Like I stated above, my curiosity about what happened to the owner would be first and foremost. If you can trip over a car in a shop for 2.5 years, you either aren't that busy or you have a lot of surplus shop space. Bob
In my days of being a member and/or committee chairman of the grievance committee for the union in a large aircraft maintenance facility for a major airline, we referred to most of the answers above as coming from "shit house lawyers", and the info can ber dead on in one state and totally off base in the state next door! IIRC, you are in AL, you must have some sort of small claims court, maybe a magistrate court? Whatever. These courts are accustomed to people who don't know the laws, but have a problem calling for the use of those laws for whatever problem it may be. Most are very nice, almost eager to explain the pertinent law but will avoid direct advice for understandable reasons. Many times here they even have a printed pamphlet about how the law reads. When you start proceedings on storage fees and how to take the vehicle, a misstep could have lasting effect! Dave
I sold a body on ebay, the guy paid me in full the day the auction ended. Then contracted me to do some more work on it for him before he came to pick it up. 9 months go by and I don't hear a word from him, and by this time I had lost all of his contact info. I contacted ebay and they gave me his paypal ID, so I then contacted paypal and they gave me his email and home address. I sent him a certified letter(and a copy by email) stating that he had 4 weeks to come get the body or its mine. The 4 weeks went by and I heard nothing (the registered letter was returned to me) until one day over the 4 weeks he replied to the email. He made all kinds of excuses, then tried to get me to buy the body from him for $XXXX.XX. When I declined he tried to get me to deliver the body to him 500 miles away. Finally I was fed up with being a nice guy and told him he had until the following Monday to get it. He came that weekend.
All nonsense and this is "how they do it in _________________ this should be the link that you need for Alabama. I Hope the link works. You have to jump though a few hoops but it is a better way to go than the mechanic's lien this time. Abandoned Motor Vehicle Bill of Sale <cite>www.colbertprobatejudge.org/MVforms.pdf</cite> File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View ... motor vehicle sold pursuant to Title 32, Chapter 13, Code of Alabama 1975 ... lienholders of record for the abandoned motor vehicle. ... 4 Storage Expenses It's what the tow companies use in that state but it should work for you. You will still have to send a certified letter to the vehicle's owner.
Can't hurt to go knock on the door, and talk with neighbors. The guy may have passed away, or be locked up in another state. 4TTRUK
so....if it goes to public auction....whats to stop the owner (or the person who owes the money) buying it at a figure below whats owed? or do you just put a reserve on to cover the amount?
People are funny..... So he's showing absolutely no interest in the vehicle? It may be because he has no interest in the vehicle - it might not be his.
When i had my upholstery shop,we hd a customer with an edsel conv.We completly renovated it,done in 30 days,car stayed 2 years,we were in contact with him,he was my wifes boss.Finally had to threaten to sell.he came got it.Had a custom top frame off a buckt t,all done,covered padded,feady for final fit.3 years.I told him just come get it,he never responded,i sold it.the next week he had his car there wanting to do the interior and put on top.that did'nt go as well as planned.I guess do what the others say,go as far as his house,business ,when you are done,sell it.
In colorado storage is 33.00 per day and it will not take long for the bill to be more than the car is worth. File for abandon vehicle title and move on.
True, not many of us has the space but anyone in the biz knows what he means. So many of my customers think I should just store their project while they save up more money. Had one guy want me to do a bunch of work on his car, several thousand worth. After spending all the time to come up with estimates, ect he say it sound good, he wants to do it but he's on dissability, can only afford $200 a month but wanted to leave it with me till it was done. He was serious, I had to tell him $200 a month wouldn't even pay for the space it took up. Back to the op thing. One possibility for the guy dissappering for 2 1/2 years is maybe he in the grey bar hotel, happend to me more then once (my customer was in jail, not me!). Of course then you have to decide what type of guy he is and if you want to piss him off by selling his car, one guy went to jail for shooting someone, I decided it might not be heathy for me to take his car!
Ha A few years ago I sold a truck to a fella with a lawn business. The deal was that he would give me a small down payment and then keep my lawn mowed for the summer. He owed me a little over 600.00 dollars. I had applied for a lost title as I could not locate the title when he came after the truck and he was to pick the title up when he stopped by to mow the lawn. That was in May, I think it was about late June or early July that I get a call from the cops. There is a missing person with foul play suspected and my truck is in this person's driveway, with my phone number still in the back glass from when I had it for sale. I explained to them that the truck had been sold, the fella still owed me on it and that I didn't kill the fella in question. Time goes by, the lawn guy mowed the day he picked the truck up and hadn't mowed all summer and I get a call from a tree service guy who saw the truck and thought it was for sale. I explained to him the situation and he asks what is owed on it, I guessed about 550 give or take and he asks if he can buy it if he pays cash and hauls it off. OK. The lawn guy calls about a week after than to tell me his truck has been stolen. never freakin' fails does it.
The Jalopy Journal
