Not ever wanting to do a genealogical study of a car before....

Is it possible to take the VIN and trace various owners back? You would need a friend (that's an oxymoron) at the DMV who would be willing to run the number. Even if it went out then back in Calif., there is still some sort of a paper trail for who ever registered the car. Some of the real old stuff may not be computerized but at least you should be able to go back 20 years or so.

My feelings on people that sell cars and car parts l-i-e thru their teeth, all present company and thread readers excepted, of course