Where are you now? – The edition of used cars

“Where are you now?” It’s always fun to do a little digging and see what happened to obscure celebrities after they disappeared from the spotlight. However, this game does not only work with people. It’s also interesting to track down some of the most famous vehicles in history and see where they ended up.

MSN recently reviewed several vehicles that became famous for one reason or another. Some ended up in the hands of collectors, while others narrowly avoided the scrap heap.

OJ Simpson’s infamous televised escapade brought the phrase “White Ford Bronco” into the public lexicon. So what happened to the vehicle after the trial? The news source notes that the car was not actually owned by Simpson, but by his friend and former NFL player Al Cowlings. Cowlings reportedly sold the used Ford for a whopping $75,000 to a private buyer, but the sale was not without controversy. Cowlings was sued by a celebrity memorabilia company for allegedly breaching an agreement he had to sell the vehicle to them.

Even decades-old used cars can make a comeback from time to time. Al Capone outfitted a 1928 Cadillac Town Sedan with bulletproof glass and 3,000 pounds of steel armor. After he was captured, the US government seized the car, only to use it later as part of Franklin Roosevelt’s security detail. It was later sold to a Texas car collector, whose estate still owns it.

The Dodge Charger rose to fame thanks to its use on the television series “Dukes of Hazard.” The history of the actual “General Lee” used in the show is quite complicated. Multiple versions of the car were used to handle all the stunts, but the original model, known as “LEE 1”, was salvaged from a junkyard by John Schneider, who played “Bo” in the TV series.

After restoring the car and keeping it for several years, he finally put it up for sale on eBay. At first it appeared that the car sold for about $10 million, but that amount was later withdrawn by the bidder and it was sold at a second auction for an undisclosed sum. Collectors value other production-used models at between $200,000 and $300,000, according to AutoBlog.

One of the most recent examples of a car that rose to fame was the Cadillac Escalade driven by Tiger Woods on the night of his accident. That car was actually loaned to Woods by GM, who seized the vehicle after the incident. The news source reports that GM will use the car for internal purposes after repairing it, but will likely sell it eventually.

“These types of vehicles almost always go through a formal auction process,” Cadillac spokesman David Caldwell told USA Today.

Although any of these vehicles are likely to fetch a high price at a used car auction, drivers interested in saving money shouldn’t rule out the auction format. Bidding on a used vehicle can result in big savings for the driver over negotiating with a dealer on a traditional lot.