WELCOME TO RIVER DAVES PLACE

Does Anyone Have Experience in How to Get title to Abandoned Vehicles?

Mandelon

Coffee makes me poop.
Joined
Sep 24, 2007
Messages
14,016
Reaction score
18,718
I just picked up an interesting job.

It is a large bank owned property in Escondido. Over 5 acres. My job is to clear out all the junk. The house has been foreclosed on, and the time the owner had to retrieve his personal stuff is over. The bank was super lenient for him to remove it, but he never did. Some of said junk is in a large work shop, that includes some older body working machinery. A knee roller, a bead roller, an old lathe, sandblasting unit, presses, a giant Ingersoll Rand air compressor, and several other large tools. Tons of old parts, auto paint, and a half dozen cars, two boats and two old RVs.

The RV's are crap and will probably get crushed and put into dumpsters. There's a clean but big Ford F 850 flatbed that I will try to get running. An Isuzu stake bed that has burned so it is scrap. There's a pretty rough F -100, and crashed Silverado, a decent looking Ford Taurus, and a 60's Pontiac LeMans, it is a roller, with many parts in the shop. The whole front clip is off, but the parts appear to be there. My mechanic wants it, but is worried about title.

Also in the shop is a decent Audi A-4 with a bit of front end damage. It may be salvageable, but $4000 worth of work will get you a $6000 car. Not sure it's worth bothering with.

Outside is a sunburned Yellow Jetski, a 14' sail boat and closed bow fishing boat about 27 feet long. I have a taker for these, but also need to get title. There's a 125 Honda three wheeler that has potential. I know someone will want it.

So, this crap is mine to get rid of. Can I simply make up a bill of sale and take that to the DMV? I'll try to get some photos up if anyone is interested in the machinery.
 

Lavey29

Floatin Dirty
Joined
Feb 15, 2008
Messages
3,932
Reaction score
5,196
If you dont have the title signed off to you then you might need a vin verification done at the dmv and new title issued
 

racetrash

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 10, 2018
Messages
725
Reaction score
1,309
There are 3rd party people that can do vin verification. Call around to some tow yards.
 

87tahiti

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2014
Messages
111
Reaction score
110
Apply for a new title with the DMV takes 6-8 weeks. I have a empty lot down the street from the scrap yards. The scrapers won't take a vehicle without a title. So I get them junk cars dropped in my yard. It's to big of a hassle to apply for a new title just so I can scrap it. So we cut cars up in sections with a torch and haul them up in pieces. The scrap yard will take them that way.
 

riverroyal

Well-Known Member
Joined
Nov 4, 2007
Messages
13,928
Reaction score
18,450
I swear I’ve been on that property. I bought a ford think from a guy 10 plus years ago in north esc
 

Mandelon

Coffee makes me poop.
Joined
Sep 24, 2007
Messages
14,016
Reaction score
18,718
I wonder if I can borrow RD's flat bed trailer? ;)

I have a place to store them, but it's not close to the site. Will a tow service just take the junk ones and get rid of them? Another problem is the crazy steep driveway. Winding and in poor shape. We're gonna spend three days just patching potholes so we can get vehicles up and down the hill.

It sounds like I need a hookup at a tow yard...
 

Mandelon

Coffee makes me poop.
Joined
Sep 24, 2007
Messages
14,016
Reaction score
18,718
I found this online, does this sound about right?:

I’ve done it through a lien sale. It’s a long and arduous process. And if you don’t get one step right you get to start again.

The first thing you have to do is start charging for “storage”. Write up an invoice that says you are charging the owner $50/day for the last 60 days. This says that the owner now owes you $3,000 for storage.

Next you file to the DMV telling them that you have a lien for $3000 on a vehicle but you don’t know who it is. Pay the fee and they will send you the legal owner (if that exists) and the registered owner.

Next you send them a registered, return receipt, letter with the invoice telling them that you are intending to sell the vehicle at a lien sale on such and such a date unless the bill is paid. They likely don’t live at those addresses anymore and the mail will come back. keep those envelopes unopened with the return stamps.

At the same time you will be filling out a notice that you are doing a lien sale and hanging it in your front window for all (who might walk up to look) to see.

Finally, on the day of the lien sale, no one comes. you fill out the DMV paperwork saying that no one came and you thus take possession of the vehicle. you can then get it titled in your name and do with it what you like.

Believe me, for someone who hasn’t done this before it’s difficult. I had to re-do mine three times before I got everything right with the state. As an example, the car when originally registered had a lien for a loan from a local small car lot. I knew those guys and they had moved since the car was registered. I sent the notices to their new address, which they signed and returned indicating that the lien was no longer valid. Nope, no good. I sent it to the wrong address. So I had to re-do the whole thing and send it to the address where they no longer were. It came back undeliverable, but that was sufficient for the DMV.

