Building without papers

brti · May 27, 2007, 10:43:57 PM

Just a story I heard about some months ago (and it's true),,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, A young fellow bought this abandoned car from a farmer without any papers. He spent about $20,000 on it and was nearly finished. He decided to trace the former owners to find out if he could get the papers for it. It turned out that the owner had died but his son was living several hours away. He phoned the son and the guy seemed very inclined to get the car signed over to the kid as his dad had abandoned the car years before. The kid offered to come over and get the transfers done but the guy said to wait as he was passing by his area the next week.
The following weekend this truck with a trailer and the police showed up at his house and he was told that he must give up possesion of the car as the guys son was the legal owner of it by the police. As the poor kid watched the guy drive his car onto the trailer the cop said, "we have never met such a bastard, sorry about this". They all got in their cars and drove off with his 2yr old project dream car on this guys trailer.

If this doesn't give us all a cold shiver up our spines i don't know what will. I believe I would've gone to his house and burned it to the ground.

58 Yeoman · May 28, 2007, 12:00:59 AM

It seems that I either saw that on tv or read it in the papers. Wasn't it a Mustang? Or, am I thinking of something else?

chopped · May 28, 2007, 08:04:58 AM

I don't get it, why so many guys will do the same thing. Just go get the thing in your name. You would think it's a no-brainer. Little or no cost. I picked up a 51 Chevy truck a couple weeks ago, it's now in my name, no charge untill it's on the road.You find cars that change hands 1/2 dozen times and no one has a registration or title. Lazy,dumb, or both?

donsrods · May 28, 2007, 10:36:15 AM

What happened there is a real possibility. I see guys posting all the time that they found some "Abandoned" car. In the eyes of the law, every car is owned by somebody and if you just go pick it up, that can be constued as theft.

Makes no sense to put money and work into something until you own it.

Don

t-vicky · May 28, 2007, 10:29:06 PM

Sold a 38 Ford sedan about 35 years ago & a friend got a bunch of paper work in an auction about 3 months ago. Called me up and said, Hey, I got a title with your name on it. Same old 38 Ford. I remember the guy & his brother towed it home with no motor & a pair of vice grips for a steering wheel.

58 Yeoman · May 28, 2007, 10:50:39 PM

Years ago, I bought a lot of VW parts, cars, etc. from a woman whose husband used to work on them (he died). There was a Karmann Ghia convertible in the garage, and I asked her about it. She said it belonged to someone else. I tracked down the owner, who said he didn't want the car, but didn't know where the title was. I got a duplicate title from the state, which said I owned the car, but if the original ever turned up, I would have to relinquish the car.

I ended up selling it to someone else, who in turn sold it to at least one other person. I later stopped at a garage sale in Peoria, and saw the same car sitting in the garage, nothing had been done to it.

Crosley.In.AZ · May 28, 2007, 11:47:23 PM

I would suggest caution on NOT having paperwork for a vehicle. I've bought vehicles with NO title, but the first item I take care of is getting a title of some type from the state of AZ..... often it's been a bonded title. Bonded titles here involve VIN checks for stolen & etc.

Years ago the brother (a minister) of a long time friend of mine built a small church in Snottsdale AZ..... A member of the church was the foreman of the construction.... He had a small trailer on the rear of the church property he used for construction / office needs.

A few months later when the church was finished they hook onto the trailer with a truck. A fellow who lives in a house that butts up against the church property told my friend the trailer was his and produced an AZ title to it....... The neighbor had filed for abandonment title for the trailer and the AZ state issued him one!

be careful :evil:

brti · May 29, 2007, 06:34:01 AM

Quote from: "58 Yeoman"It seems that I either saw that on tv or read it in the papers. Wasn't it a Mustang? Or, am I thinking of something else?

This was a 52 chev tudor. The whole scene was bad. The kid was very upset for months. Some friends in his car club found him another ride real cheap but it wasn't the same.

BFS57 · May 29, 2007, 10:13:13 AM

Hello;
I would have to say at this point that the young man that worked on the car has recourse. Yes, he didn't put the car in his name but he did do work to the vehicle, plus he paid for parts to fix the car. Why can't the young fellow put a "mechanic's lein" on the vehicle and make the bastard pay not only for the parts but his labor at $ pr hr to fix it!?
I know I wouldn't have let the car go with out pulling all my parts off the * thing first! If bastard wants it, let him pay for it!! or give it back like the kid found it!!

Bruce

Husker · June 01, 2007, 01:20:13 AM

That guy must have been a lawyer!

I sold a car to a guy back in 89, it was a cash deal with no receipt. He contacted me back in 03 and asked me to get him a duplicate title because he had never put the car in his name and lost the title. The car was totally restored and sharp as hell, I suppose I should have went over and picked up my car instead of getting him a new title and bill of sale 14 years later lol!

Oh it was a 68 GTX 440 4 speed car with 68K on it for you Mopar fans.

freddrew · June 06, 2007, 04:45:51 PM

Over here in Ontario, you have to pay Provincial Sales Tax when you register a vehicle based on the cost or appraised value. Only a fool would sink a ton of money into the vehicle before getting it put in his or her name.
Fred

Dave · June 06, 2007, 06:05:04 PM

Quote from: "Husker"That guy must have been a lawyer!

I sold a car to a guy back in 89, it was a cash deal with no receipt. He contacted me back in 03 and asked me to get him a duplicate title because he had never put the car in his name and lost the title. The car was totally restored and sharp as hell, I suppose I should have went over and picked up my car instead of getting him a new title and bill of sale 14 years later lol!

Oh it was a 68 GTX 440 4 speed car with 68K on it for you Mopar fans.

Jeeesssssssssus prolly worth 115k... Well your a good man and an honest man and i like that.
Dave