My car was recently re-possessed....I went to the Recovery Place and I saw my car parked out in the street where I can access the car without breaking into the lot...is it illegal for me to take my car back??
2006-12-22 06:49:15 · 13 answers · asked by your daddy 1 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
You can't be serious?
If you take it, they can have you arrested. If you want your car back, wait for the company you have the loan with to contact you. They will tell you how much money you have to pay and you can work on it with them to get caught up and get your car back. If you don't, they'll auction it off and then you may get screwed in the end. If they auction it for less than you owe them, you'll owe them the difference and it will be on your credit report. Not pretty.
2006-12-22 06:52:03 · answer #1 · answered by JustAgrrl 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The car now belongs to the lienholder and is being held by their authorized agent (the repo company). You do not legally have any access to the vehicle (although you may be given access to retrieve personal belongings if the repo company is nice).
Do not damage the vehicle, if it is sold the proceeds from the sale will go against the amount you still owe the lienholder. Damaging the vehicle will reduce the sale value and leave you owing them more money.
If you make a deal with the lienholder you may be able to get the vehicle back and finish paying for it. If you don't make a deal you will lose the vehicle and likely still be required to pay for the balance of the loan. If you do not pay the balance they may sue you and they will report the debt to the credit reporting agencies.
If the lienholder is also your bank they may lock your account, watch out if you have direct deposit! They cannot legally take your money without first suing you and getting a judgment against you, but they can lock your account for quite a long time. Eventually they'll write of the debt and unlock the account, but that can take a year or more depending on their policies.
2006-12-22 08:10:33 · answer #2 · answered by codesuidae 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, it is illegal. It's no longer your car because you didn't make paymentsc as promised. They have every right to take it back. There's no way you can get it back unless you come up with the money asap, even then it may be too late. They paid fees for a repo person to get your car, so if you are allowed to pay for it and get it back it will most likely cost you more than what you are behind it on.
If you really want the car back, call your loan company today and see if it's possible and what you have to do. Do it now as after Christmas may be too late.
2006-12-22 06:54:13 · answer #3 · answered by DNA 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
No! forget it. you'll go to jail for grand-theft. You can try to work it out with your finance company, but think about it for a sec... Is it really worth it? They repo'd your car because you are behind on payments... probably more than 3 months... maybe even 6? The only way they'll "work it out" with you is if you pay ALL of the past-due payments. Your looking at over $1,000 probably more like 2 or 3 thousand depending on your payment. I doubt you've got that sitting in the bank (otherwise you wouldn't have been late in the first place). I've been through this myself - so I know what your experiencing. Your thinking: "But its MY car!" - wrong. It never was your car - the Bank was letting you drive THEIR car until you paid it off completely. Just think about it in those terms... "It was never my car in the first place" and move on. Just go get another one. You'll pay insane interest but its better than walking.
2006-12-22 07:12:15 · answer #4 · answered by custom3d 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes, illegal.
But you can have FUN with it, like: swapping spark plug cables, open all doors and leave (maybe park it then on the middle of the road), or fill it with balloons, park it in a strange place at the Recovery Place (like in it's flower bed), put some ugly stickers on it, park it at someone you dislike and call the Repoers (or police, if the repoers didn't give repo notice to you) to tell them you saw your car there (maybe that person then gets arrested, hehehe...), unscrew the radiator cap (but not remove it), put some stinky or somewhat_sticky stuff in the screen wipe reservoir, drain every drop of petrol (didn't you pay for it anyway?), put a inflatable doll in the drivers seat, put the numberplates upside down or put some yunkyard plates on them, park it in the woods and give the repoers a very lengthy puzzle to find it, etc. etc. etc. Mail me if you want more ideas :).
2006-12-22 07:00:59 · answer #5 · answered by · 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yes its called Grand Theft Auto. If you finance a car the finance company is the legal owner until you pay them off. But check the local police to see if they legaly repoed the car. In some states you have to inform the police of you intentions to repo a car.
2006-12-22 06:53:09 · answer #6 · answered by ikeman32 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes! It's VERY ILLEGAL!
It doesn't belong to you, having been re-possessed (that means "taken back legally") by the company who loaned you the money for the vehicle (they own the car, that's what the lien means). You didn't hold up your part of the contract, no matter how crooked that contract might have been.
You'd get arrested for auto theft if you took that car.
2006-12-22 06:52:19 · answer #7 · answered by Jess B 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes it is illegal and no you can not take it back unless you want to have a new resident at the state jail. That is considered stealing in any state.
2006-12-22 08:17:01 · answer #8 · answered by d3midway semi-retired 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would say "yes". It was repossessed most likely due to your not making payments. Technically, it is the bank's car as they loaned you the money to buy it and you are paying them. Since you didn't pay, they are collecting their property from you. If you "take" it, you are taking their property and that is indeed stealing.
2006-12-22 06:52:05 · answer #9 · answered by JW 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's illegal, but it's hilarious too.
"Yeah my car got repo'd, but I repo'd it back"
Sorry about the bad luck bro, good luck getting it straightened out.
2006-12-22 06:57:29 · answer #10 · answered by π² 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