Abandoned 90 Reatta convert spotted

[Guest smith356]

Driving through Missouri last week , I caught the lines of a Reatta convertible out of the corner of my eye. I got off at the next exit and turned around to go look again. It is sitting in the parking lot of an abandoned industrial facility - both appear to have been sitting for some time. The plates on the car are dated 1999.... who knows ? It's a white car, white top and tan interior. Body is in great shape and the only missing item I could see is the rear window. Regrettably, that and the fact that side windows are both rolled down at least halfway has allowed MotherNature inside. Everything looks dirty/ moldy, but otherwise intact. Keys are even still in the ignition. Couple of flat tires, too. I didn't think to get a serial number - signs told me I was trespassing, so I didn't stay long - sorry, Barney. I'll get by there again sometime later this month and get the numbers. I did put a call in to the Village Hall and they said they would pass my number on to the owner......... but, no word yet and probably won't hear back. If anything comes of it, I'll post again. It's heartbreaking to see such a lovely car "dumped" and forgotten.

[reattadudes]

Jim,

I passed that same car about three weeks ago. I stopped to look at it in the pouring rain one morning.

I took down the license plate number and VIN number, as well as the property address. I had all three run thru a LexisNexis computer database, and came up with nothing.

the plate apparently does not belong on the car. I talked with the last owner, and they have not owned the car in ten years.

what was even more surprising is that LexisNexis did not come up with a property owner, just the multitude of businesses thet have occupied the property over the years.

it looks like the car was dumped there from a trailer. three of the tires have rolled off the rims, and the fourth is flat. it was pushed off the trailer, and the front bumper bumped into the telephone pole in front of it, stopping the car.

Mike Rukavina

buickreattaparts.com

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

SAD

[Guest Mc_Reatta]

Sounds like someone with a dolly and some wheels has found a free parts car. :cool:

[padgett]

Agree. Lotsa goodies there including its own shed.

[KDirk]

Yup,

I was going to suggest that the "parts fairy" might somehow make this one magically disappear. Who will even notice?

Someone better get it before the city tows and impounds it, otherwise it will go to the crusher in short order.

The thing I'd like to know is how there can be no valid title. If the previous owner mentioned sold it 10 years prior, someone bought it, unless it was sold for scrap and the yard that bought it never transferred the title.

KDirk

[reattadudes]

some random thoughts:

-just because the car is abandoned, doesn't mean it's there for anyone to take. I believe it's called grand theft auto.

-it is parked in the lot of an out of business trucking company, in very plain view of an interstate highway. it would take a minimum of one hour to get the car ready to go, with at least two people working. do you suppose someone just might call authorities to let them know (there are retail stores all around it) someone is taking the car? what would your response be to those authorities?

-even if a tow dolly was used (which, by the way, is one of the poorest choices for transport, as technically any vehicle with wheels touching the ground during transport is by law required to have current plates, insurance and registration, and "where is the title and registration, sir?"), it would still need four complete non-mini-spare tires, as flat front tires will not roll onto a dolly. mini-spares in the front will allow the front to hang too low, and will obliterate the grille and fog lamps when it's rolled onto the dolly. by the way, you have about a 50% chance that there are wheel locks still under those hub caps, which are all in place. do you have all eighteen factory "keys" for the locks, or will you be doing the hammer-the-socket-onto-the-wheel-lock trick? how much extra time will that take? how many sockets will you split?

-cars without titles are nearly impossible to get rid of when you're done with them, unless you cut the car in pieces.

-I'm sure someone has (or had) a title to this car, but they obviously have no interest in the car anymore; that's why they put it there.

-this is a city of 4,000 people, and I seriously doubt the city would ever tow away a car on private property. if the property owner wanted the car out of there, it would be their responsibility to do so, and that would require certain paperwork to be filed.

-with that being said, we did contact the property owner today, and that paperwork will be on it's way to us within the next week.

Mike Rukavina

buickreattaparts.com

[jonlabree]

Hey, Mike , you afraid some one will get to it before you do?????:)

[padgett]

"-even if a tow dolly was used (which, by the way, is one of the poorest choices for transport, as technically any vehicle with wheels touching the ground during transport is by law required to have current plates, insurance and registration"

Depends on where you are. In Florida per RS-63 "A tow dolly does not require registration nor does the vehicle it is transporting. However, the towing vehicle must be currently registered."

Of course in Florida a car can be titled but not registered if not being driven (e.g. the white parts car).

[reattadudes]

Padgett,

you're exactly right. many states do have that law, however, and even if they don't, that unregistered car on a tow dolly is an "open door" to them pulling you over and asking a bunch of questions. many states feel that if wheels are on the ground turning on a public road, it must be licensed.

I will never have a car on my trailer that does not have ALL proper documentation, if I am transporting a car for a customer, I require a notarized permission to transport letter from the car's registered owner before I will even load it. overkill perhaps, but I would rather have everything prepared correctly, as opposed to taking chances, and having a transported vehicle impounded for lack of proper paperwork by some cop attempting to put a notch in his arrest belt.

