Abandoned Vehicles?

Seattle, Washington

Not positive what the laws are where you are, but generally, unless its on your property you can't make a claim on the car.

Just put a big sign on it; "I want to buy this car"

Add your name, phone number & Social Security Number!!

I'm in california.  Here it is similar to what forddragracer said.  I suspect that the apartment management knows how to do this.  They've probably done it before and likely know whose car it is.

I got my Lemons car by a similar route.  It was abandoned on property I own.  I paid a lawyer to draft the paperwork for me.  It cost me $85 (actually, I got 10 cars for the cost of two filings which cost $170).  Anyway.

Here you post a legal notice on the vehicle that basically says remove this by X date or it's mine.  In our case we knew who the owner was.  So we sent a notice to his last known address as well.  I believe the lawyer also called the police so that they'd log that we had posed a notice of abandonment.  Keep copies of everything.  When the time elapsed it was ours.  I believe if the vehicle is worth more than a certain $ amount then a more rigorous method applies.  Anyway, our method gives us the car but with no title.  It can't be registered for the road.

Lemons rules say you don't have to register / inspect a car to race. Technically, you don't even have to prove ownership.

But I am NOT suggesting you roll it into a garage, do the work, race it at Lemons, then return it to the apartment parking space, cause that would be illegal.

But it certainly would be hilarious! 

I have spent some time this afternoon researching this and what I found out is this...

    In Washington, the apartment complex cannot attach a lien to the car. What my landlady has to do is try and contact the owner. If she cannot get a response from them, and it has been more than 15 days, she has to call a certified towing company (any towing company really), they come out, fill out some paperwork, tow it to their yard where it rots until it is sold at a public auction.

    I"ll see if I can contact the owner of this fine automobile, maybe offer him a little bit of money, and go from there.

    I did find out about these public auctions through my research today though, so that my be another avenue to obtaining a suitable corpse... err car to turn into a Lemons monster. Thanks for the replys.

i've got a bmw e21 you can have if you come get it.  or a volvo 242dl.

I "claimed" a car once in New Jersey.  It was sitting in a shopping center parking lot for over a year.  I approached the manager of the shopping center and told him I'd tow it for free, and he agreed.  The next day it was at my house, stripped bare for parts.

However, I was fully aware that if the owner ever did come back, I might be in trouble.  Never happened, though.

Cue up Mr. Wolf again.... 

Um, we could use the 242, will you be at pointless this weekend?  lets talk