information. 'Abandoned vehicles' is one example of a reason they will issue the info. No reason why you couldn't claim it was abandoned and you wanted to contact the owner... I guess it's the sort of thing you only have one shot at so rather than compromise your chances you would be safest going with one of their recommended reasons - not that I'm advocating you mislead them but the vehicle is potentially abandoned, you just don't know where!
You may have to look into it further but here's the link: https://www.gov.uk/request-information-from-dvla
Good luck suggesting that the OP claim the vehicle is "abandoned" - seeing as he doesn't know where the car is and it isn't on OP's land i'm not sure how he's going to claim that gives him good reason to get the current owner info.You may have to look into it further but here's the link: https://www.gov.uk/request-information-from-dvla
andburg said:
When i was trying find my wife's fathers car the dvla allowed you to see where previous MOT's had been carried out and i contacted the garage.
That hole appears to have been tidied up as it requires the v5 reference number to view it but perhaps if you can find a friendly MOT tester they can look it up so you can contact the test station, they may very well know the owner and the car given its unusual nature.
Good luck with this as well - no decent MOT tester / garage owner is going to risk their business by doing this.That hole appears to have been tidied up as it requires the v5 reference number to view it but perhaps if you can find a friendly MOT tester they can look it up so you can contact the test station, they may very well know the owner and the car given its unusual nature.
OP has no right to the info from DVLA. By all means they may get lucky posting on various forums / model specific pages in the hope that maybe someone there either owns their old car / knows the owner of the car / knows what happened to it.
I've recounted this before on a similar thread, but someone tried doing this to me years ago. I blocked a user on an RS forum who kept repeatedly messaging me wanting to buy my Mk1 FRS because it was evidently "a waste" having it locked away in storage / not being used. The numerous refusals and blocking didn't work as they then tried (and thankfully failed) to get my details via the DVLA V888 route and then thought it was a good idea to try the tuner who works on the car - who also told them where to go (not very politely).
Good luck with this as well - no decent MOT tester / garage owner is going to risk their business by doing this.
OP has no right to the info from DVLA. By all means they may get lucky posting on various forums / model specific pages in the hope that maybe someone there either owns their old car / knows the owner of the car / knows what happened to it.
I've recounted this before on a similar thread, but someone tried doing this to me years ago. I blocked a user on an RS forum who kept repeatedly messaging me wanting to buy my Mk1 FRS because it was evidently "a waste" having it locked away in storage / not being used. The numerous refusals and blocking didn't work as they then tried (and thankfully failed) to get my details via the DVLA V888 route and then thought it was a good idea to try the tuner who works on the car - who also told them where to go (not very politely).
[/quote]
I have no intention of contacting the DVLA or MoT test station as I would 100% expect to be told to jog on.
The petrol head community is a large community and I’m just hoping someone somewhere might know where it is and if the owner is willing to sell.
If they don’t want to sell, well it’s tough titties I guess.
I’m hoping for pure luck and that’s about it.
The reason I haven’t included the VRM is out of respect to the owner.
Good luck with this as well - no decent MOT tester / garage owner is going to risk their business by doing this.
OP has no right to the info from DVLA. By all means they may get lucky posting on various forums / model specific pages in the hope that maybe someone there either owns their old car / knows the owner of the car / knows what happened to it.
I've recounted this before on a similar thread, but someone tried doing this to me years ago. I blocked a user on an RS forum who kept repeatedly messaging me wanting to buy my Mk1 FRS because it was evidently "a waste" having it locked away in storage / not being used. The numerous refusals and blocking didn't work as they then tried (and thankfully failed) to get my details via the DVLA V888 route and then thought it was a good idea to try the tuner who works on the car - who also told them where to go (not very politely).
[/quote]
I have no intention of contacting the DVLA or MoT test station as I would 100% expect to be told to jog on.
The petrol head community is a large community and I’m just hoping someone somewhere might know where it is and if the owner is willing to sell.
If they don’t want to sell, well it’s tough titties I guess.