And don’t expect the people at the local DMV office to know how to do this, you’re going to be there for a while as they walk around the office and ask people how and what to do.

good luck!
 

mash on it

Beyond Hell Crew
Joined
Jan 26, 2011
Messages
3,640
Reaction score
5,441
Sounds about right.
Last one I did in California was '04 ish.
Similar circumstances. Owner of the property wanted them gone.
Convertible fox body mustang, v6, trash.
67 Impala wagon. 383 and 3 spd manual.
Early 70's Dodge van, and full of junk personal belongings.

With DMV, about 3 months to get paperwork. Had a title on the mustang and the wagon.

Dan'l
 

95Enforcer

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 24, 2018
Messages
210
Reaction score
208
If they come back in the DMV system with a registered owner you have to lein sale. If they are no record on file you can do a lost title with a statement of facts and vin verification saying you lost the title and have had the car for 20+ years etc. Ive done it both ways and work great. I have a DMV guy in the High Desert that do mine. Super easy and cost about $100 for each one.
 

DLC

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 18, 2013
Messages
9,906
Reaction score
14,467
Where in Esco is it? I’ve lived here a long time 1975...
 

mjc

Retired Neighbor
Joined
Jan 3, 2008
Messages
11,807
Reaction score
8,829
What about the body working machinery?
 

Mandelon

Coffee makes me poop.
Joined
Sep 24, 2007
Messages
14,016
Reaction score
18,718
I will be back tomorrow and will take photos of the equipment. Some of it will need a forklift to move. Some seriously heavy metal! East side of town off Citrus.
 

Waffles

Banned
Joined
Jul 12, 2012
Messages
5,422
Reaction score
9,587
Id be interested in the silverado just for the motor/trans. Id swap that shit in my S10 in a heart beat. LMK and ill take it off your hands 🤘
 

rrrr

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 19, 2007
Messages
15,066
Reaction score
32,832
I just picked up an interesting job.

It is a large bank owned property in Escondido. Over 5 acres. My job is to clear out all the junk. The house has been foreclosed on, and the time the owner had to retrieve his personal stuff is over. The bank was super lenient for him to remove it, but he never did. Some of said junk is in a large work shop, that includes some older body working machinery. A knee roller, a bead roller, an old lathe, sandblasting unit, presses, a giant Ingersoll Rand air compressor, and several other large tools. Tons of old parts, auto paint, and a half dozen cars, two boats and two old RVs.

The RV's are crap and will probably get crushed and put into dumpsters. There's a clean but big Ford F 850 flatbed that I will try to get running. An Isuzu stake bed that has burned so it is scrap. There's a pretty rough F -100, and crashed Silverado, a decent looking Ford Taurus, and a 60's Pontiac LeMans, it is a roller, with many parts in the shop. The whole front clip is off, but the parts appear to be there. My mechanic wants it, but is worried about title.

Also in the shop is a decent Audi A-4 with a bit of front end damage. It may be salvageable, but $4000 worth of work will get you a $6000 car. Not sure it's worth bothering with.

Outside is a sunburned Yellow Jetski, a 14' sail boat and closed bow fishing boat about 27 feet long. I have a taker for these, but also need to get title. There's a 125 Honda three wheeler that has potential. I know someone will want it.

So, this crap is mine to get rid of. Can I simply make up a bill of sale and take that to the DMV? I'll try to get some photos up if anyone is interested in the machinery.

The bank owns the vehicles, seems to me they can provide you with legal bills of sale.
 

Mandelon

Coffee makes me poop.
Joined
Sep 24, 2007
Messages
14,016
Reaction score
18,718
The bank owns the vehicles, seems to me they can provide you with legal bills of sale.
They just want them gone. Maybe I could get a letter from them assigning any interest in them to me.
 

Wheeler

I'm just here to bitch about others negativity.😁
Joined
Dec 25, 2007
Messages
24,921
Reaction score
39,106
Get a letter from the bank and sell that crap off with a copy of the letter and a bill of sale.
 

coolchange

Lower level functionary
Joined
Jan 1, 2008
Messages
9,872
Reaction score
14,222
If they come back in the DMV system with a registered owner you have to lein sale. If they are no record on file you can do a lost title with a statement of facts and vin verification saying you lost the title and have had the car for 20+ years etc. Ive done it both ways and work great. I have a DMV guy in the High Desert that do mine. Super easy and cost about $100 for each one.
This
Just reread. No dmv trail they don't exist. Tow em.
 

SBMech

Fixes Broken Stuff
Joined
Jul 25, 2012
Messages
11,627
Reaction score
20,783
There are companies that do leins for mechanics and bodyshop/towing services. Last one cost me $150. Takes about 3 weeks depending on how fast they track down the titleholder.

No title on file? You own it by applying for a new title.
 

bonesfab

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2008
Messages
5,372
Reaction score
23,092
find a dmv person to run the vin numbers. if they are out of the system just apply for a title.
 

Jefftowz

Formerly Old School Ultra
Joined
Feb 5, 2008
Messages
4,653
Reaction score
5,128
Hire Liensale company to come in and do all the paper processing for you the liability is on them, you will end up with lien sale paperwork that you can take in and get a title
 
Top