What interesting things have you found in used cars you have bought?

[callbay]

I just bought a used 2013 ridgeline and I could not get the key to go in the lock to be able to use the manual door lock. I looked inside the lock with a flashlight and saw something in there. I used a long needle nose plyers and a screwdriver and I got the mystery piece out.

It was a tiny sliver toy knife!


Have any interesting stories?

Thanks!

 

[StevieC]

A winning scratch and win ticket inside the vehicle door. We found it when we had to fix the window regulator on our 86 Dodge Caravan. It was good for $4 but the winnings had expired when we tried to claim it 10 years later.

 

[simple_gifts]

1977 LeMans estate car bought unseen for $150

B+D Hedge trimmer, Battery charger, jar of mayonnaise; guess which 2 did not become useless after 90+ days in the Virginia sun.

 

[2heeldrive]

I bought a 1982 Volvo 240 Turbo Wagon many years ago that had been used as a kid hauler. I think it was about 10 years old.

I found a rotted out floor in the rear from a coke (or cokes) that had been spilled and allowed to seep into the foam pad. Had to put in a big piece of sheet steel to repair the damage.

I found a huge amount of dried and crystallized urine under the back seat cushion. That was really gross. Those poor kids must have been sitting in wet diapers all the time.

I found an oil pan full of carbonized oil... from an overheated turbo. That led to the discovery of ruined rod bearings and turbo.

That car was a piece of junk... I should never have bought it, but I was a sucker for Volvo's back then.

 

[maxdustington]

I found a Zippo tape measure in my car a few years after I got it. It was a promotional item from a large Kitchener manufacturer where the seller told me they had family. When I researched the company I found that they closed down afters years of struggling and left a lot of people jobless, the classic rust belt small town story.

My Dad has a Zippo tape that I had always admired, and I finally got my own!

 

[Audios]

I found a metal PBA badge in a little leather wallet from the NYPD. Havent used it.

 

[aquariuscsm]

My 300ZX has the previous owner's full set of house keys stashed in a hide-a-key haha.

 

[Danno]

The bill of sale for the new car the previous owners had left in the car.
They were about $4000 under water as this car was a trade-in.
Son said "that's not good". It was his new to him car.

Good life lesson.

 

[Silverado12]

I found a 1/2" drive ratchet w/long handle under the seat of a 1998 Mustang GT (good professional name brand but I can't remember), a broken gold necklace, and bunch of change. I asked the previous owner if he wanted the ratchet back and he told me that it was mine now since he bought the car used and it must have been in it when he bought it lol.

 

[Kira]

There were warning stickers bearing the name of an aftermarket ignition product under the hood of my very first car.
I found an envelope bearing the previous owner's name and address so I called him about the stickers.
He told me the hotter ignition was great and that he removed it for installation into his new car.
We had a nice chat.

 

[FirstNissan]

Bought an old kia from a used dealer years ago. Had the prior owners trade in papers/new car papers, home insurance papers, random house keys, some kids toys in the trunk, an umbrella in the door pocket. Funny that the dealer made no attempt at cleaning it out before putting it on the lot.

 

[walterjay]

Found a loaded 38 caliber revolver stashed under the seat of a motor home my son bought.

 

[14Accent]

Dad's Acura TL back in the say had an (inflated still) plastic female... "gentleman's toy" in the trunk when it got dropped off from the auction. We had a lot of fun messing with people until she popped haha.

My Marauder also had a sex toy in it when I got it, except it was a huge silicone rubber fist and forearm. I keep it in my toolbox at work and mess with people.

 

[earlyre]

dang!, I've only ever found 2 items, both in this car. One was a pencil from a country club(under the trunk carpet,the country club is in the same part of MI the car originally was sold/leased), and the Second a sales pamphlet for hair dryers that hung down from the ceiling in a cord reel, similar to shop air, or a drop light, for Salons.
(I am the 3rd owner, #2 lived 30 min away from me, and put 40k mi on in 2 years.) thanks for the info carfax!

of course this is only my 4th car(all used), and 2 of the others came from neatnik family members.

 

[CR94]

My father belatedly discovered accident damage in the only used car my parents bought during my life. (It wasn't very bad, the main effect being that one door filled with water when it rained.)

If anybody actually used my former Mazda after I gave up on it, they might've found the hidden set of ¼"-drive metric sockets I forgot to remove.

 

[eljefino]

Snap-on #2 phillips screwdriver, lots of change, painting print of some boat, and a rifle scope worth $32 on ebay!

 

[qdeezie]

I don't think this was interesting, but in my '06 F-150 I found coins that were under the removable part in my ashtray that was causing rattles every single time I hit a bump. I did not know that coins were the root cause until I removed the ashtray to inspect what was going on. Don't know how that happened, but the previous owner pulled that off. The coins were thrown into my coin jar.

Another instance.........when I was a kid in the 80s, (I'm going to say age 10 or less) my dad bought a junk 70s model Pontiac Grand Prix that had a Chevrolet 350 engine in it that he was removing to rebuild and put in his truck. My brother and I went rummaging through the car and saw all kinds of stuff. Then we came across a Christmas card. On the front of the card, it had Santa flipping the bird. Inside the card, it read "Money's short, times are hard, here's your (fill in the blank) Christmas card."

My brother and I nearly passed out laughing. That was my first time ever hearing that phrase in any form. As life went on, I would always chuckle because of that childhood memory whenever I'd hear any variation of that phrase.

 

[maxdustington]

Originally Posted by Danno
The bill of sale for the new car the previous owners had left in the car.
They were about $4000 under water as this car was a trade-in.
Son said "that's not good". It was his new to him car.

Good life lesson.
Might as well be a sign stating that all maintenance = deferred to the next owner!

 

[Traction]

My son bought a Porshe 911 Carrera from someone who's girlfriend was a dancer, and found 300 one dollar bills under the passenger seat.
When I was a kid, I loved going through the junkyard looking for treasures, and found many.

 

[Silverado12]

Originally Posted by Traction
My son bought a Porshe 911 Carrera from someone who's girlfriend was a dancer, and found 300 one dollar bills under the passenger seat.
When I was a kid, I loved going through the junkyard looking for treasures, and found many.

Dangit now that's a score!