I’m hoping for pure luck and that’s about it.
The reason I haven’t included the VRM is out of respect to the owner.
I seem to remember (I think it was Clarkson) describing the system in another country where you can freely look up the registration details of a vehicle in a book and contact the owner if you want. I think he said something about road rage not being as much of an issue and all that sort of thing. So this business of the DVLA being the keyholder for this info shouldn't really direct the moral compass exclusively when you see in other countries they have different approaches which also work.
I got close to buying back one of my old cars but in my case all I had to do was email the guy I sold the car to 5 years ago. We exchanged details at the time and he still had the car so I was able to message him about buying it back. Apparently it had major mechanical issues he wanted to get sorted so a deal never materialised.
I got close to buying back one of my old cars but in my case all I had to do was email the guy I sold the car to 5 years ago. We exchanged details at the time and he still had the car so I was able to message him about buying it back. Apparently it had major mechanical issues he wanted to get sorted so a deal never materialised.
ingenieur said:
I seem to remember (I think it was Clarkson) describing the system in another country where you can freely look up the registration details of a vehicle in a book and contact the owner if you want. I think he said something about road rage not being as much of an issue and all that sort of thing. So this business of the DVLA being the keyholder for this info shouldn't really direct the moral compass exclusively when you see in other countries they have different approaches which also work.
I got close to buying back one of my old cars but in my case all I had to do was email the guy I sold the car to 5 years ago. We exchanged details at the time and he still had the car so I was able to message him about buying it back. Apparently it had major mechanical issues he wanted to get sorted so a deal never materialised.
It is what it is. I’ve done all I can do within what the internet alloys. All I can really do is ask around, albeit on a National level via PH etc and see if anyone knows of it. I got close to buying back one of my old cars but in my case all I had to do was email the guy I sold the car to 5 years ago. We exchanged details at the time and he still had the car so I was able to message him about buying it back. Apparently it had major mechanical issues he wanted to get sorted so a deal never materialised.
If not, it’ll just live rent free in the back of my mind until next time.
MrScroggs said:
I don't see a problem with putting the reg. no. on here. Every time you go out in a car the reg. is there for all to see. What year is it OP? Or was it new when you bought in 2007?
It’s a 56 plate. I bought it at 6,000 miles I think, one owner in the Essex area. I think I was 2nd and if my guess work is right, the current owner is the 4th. I figure there are about 4 Z4 Coupes in Phoenix Yellow in the UK, so a number plate doesn’t really seem necessary. If someone thinks they know the car, I’ll gladly share the reg. I’m just trying to be respectful of the current keeper, maybe I’m being too precious.
Is it EK56***? If so, it was spotted in June 2020 in Buxton by another phoenix yellow owner and posted in the Z4 Owners Club group on Facebook. I just searched "z4 coupe yellow" under posts on Facebook and it popped up. You might have already seen the post, best of luck with the search.
CB 987 said:
Is it EK56***? If so, it was spotted in June 2020 in Buxton by another phoenix yellow owner and posted in the Z4 Owners Club group on Facebook. I just searched "z4 coupe yellow" under posts on Facebook and it popped up. You might have already seen the post, best of luck with the search.
YES, that’s my old car. That must be one FB page I haven’t joined, but I have now and will look it up! Thank you.
Well, my old car has been located, not too far from where I live now. The powers of FaceBook helped me track it down along with a member on here who informed me of a recent Sighting’. A friend of the owner has made them aware that I’d love to buy the car back if it ever came up for sale.
It’s been laid up for 18 months, no MoT, no tax, a newer daily driver is in its place.
I’ve not heard from the owner themself, but they have my details. Just got to keep my fingers crossed I guess.
Thanks for the comments.
It’s been laid up for 18 months, no MoT, no tax, a newer daily driver is in its place.
I’ve not heard from the owner themself, but they have my details. Just got to keep my fingers crossed I guess.
Thanks for the comments.
Gassing Station | BMW General | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff