Claiming an abandoned car?

Claiming an abandoned car?

Author
Discussion

hugoagogo

23,378 posts

232 months

Monday 17th July 2006
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i don't get this, can this really be done so soon?

3 weeks, damaged, not really driveable:

i had a little 106 runabout in the uk last year, just before i wanted to sell it, someone drove up my arse at some lights, smashing the back in, writing it off, but i had to wait for the other guys insurance co. to come and check it out before i could dispose of it, storage would have cost me money.
they didn't want to move until they'd had a accident report from their client, he didn't bother sending one in for a month (i think that was the max time before my insurance would have said enough)

anyway, for all this time (over a month) my car was sitting outside someone elses house (up the road from the MiL's) and didn't move, so someone could have claimed it?

(full story - young lad in a pretty new focus, said he was manager of a 'next' near liverpool airport, crashed into me, stationary. cast-iron his fault. he said 'can i pay for it instead of insurance' i said ok, but you best do it quickly. anyway, he argued the toss, didn't want to pay any more than 500quid for my 106 and seemed to be unsure when he could even lay his hands on the cash so i went for the insurance instead, i got 650 eventually, he got his premiums up for the next few years.
how can a single bloke, living with parents, no kids etc in a decent job with a newish car not lay his hands on 500 quid straight away? financed up to his ears for the focus no doubt)

Anatol

1,392 posts

233 months

Monday 17th July 2006
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It can be done quite quickly, but it's hardly irreversible.

If someone in the street your car was parked up in had applied for a V5, and you'd been on holiday for a fortnight, they might have got one, but if the car moved, you'd have reported it stolen, the PNC check would have shown you were no longer the current keeper, the BiB would have made enquiries the new keeper, he'd have either looked moody (and been arrested) or honest (and been given some advice), you'd be established by the bill of sale from when you bought the car as the legal owner, and you'd have got it back...

Tol

justayellowbadge

37,057 posts

241 months

Monday 17th July 2006
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Julian, where are you based?
I only ask because there's been an abandoned Clio with light frontal outside MY flat for the last 3 weeks or so...

MrJelly

87 posts

218 months

Tuesday 18th July 2006
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So the best and only concrete way of getting ownership of a potentially 'abandoned' car is to contact the DVLA and request the current owners details?

Jelly

Anatol

1,392 posts

233 months

Wednesday 19th July 2006
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Yes, and get their consent for ownership to pass to you.

edited because I didn't read your post properly the first time :-$

Tol

Edited by Anatol on Wednesday 19th July 22:02

marbellapinky

2,170 posts

197 months

Saturday 6th October 2007
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I know im a bit late in this one, but....

Ive recently moved near marbella (costa del crime) in an underground car park in puerto banus is a Mercedes w220 s500 which looks like its been there for many years, a couple of windows have been broken and had some celophane put round them, air suspension has sunk, all outside trim removed, but apart from that it looks in tact. My only guesses are that its been involved in some sort of criminal activity/ the owner parked it long term and came to an untimely end/ someone with more money than sense dumped it after it had a bit of vandalism. Of course it could of been stolen (ideal for me, can only do it with the keys, which saves a big obstacle)

The 'plates have gone, so it could be from anywhere in europe

A few questions, hope someone can shed some light....
-Is there any way i can trace the owner across europe from just the Vin number?
-Does anyone know anything about claiming cars in other countries to the uk?

I think it will turn out to be a bit of a project to find the owner, get some keys, get it running, get it reregistered here in spain- im willing to pay 000's to get this, would cost me about 25k euros at least to buy one. Im only 21, and a merc obsessive....this car is an itch i have to scratch.

Any input appreciated

Also....any other members on the Costa Del Sol?

Alex

GreenV8S

30,150 posts

283 months

Saturday 6th October 2007
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marbellapinky said:
Any input appreciated
It is valuable, and it is not yours - you have absolutely no legal or moral right to it that I can see. The owners of the car park might have some claim on it if it's illegally parked on their property, but I don't see that you do.

marbellapinky

2,170 posts

197 months

Saturday 6th October 2007
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I would buy it if they wanted for the right price -I'll try and get some pics today....you'll understand why im soo frustrated by it

g_attrill

7,628 posts

245 months

Saturday 6th October 2007
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Can you slip some money to somebody who works in the police or the registration authority to get the name/address of the owner? I don't know what the ownership/registration procedure is there but you should probably look it up to see what you will need. There are a few websites with photos of valuable rusting wrecks in the US with comments such as "been parked up for 20 years, owner doesn't want to sell, will restore it one day".