...and '63, if "making sure no one else got it" was such a concern to me, do you really think I would have posted all the information I have here, or would I have said absolutely nothing?

if someone wants to hire a local in this area to investigate the property's owner like we did, and pay more than we did for the car, then they would certainly have every right to buy the car. I have no problem with that at all. we buy at least five cars per month under exactly the same conditions, and over the years have learned exactly what to do legally to get clear title to the car.

we buy a lot of cars that were left at shops when the owners did not want to pay for the needed repairs. we (again) will not buy any cars unless all of the mechanic's lien paperwork has been filed properly with the state, and the state then provides a clear, completely transferable title.

it's business. that's all.

Mike Rukavina

buickreattaparts.com

[KDirk]

Mike has made some perfectly valid points. That said, if the car was dumped, and not by the owner of the property where it sits, then whoever has/had the title last must not care to keep it. Yes, legally it is not just there for the taking, but if the rightful owner wishes to discard it, and the owner of the property where it sits is not interested in it, then a little "black bag job" hurts no one. A victimless crime if you will. No, this doesn't make it right; but if no one cares, then why should it be a problem?

Of course, this makes the car suitable only for parts (and given it's described condition, I suspect that's all it is good for) as it could never be titled as a complete running vehicle since it was acquired through improper means.

As to the city/locale towing it to impound, obviously I have no idea where it is specifically other than in my own state of Missouri. I don't care to know, since I have no interest in the car. I will say that most cities/municipalities here will tow an apparently abandoned car (or even one that is properly registered if it is sitting in the wrong place too long) without a second thought. They stand to benefit financially since they either get tow and impound fees from the owner to get the car back, or they auction it off (or scrap it if it is not in salable condition). I guess many small/more rural towns may not be so quick to do this, but where I live, this is a common occurrence. This is true now more than ever, since everyone is looking for easy money for the city coffers.

I will express my respect for Mike's insistence on making sure it is all done properly. If he can get the clearance to haul the car off legally and have provable ownership, that's great. If this were not possible, then the car should not simply be left to rot into complete trash.

Just sayin'.

KDirk

Edited July 8, 2010 by KDirk (see edit history)

[wws944]

...I will express my respect for Mike's insistence on making sure it is all done properly. If he can get the clearance to haul the car off legally and have provable ownership, that's great. If this were not possible, then the car should not simply be left to rot into complete trash.

Second that.

I have a friend who had a 1940s GMC pickup that he was going to restore (for about 20 years...) It was sitting in the field next to his garage. A few years ago, they bought a new place about 30 miles away, and gradually moved their household. The truck was the last thing on the list. When he finally got to it, it was gone! Needless to say, he was pretty angry about it.

Mike: It will be interesting to see if you can save it, or if it is only good for parts.

Edited July 8, 2010 by wws944 (see edit history)

[Guest Richard D]

My evil twin says that someone should get a flatbed tow truck and pull it on top, take it to a protected area, shed, barn, garage, etc. where no more damage will occur to it and place a legal notice in the local paper that if the owner wants this car to contact 800-555-XXXX and provide ownership paperwork. After no responce, 30 days, 90 days? It would be his. My evil twin that is. He looks like me but has a goatee.

[padgett]

I agree with Mike, just pointing out the differences in state laws. Personally I won't touch a car without a clear Florida title (why I paid the money to get a title for the 90 white coupe). I am glad someone is getting it who will make use of it.

Now I still need two sets of rubber weatherstrip to go around the side windows of the 'verts. Will pay.

[Guest smith356]

I have found the current owner and have a voice mail into him. I'm hoping to hear back from him - if & when, I'll post what I find out. Another thing I left out from my previous post..... windshield is busted, too. I'm hoping I can pick it up and put it away until I can put it back together. One never knows with these things, but I sure would hate to see it hit a yard, or get vandalized to the point of no repair. Jim

[KDirk]

Jim,

If you do hear from him, I (and I am sure others here) would be curious why the car was dumped. As previously stated, I have no interest in the car from a purchase/parts standpoint, but I am perplexed as to why someone would just abandon it, even if it needed lots of expensive work. Please pass along if you talk to the owner and they are willing to discuss their rationale on this.

KDirk

[Ronnie]

Keep in mind that to us the Reatta is a rare collectible car but to some people it is just another junk car.

[Guest Mc_Reatta]

Ronnie, bite thy tongue lest ye be branded a blasphemer by the duly anointed keepers of the mark. Thou may not use Reatta and junk in the same sentence.:eek:

Glad to see there is a Reatta Rescue League readdy to spring into action to save abused and or abandonded Reattae.

The believers in the "better to seek forgivness than to ask permission" school of thought are amazed that this car has sat there for over a month already.

[padgett]

Must use "junque" or "collecttion of valuable parts with its own shed".