The Ford Capri Laser Page

Hi guys,

As per title, ive been wondering recently whether it is possible to get any previous information on my car such as where its been during its life.

Basically this all come about when i parked up one day and this taxi driver reckoned the car belonged to him many years ago. It was only in passing and at first i just assumed it was the usual "Dont see many of these, i used to have one etc etc." So didnt really think much of it, but as he drove off he said "good to see its still running" so it could well have been owned by him in the past.

It would be nice to know where the car has been over its 33 yrs. I bought it from a guy in bristol so thought it might be too much of a coincidence for me to take it back to the very same town of a previous owner but i suppose anything is possible!

Has anyone ever traced a vehicles history regarding location? Ive asked the dvla and they said to maybe try HPI check but thought id see if anyone on here has done it first.

Thanks
Rob

I did this you can get the DVLA form v888
Here the link https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... -a-vehicle

Only costs £5 and well worth it .

Ahh thanks for the link, pretty sure that was the form i asked the dvla about when they said "due to data protection they couldnt tell me anything" but will try ringing again.

What kind of info did you get from them?

Thanks
Rob

I got all the last owners and dates when they changed hand also I got the original log books .

This is also something I'm interested in. Do we have something equivalent to a heritage certificate? https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/ar ... rtificates

Toxcity wrote: Do we have something equivalent to a heritage certificate? https://www.britishmotormuseum.co.uk/ar ... rtificates

I wish! You may find the build sheet either behing a rear boot side panel or in one of the rear seat backrests if someone else hasn't chucked it in the past.

The DVLC have recently changed their attitude to requests for information on a vehicle via V888, and interest in the previous owners and other details is no longer regarded as reasonable cause to release the information - presumably owing to the impending changes to data protection legislation this year. I put a request in in October and received that as the reply, which is a shame as I could have got the info if I'd have applied before the end of August.

Of course, overstaying in a car park for 5 minutes is more than adequate cause, mind!!

I got mine but I did go to town on reasons rather than just 'interest'.

I stressed this was a classic car and the owner history would have a measurable impact on it's value - I then gave the following examples of why this could be important:

If some of the previous owners were from the same family/ same registered address
if it had been a company car and subsequently bought by the owner of the company
if it had ever belonged to a hire car firm

Try it.

It does seem to depend who you speak to. The first time i rang the DVLA about it, the woman basically said theres no way they do anything like that, but when i rang today the guy said to send the form in with a cheque for £5 and then jobs a good 'un!

Might just have to exaggerate my reasons a bit, suppose the worst that can happen is them saying no, it would be good to know its history

One of the things their history will tell you is if there has been a colour change. That itself is a perfectly appropriate reason to request the history as it could conceivably affect the car's value.

It seems bizarre that the DVLA won't release information on previous keepers to the car's current keeper.
For an enthusiast owner to obtain some missing details for the history file of a classic car should be reason enough for the information to be released.

By the way, a previous colour change is usually recorded on Cazana.com and can be seen instantly and for free.

Andrew.

Well, I sent off the form on Monday. I had attached a covering letter stating how this information could have a measurable impact on the value of the vehicle, this being the reason for my request.

On the form I had to leave my number so I would've thought if they couldn't do it I would have heard something by now, no news is good news??? Anyone got any idea how long it normally takes?

Hopefully I'll hear something soon

Also, I've just been on that cazana. When I put my reg plate in it came up with pictures of my car when it was sold to the person I bought it off! It says for £15 I can get all the history in case dvla knock me back so that's good

rob_scott92 wrote:Well, I sent off the form on Monday. I had attached a covering letter stating how this information could have a measurable impact on the value of the vehicle, this being the reason for my request.

On the form I had to leave my number so I would've thought if they couldn't do it I would have heard something by now, no news is good news??? Anyone got any idea how long it normally takes?

Hopefully I'll hear something soon

Never done this, but assuming you sent it first class post it should have been there Wednesday, so you might hear something this coming week, but I would allow up to a month.

Mine took some weeks as the cheque has to clear first . I got all the history on my Capri but not on my old one they just returned my £5

rob_scott92 wrote:Also, I've just been on that cazana. When I put my reg plate in it came up with pictures of my car when it was sold to the person I bought it off! It says for £15 I can get all the history in case dvla knock me back so that's good

Cazana would only be able to supply details on the number of previous owners, the date of any changes of recorded details (colour, engine size, registration plate etc), dates of MOT tests, that kind of thing. I very much doubt that they would be able to supply the names and addresses of previous owners.
In my opinion, £15 seems a bit steep for that service.

Andrew.