Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Roger-hatchy]

Had this posted on another site.
Anyone any knowlege as to what the law is.

Quote
found a car in excellent condition on an ind est in se london
the site landlord has put a notice advising it will be towed away within 14 days if it aint removed,ive watched it for a week and its not moved,nobody knows who owns it the car is a ver very clean morris minor how would i go about it?? can i try to claim it if the landlords let me remove it??

[victor 101]

Remenber something like this years ago, also a Morris Minor, chap towed it to the local police station and said he'd found it, when the police were unable to trace the owner I believe he was allowed to keep it after the 3 months.

[Brian M]

I posted my story back in 2008:




Posted: Sat Aug 16, 2008 7:38 am Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My "One that got away" is a bit more of a story, but may serve as a lesson to others.

Back in 1992, my wife was working in the Personel Department of our local hospital. One day the Fire Brigade called in and said that there was an abandoned car near the nurses' quarters that was blocking a fire access. Her boss gave her the task of locating the owner and getting it moved. After some investigation it was discovered that the car had been left 18 months previously by a trainee Doctor who had left the hospital. She tracked him through three different hospitals, but then the trail went cold. She told her boss who instructed her to call a local breakers to get them to take it away, but before making the call she actually went to look at the car and called me instead.

The call went "It's blue with a black cloth roof and on the back it says Triumph Vitesse 2 litre overdrive, but the tyres are flat"

I left work early to have a look and the bodywork and interior meant it was far too good to be broken, so at 08.00 the next morning I was there with a friend of mine who was restoring a GT6 from which we had removed the wheels. We changed the wheels, tested the brakes and they were just working enough to tow it home.

I parked it at the side of my house in full view of the road, and decided to send off for a log book before I did anything to the car.

Three weeks later I had a visit from two policemen and was accused of stealing the car! The Doctor had been notified of my request for the log book and reported it as stolen. Because I had not tried to conceal the car, the Police agreed that this was not a case of stealing but of rescuing, but they were obliged to tell the owner where the car was.

A few days later I got a call from the Doctor, I explained that if I had not intervened his car would by now have been crushed, and even made him an offer to buy it. His pompous reply was that he wanted the car back, but could I keep it for a month until it was convenient for him to collect it.

At this point I lost it totally and told him that unless he removed it within three days I would call the breakers myself! I put his flat tyres back on the car, and two days later he arrived when I was at work to put the car on a trailer. I had told my son who was at home, not to help him, and he stood watching while the Doctor struggled for over an hour to drag the car onto the trailer, and away it went.

I just checked on the DVLA site and got the following:

The vehicle details for MDR 832H are:

Date of Liability 01 01 1991
Date of First Registration 25 06 1970
Year of Manufacture Not Available
Cylinder Capacity (cc) 1998CC
CO2 Emissions Not Available
Fuel Type Petrol
Export Marker Not Applicable
Vehicle Status Unlicensed
Vehicle Colour BLUE
Vehicle Type Approval null

So he never got it back on the road!!

So if you ever rescue a car with no documents, get a V5 before you start working on it.
_________________
Brian
1970 Volvo Amazon and 1978 Safari 15-4 Caravan
Classic Safari Forum: www.classicsafaris.co.uk

[Roger-hatchy]

Thanks Brian

Passed it on

[Handyman]

Yes, but having a V5C in your name, as it states so obviously on the new red ones, is not proof of ownership, just a registered keeper, so the DVLA know where to send the fines.

Ownership can only be confirmed by a form of sale document, like a bill, invoice, receipt, etc. To be legally binding, it must be signed, dated and have a viable address.

I am just going through the machinations of recovering a Citroen that belongs to me, as I have a bill of sale in my name, supposedly 'sold' by my brothers ex-wife to a car dealer!

You could do reams of work on the car, only for the rightful and legal owner to turn up and take the vehicle away and you would not have a leg to stand on.

Handyman