An abandoned car - what to do?

Problem, the registered address of the owner is probably still the house the OP now owns where the car is.

Try a certified letter rather than email.

Banty

David ..are you the David mantel from middle Georgia area?

there are procedures for claiming abandoned items left on your property.A friend of mine had to go through this after he rented a parcel of land to someone and they moved off abandoning a mobile home and several vehicles.If you want the van you can try to claim it.If you do not want the van...call a tow truck.

People rarely abandon working vehicles. Might make a good charitable donation if proof of ownership can be established.

The solution is as easy as calling the police non emergency number and asking. In CA you could refer to

In CA any cop can ticket for removal even from private property if it appears abandoned. The registered owner is financially responsible for the cost of abatement even if that owner thought they sold it but the third party did not register. Even without plates they will use the VIN.

You probably have a choice of having it removed and forgetting about it or taking ownership which will involve paperwork, inspections and associated fees and unpaid back registration fees.

Jesus Christ man, why don't you be a little more harsh next time.

I guess you can't be bothered to read the rest of the posts attached to this very thread, you know the one where someone politely corrected me and I agreed they were correct.

I don't know if they still have registered letters, but if so, there is no difference between a registered letter and a certified letter, except the first costs more and includes insurance on the contents. But the letter in question will just be a letter and will no insurable value. So use certified mail.

A lot of people recommend registered when it's not needed.

I was a mailman in the 60's for one summer, including training.

Good question. The house was vacated by the seller and later on rented. When I purchased it there is a tenant. I naturally assumed that it's his car and never questioned otherwise. It is not until recently when the tenant informed me that the van has a citation on the windshield that I asked him "this is not your van?" and he replied "no."

MC

So, what is the proper ammunition one should use when going on a postal rampage?

My postal carrier did a huge amount of damage with a sore wrist and a workman's comp attorney.

I was a mailman and I was also a worker's comp agent (or some such title) for the federal government, most of whose employees work for the post office. I think that was a whole year. It was a frustrating job. We were voted several years in a row, by Congressional staffers, the agency that was farthest behind in its work. When most agencies work on Congressional requests within 2 or 3 days, it took us weeks. But that was 30 years ago

He can part it out, or sell it as parts car with no title.

Don't mess up typical Usenet wild-assed speculation with facts. You'll ruin the integrity of the process. :)

=============

Joey wrote: I guess you wanted some legal advice, so here goes.

The car is not legally yours unless you have a valid bill of sale and/or title.

The police can not tow a vehicle off of property property.

You, as the property owner, can legally call a wrecker and have them tow it off. They will charge the owner storage fees and towing. If the owner does not claim the vehicle within 30 days, the towing company must publish the vehicle as being abandoned to give the owner a chance to claim it. If they don't claim it, then the wrecker company will get it by default and they can obtain a title through the State.

Don't push the vehicle out on the roadway for it to be considered abandoned on the street. If anything happened to it and someone saw you do this, you can be held liable for damages in small claims court.

Hope this helps.

miamicuse wrote:

From one of the David Letterman Top 10 Lists, discussing what the United States Postal Service would do with the increased income from the latest postage increase:

"More ammo, more ammo, more ammo."

Or you could hire someone to haul it to the nearest river or lake and push it off into a watery grave.