Abandoned Volvo: This week's episode

I sent the registered letter to the name & address on the
registration, recieved the card back aprox a week later (indicating it
was delivered).
The signature, natch, was illegible, and didn't appear to be the same
name as who I addressed it to, presumably another family member living
in the household.
According to my postmaster here, the postman isn't going to let just
anyone sign unless that person is known by him to somehow belong there
(instead of, like, a burglar in the house).
So anyway, they recieved the letter a week ago as I write this and
I've not heard anything back, and they've had ample time to contact me.
So far it seems to have been a big waste of time.
I never said where the car was.

 

Probably should have simply expressed interest in buying the car
instead of offering them a lowball price, that way she might have at
least responded. I still say she's probably dead.

 

Well if you got no response doesn't that open the door to claiming
ownership?

 

Getting a response to the letter would have circumvented any
involvement of the owners of the motel where the car sits; I'd now be
dealing directly with the car's owner.
Without the consent of the car's owner, it would be incumbent on the
owners of the property where the car sits to get law enforcement
involved to have it declared abandoned.
So the next step is to see if they're willing to do that, which seems
like almost every bit as much hassle as contacting the owner of the car.

 

Move the car somewhere else, perhaps just out of the parking lot onto public
land.

 

I have not been following this saga so sorry if this has been
mentioned, but have you considered the car might have a loan against it
and you could get paid to reposses it, then buy it from the repo
company?

 

No, nobody has mentioned that.
The bill of sale is in the car, dated 10-17-03 and she paid $1350 for
the car then, but I suppose could have borrowed against it after that.
The license plates expired in July of 2004, so I'd assume it's been
sitting there before then.
Which means she didn't even drive it for very long before abandoning
it.
So, yes, it could very well be that she just stopped paying for it if
she was making payments. Good point.
In order to determine if there's a loan, I'm assuming I'd just have to
go to the DMV with a copy of the registration and ask them(?)

 

My father 'repossesed' an El Camino he fancied. The circumstances
sound similar to yours, apparent abandoned vehicle. Basically he ended
up just sending the bank several hundred dollars (car value minus repo
charge) and the bank sent him the title. The bank had no idea where
the car was and therefore was happy to get something/anything for it.

 

Can you spend a little time researching what's involved for the motel owners
to report it abandoned on their lot? If you approach them with everything
well laid out in advance, and make it very easy for them, then that takes
away their hassle factor.

James, this has become a wild horse that you just have to mount, now don't
you?

Group, I think we have a short story on our hands. Who/how do we copyright
this?

I've driven Volvos more than 30 yrs now. I have more than a couple mildly
entertaining stories related to Volvos. What's more, my wife's 1st hubby
and their best friends also drove Volvos back in the '60s (444s, 544s). She
spent a few days of her honeymoon in a Colorado junkyard while her hubby
(#1) and she rebuilt his tranny en-route to their destination. Says there
was a small community of other freedom-loving flower children in the same
junkyard, mostly rebuilding their VW buses.

Did I tell you the time...

Ramblin' Pat

'91 240
'70 1800E
and several others

 

Gomer, any more news on this front?

Personally, I'd have dropped this long ago, so I admire the size of
your cojones for pursuing it this far.

For those of you who don't know Spanish but have seen Major League 2,
substitute "MARBLES"