Oldandslow

2,405 posts

205 months

Saturday 6th October 2007
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A guy where I work got a free Porsche 924. It had been sitting in the underground parking garage for an upmarket apartment block for 5 years. The guy who owned it had sold the apartment but left the car in the assigned parking space. Eventually the management asked my mate to remove it cos he had a car trailer and a known car fetish. The management company gave him a letter detailing the cars history, the previous owner and huge outstanding parking fees and that they have given the car into his keeping. He's been able to get a V5 with him as the registered keeper (not owner)and insure and tax it. If the guy ever shows up there's that huge parking fee waiting for him to be paid before the management company will release the car to him, in the meantime it gets some exercise.

sniff petrol

13,107 posts

211 months

Saturday 6th October 2007
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I claimed a MK2 Astra about 3 years ago, it was abandoned in a station car park for about a month. The tax had run out, BTP couldn't trace an owner as it didn't appear to be registered to anyone and it was taking up room. I expressed an interest and after the BTP had put 'must be removed within 7 days' notices on it I was allowed to take it (I got a written letter from the station manager stating all the details)

I didn't register it, just used it for spares for my sister's at the time. I couldn't even start the thing, I think the cam belt must have slipped a tooth or two, but I got a few good bits off it, about £20 of petrol, an empty fuel can, tow-rope, nice Kenwood radio cassette player (the front panel was even in the glove box! got £20 on Ebay for that!) When I'd finished with it I filled it with other bits of scrap steel I had lying around and got it weighed in.

sniff petrol

13,107 posts

211 months

Saturday 6th October 2007
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On a slightly different note, what happens if someone where to abandon a car or your own private land, would you be able to keep it then?

rallycross

12,747 posts

236 months

Saturday 6th October 2007
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A friend of mine has a licence from his local council to reclaim abandoned vehicles, (he runs a car spares business). He gets some quite good cars in London.

He told me he can only reclaim a car if it has a council notice of reclaimation on it and the time is up ie you get so many days to move it...

I've had one of these stickers on one of my cars (it was parked with a flat tyre in a residential street for about 2 weeks, not my area) even though it was taxed they still put a sticker on it.

So, unitl it gets a council sticker and goes beyond the number of days stated, and unless you have a licence from your council, there's (probably) nothing you can do....

Futuramic

1,763 posts

204 months

Saturday 6th October 2007
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Sniff Petrol raised an interesting legal point. If you claimed a car as registered keeper, then destroyed it; would it count as theft if the original owner turned up and wanted it back?

We stayed on a farm in Norfolk once; owned by a car restorer. There was an evidently unused Subaru XT turbo parked in a shed. As they are so achingly rare I asked the owner of the place about it. Apparantly the car's owner had asked for some work to be done on the car, which was completed, but the owner couldn't pay. Instead he disappeared and left the car on the farm; refusing to make any more contact about it. This means that the car is effectively stuck in limbo; as the restorer has no paperwork - it is still legally the property of the owner, who doesn't want it, but never transferred ownership. As a result the poor thing sits unloved in a shed. tragic really.

mattiselvis

991 posts

220 months

Tuesday 9th October 2007
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This is an interesting topic! There's a 2nd generation Renault Espace at the end of my road that seems to have been abandoned. I look wistfully at it every day when I walk past it in the mornings (some sort of petrol-induced disease, I think). The "we think this car has been abandoned" sticker has been in the window for ages. I might just ring them up and see what's happening with it. Seems a shame to crush the poor thing...

phillvr6

3,785 posts

259 months

Tuesday 9th October 2007
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Funily enough, theres a v12 XJS thats decomposing around the corner from me. Its been there for a couple of months now and has the V5 on the front seat. It is locked though and I can't see the key anywhere.

I'm guessing even if I could claim it, it would prove to expensive to run.

love machine

7,609 posts

234 months

Tuesday 9th October 2007
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phillvr6 said:
Funily enough, theres a v12 XJS thats decomposing around the corner from me. Its been there for a couple of months now and has the V5 on the front seat. It is locked though and I can't see the key anywhere.

I'm guessing even if I could claim it, it would prove to expensive to run.
I imagine that someone hasn't fitted a manual box to it. That is one of my dream finds. The manual V12 boxes are ££££.

eltax91

9,842 posts

205 months

Tuesday 9th October 2007
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phillvr6 said:
Funily enough, theres a v12 XJS thats decomposing around the corner from me. Its been there for a couple of months now and has the V5 on the front seat. It is locked though and I can't see the key anywhere.

I'm guessing even if I could claim it, it would prove to expensive to run.
If the V5 is on the seat, shirley you can just fill in the little green slip saying you bought the vehicle, fill in the form from dVLa (V62?) stating that you have not received the V5 and send it all to them recorded delivery. You'll get a V5 back through the post for your troubles.

phillvr6

3,785 posts

259 months

Tuesday 9th October 2007
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That's a thought. Still the issue of ther not being a key and the door being locked.

Gizmo535

18,150 posts

208 months

Tuesday 9th October 2007
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phillvr6 said:
That's a thought. Still the issue of ther not being a key and the door being locked.
Of course it's not possible to gain entrance to a car without having the key...

Hmmm...

whistle

Lollipop stick? Coathanger? Screwdriver?