Cars go to auction for all kinds of reasons—missed payments, unpaid impound fees, or abandonment. Before any vehicle hits the auction block, the auction house typically runs the VIN and inspects the car to make sure it’s a legitimate sale.
Chris Griggs, an Arizona car enthusiast-turned-dealer, thought that was the case when he bought three classic cars from a now-defunct auction house. As he explained to VINwiki, this was back in his early 20s after he had rented a warehouse and obtained his dealer’s and auction license.
“I bought three cars: a classic 1963 Cadillac, a 1962 Chevelle, and a 1967 Chevy Camaro.”
The Cadillac and Chevelle? No issues. He flipped them quickly for profit.
“And then there was the Camaro, which quickly became a problem child.”
A Camaro That Looked Too Good to Be True
Griggs admitted he got pulled in by the Camaro’s flashy appearance.
“It was painted this bright, Synergy Green color, it had the matte black SS stripes on it, the staggered, five-spoke, oversized racing wheels, it had this look that just drew me in… I drive it and I buy it, and as I’m driving home, I realize it’s not as nice as I thought.”
The problems showed up fast: it wasn’t running right, the transmission felt sloppy, the leather seats sat too high, and the oversized wheels rubbed on tight turns.
Trying to Offload the Lemon
After struggling with repairs for a few months, Griggs decided to cut his losses and sell the Camaro to another auction house. But trouble escalated when that house tried to get a title issued.
“In Arizona, we have third-party officers to get titles for an auction; you don’t have to go to the actual government office. When I went to pick up the title, the woman behind the counter said, ‘You need to call the Albuquerque police department… This car is coming back as stolen.’”
A Stolen Car from 1979 — Hidden in Plain Sight
The Camaro had been reported stolen back in 1979. The case was so old, it wasn’t in any modern database.
“Because the car was stolen in 1979, detectives explained to him that they had to dig through paper archives in the basement to find it.”
And since there was no record of recovery, no insurance payout, and no computer database back then, it wasn’t difficult for someone to get a fresh title for the car when it resurfaced in 1991 in California.
The Original Owner Couldn’t Be Found — Or Helped
Griggs wanted to return the car to its rightful owner or their family. But police couldn’t find anyone at first, and then the detective working the case retired.
“As my luck would have it, the detective who was working on the case retired the next day… apparently, the case was dropped on his desk, and he just didn’t want to deal with it.”
Eventually, Arizona detectives located the original owner’s family. But things weren’t that simple.
“Apparently, when this car was stolen, it was kind of the beginning of his downfall… he was no longer competent. He went under a conservatorship… Within a very short window, he had his house broken into, a motorcycle stolen, and then the Camaro stolen. The mental anguish that these instances put on him was just too much, and apparently he was never the same after that.”
The brother of the original owner had no paperwork to prove legal ownership. The Camaro was now trapped in legal purgatory.
A Camaro with No Home — and No Clear Path
“It couldn’t be returned to the original owner’s family, and Griggs couldn’t legally own it.”
Eventually, Griggs gave up. The car was impounded and left to sit.
Years later, Griggs ran into the Arizona detective while working for Barrett Jackson, a well-known classic car auction company. He couldn’t help but ask about the old Camaro.
“I asked him, ‘Hey, what happened to the old Camaro?’ And he says, ‘Oh, it’s still sitting in our yard. Nothing’s happening to it.’”
The detective explained the problem clearly.
“We’ve tried everything. The problem is, the car has to go to Colorado to have a VIN inspection done, but we can’t release the car unless they can prove they own it and they have no paper trail, so this car is in no man’s land.”
Griggs Finally Gets the Camaro Back — Legally
Eventually, Griggs went before a judge through a process called interpleader. He presented his case for legal ownership.
“Since the original owner’s family decided they were no longer interested in trying to obtain the Camaro, Griggs became the legal owner.”
From there, he prepared the car to sell.
“With a new title, a new battery, and fresh gasoline, he was able to see it sold to a new owner. After several years, he was able to recoup some of the money.”
Final Lesson from a Costly Classic
Griggs walked away older, wiser—and finally with some closure.
“Always check the VIN when you’re buying a car,” he said. “You never know where a car’s been.”
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