alister667
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 06:36 PM |
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Abandoned Car, no log book.
OK bear with me on this one! I'm not even sure if it's in the right forum (apologies in advance Chris)!
Anyhow, a friend has an apartment in the centre of Belfast and there has been a car abandoned in the resident's parking area for about 6-7
years. Apparently the owner left in a hurry (with the police after him!) a few years ago and has not been back.
At this stage the residents just want the car towed away and scrapped off as it's wasting (an expensive) car parking space. My mate has offered
it to me if I'm interested and will tow it away.
What suggestions do you have for claiming ownership of an abandoned car? Should I do a check to see if it has finance outstanding on it, or if
it's been stolen? Can this be done?
The other option is to turn it into a track only car but I fancy making it road legal.
The car? Well that's a Porsche 924. Not everyday your mate gives you a Porsche is it!!
http://members.lycos.co.uk/alister667/
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JoelP
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 06:43 PM |
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if it was me, i would send off to the dvla for the logbook (£19). If it comes back with no problems, proceed as if it was yours. If i was your mate,
id drag it off one night just to clear space. 
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Hellfire
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 06:52 PM |
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Mmmm that's a difficult one. I seriously doubt that you could take ownership of the vehicle, unless you can find the owner and convince them to
sell it you. The police will only be interested if it has been stolen or is illegally parked in a public place otherwise it's a case for the
local council (at least here in England).
If someone reports the car to the local council, they will check the details with DVLA records and stick a 7 day notice on it for the owner to remove
the vehicle, otherwise it is collected and scrapped by the council.
Phil
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arrybradbury
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 07:00 PM |
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There's been one in my uni carpark for ages aswell - an alfa 156 V6 which is slowly getting vandalised......! It was there when i got to uni in
my first year, 18 months on it's still in the same place!!
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t.j.
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 07:18 PM |
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Try to get the right papers.
Here you have to fill in a form.
Than the last registered owner has .. days to react. If non, it's yours.
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thunderace
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 07:20 PM |
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is the flat he stayed in empty as he may be in jail.
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alister667
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 07:23 PM |
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I'm thinking at the minute if I can get the chassis number, and it's not registered as stolen or with outstanding finance I can contact
the DVLNI about getting a new V5. I don't even know if I can get keys to get the bonnet open mind you!!
The great thing about this car is it's been in a dry underground carpark for 7 odd years, I've only seen photos, but the bodywork should
be in very good condition.
http://members.lycos.co.uk/alister667/
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alister667
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 07:24 PM |
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No, the flat is now occupied, and the residents committee want it shifted ASAP.
http://members.lycos.co.uk/alister667/
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Guinness
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 07:26 PM |
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I tried this a while back with a classic MG that was abandoned for 4 months and was getting slowly trashed.
Basically, as said you apply to the DVLA for the V5 reg docs, for about £20 and they have a set period to refute your claim.
If they realise and respond in time they keep the car reg in their name. If they don't it gets registered to you.
But, the registered keeper isn't always the legal owner, so it may come back to haunt you.
Best of luck.
Mike
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Hellfire
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 07:27 PM |
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If that's the case, I'd go with Joels suggestion.
Phil
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alister667
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 07:38 PM |
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I think if the worst comes to the worst it could be used as a track only car, never have to worry about registering it at all...
Only problem is my 'other' car is quicker than my Porsche!!
Thanks for the advice
Ali
http://members.lycos.co.uk/alister667/
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rusty nuts
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 07:49 PM |
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As it is parked in a private car park it MAY be possible for the residents association to charge for the parking, if the fee is not paid then the car
could possibly be sold/disposed of to pay the fee? This is the case if a car is taken to a garage for repair ,so may apply for storage?
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t.j.
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 08:26 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by alister667
I think if the worst comes to the worst it could be used as a track only car, never have to worry about registering it at all...
Only problem is my 'other' car is quicker than my Porsche!!
Thanks for the advice
Ali
Faster 
So what where you saying? Where do you live?
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alister667
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 09:30 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by rusty nuts
As it is parked in a private car park it MAY be possible for the residents association to charge for the parking, if the fee is not paid then the car
could possibly be sold/disposed of to pay the fee? This is the case if a car is taken to a garage for repair ,so may apply for storage?
I called down this evening and was talking to two members of the residents committee - they just want rid of it, it's taking up space and
although parking is strictly for residents only (yer man sold his apartment a few years ago apparently) it's sitting there gathering dust and
stopping one of the residents from parking there.
As for the car itself - it's a 924 Turbo, 40k miles on the clock the bodywork is immaculate, original Porsche alloys - it's a minter!
Last tax disk was in 1996. I'm ringing the DVLNI in the morning!!
[Edited on 4/12/06 by alister667]
http://members.lycos.co.uk/alister667/
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SeaBass
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 09:48 PM |
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Quite a funky machine...
I'd be wary of trying to claim someones car who disappeared with the fuzz after them though...
Have you checked the boot? In fact how are you going to get in to the thing and remove it? New set of lock barrels from Porsche?
Cheers
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higgsti
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 09:52 PM |
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on private land the council wont have anything to do with it.send off for log book as said above.924 is a cracking car i had one me and 3 mates kept
up with 2 different saphire cossies in the wet at anglesey.they handle like a severn
 
Rescued attachment IMG_0381.jpg
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alister667
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 10:23 PM |
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quote:
Originally posted by SeaBass
Quite a funky machine...
