Wow, this is a LONG and PAINFUL thread! No one cares about a “dishonest” seller. It’s part of the game of buying and selling anything; happens everyday! Also no one cares about your emotional attachment to the car except you! If you find the owner and try to buy the car they will definitely use this against you.
Your only practical option of finding the car is via Mecum. Go to a Mecum auction and offer the Mecum’s bookkeepers $200 cash to provide you the buyer’s contact info; they may tell you it is against company policy but someone will take you up on it on the down low. If not approach Frankie Mecum and offer him a plate of Johnsonville brats and a six pack of Spotted Cow beer as he is a Wisconsin boy that likes to eat large quantities of food!
Mecum is your “in,” but you need to be proactive and make it happen.
I’m not trying to be a jerk, but you sound very inexperienced and new to the game and I’m trying to help you out. No one cares about sob or desperation stories in the business. MONEY TALKS and it’s as simple as that!
There is a HUGE difference between an emotional vs business decision/transaction. You are obviously stuck/caught up in the former (and there is nothing wrong with that) so be prepared to pay accordingly (i.e. WELL above what the car is worth to anyone else).
Good luck!!!