I'd be wary of trying to claim someones car who disappeared with the fuzz after them though...
Have you checked the boot? In fact how are you going to get in to the thing and remove it? New set of lock barrels from Porsche?
Cheers
I'm not sure about how to get into it, I had a quick go with a coat hanger tonight with no luck. The doors are locked and the boot is a key
only affair. If the worst comes to the worst then new barrels / keys from Porsche it is! I can maybe take out a side windscreen to get in.
To get it up on the trailer I was thinking of a winch and rollers of some kind, maybe a trolley jack if stuck.
I'm hoping they're long gone at this stage as it's been in that carpark for about 10 years, unmoved for 7. Last taxed 1996.
Fingers crossed!
The only down side is the colour. It is sh1t brown!! With about an inch of dust covering it! And the interior is about as tasteful as an Australian
lottery winner ;-)
[Edited on 4/12/06 by alister667]
[Edited on 4/12/06 by alister667]
http://members.lycos.co.uk/alister667/
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jambojeef
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| posted on 4/12/06 at 11:37 PM |
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What makes you think its a 924 turbo?
Looks like a normally aspirated 924 to me?
Geoff
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Mr G
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| posted on 5/12/06 at 12:35 AM |
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There is/was a long running thread concerning a fellow who got hold of an escort cosworth in this very manner over at passionford.com.
Applied for and recieved the logbook etc. Only problem was when he went to trailer it away from the land it was on someone had already had it away and
dumped it after a light accident. As the car was now in his name the boys in blue knocked on his door. He ended up paying the storage charges for the
police compound/recovery but got the car back for keeps.
To be honest i'm amazed that this procedure is possible but it seems as long as you go about it the right way you can obtain vehicles in this
manner!
Cheers
G
Normal is getting dressed in clothes that you buy for work and driving through traffic in a
car that you are still paying for - in order to get to the job you need to pay for the clothes
and the car, and the house you leave vacant all day so you can afford to live in it.
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James
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| posted on 5/12/06 at 10:48 AM |
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what is it they say these days? Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
Well you're onto step 2 so good on you!
Go for it, lets hope DVLNI are helpful.
Goog luck,
James
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"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses, behind the lines, in the gym and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."
- Muhammad Ali
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andyps
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| posted on 5/12/06 at 05:40 PM |
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You can get a logbook - probably quite easily given what you have said about the car (watch out for past dues on SORN though!) but that does not
necessarily make you the legal owner.
Someone I know who runs a garage had a car left with him for many months with an unpaid bill. Despite his requests the owner never came to collect it
so in the end he applied for a registration document which he got without a problem so he started using the car. Apparently there was a dispute
between two other people about who the legal owner was but I guess it hasn't been resolved as the garage owner is still using the car. It is
worth about 100 times the value of the outstanding bill incidentally - but the storage charge has got pretty high!!
Andy
An expert is someone who knows more and more about less and less
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rusty nuts
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| posted on 5/12/06 at 07:25 PM |
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Ref the keys, Door handle looks very much like VW Golf mk2 items . A lot of 924 parts came from the VW range . With a bit of care you should be able
to cut the door handle through just between the locking barrel and the rear of the handle , they are only made from Mazak or similar. If it has a
removable trim in the handle take it off and it may have a screw near the front . This should get the handle off and make it simple to open door New
Gold handles are not too dear from German & Swedish, Euro car parts etc. It may be possible to get a key cut by a decent locksmith using the
handle and IF you are lucky it may fit the ignition and the boot.
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Peteff
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| posted on 5/12/06 at 08:16 PM |
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(watch out for past dues on SORN though!)
If it was off road before sorn came in it will not need it till it is retaxed. Lump hammer through the door window gets you in, breaker or salvage
yard will have windows in  Steel packing band with a bend on the end is good for getting down the window seals if you can hook the door operating
lever or the yellow polythene stuff doubled up to pull a button up via the door seal if you hook it round from an angle.
yours, Pete
I went into the RSPCA office the other day. It was so small you could hardly swing a cat in there.
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alister667
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| posted on 5/12/06 at 11:52 PM |
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OK to keep you updated!
I rang the DVLNI this morning, I explained the situation honestly and can report I am entirely free to apply for a log book.
However that does not grant me ownership and there could possibly be a dispute about that if the original owner showed up.
The car is not registered as stolen, and the helpful woman at the DVLNI thinks the current keepers address is no longer valid due to the building in
the address being knocked down!!
I have some more detective work to do, and I've asked her to forward on the docs needed to apply for the log book.
I;ve talked to a couple of Locost mates and they're willing to give me a hand getting the thing onto a trailer!
It's all looking do-able so far!
Thanks again for all the help,
Ali
http://members.lycos.co.uk/alister667/
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alister667
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| posted on 6/12/06 at 12:04 AM |
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quote:
Originally posted by Peteff
If it was off road before sorn came in it will not need it till it is retaxed. Lump hammer through the door window gets you in, breaker or salvage
yard will have windows in Steel packing band with a bend on the end is good for getting down the window seals if you can hook the door operating
lever or the yellow polythene stuff doubled up to pull a button up via the door seal if you hook it round from an angle.
For God's sake Pete, keep your voice down or everyone will know how to break into my Porsche!!!
http://members.lycos.co.uk/alister667/
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