Stolen_RX7

My wife purchased an RX-7 a few years ago with her boyfriend. They took it to a friend's shop to do work on it because it was a project car. They owner of the shop, being a friend, was not charging a storage fee. A few months later, the boyfriend died in an unfortunate accident. When my wife inquired about retrieving the car, the shop owner explained that the boyfriend had already picked it up. She is 100% possitive that this did not happen. I was wonder if anyone could run a vin check on the car so I can see if a new owner has registered it recently and I can consult a lawyer on how to get my wife's car back...

The VIN is JM1FC3317J0629487.

I am new to this forum, so I don't know if my e-mail will post to this. If not, message me back, and I will get my e-mail to you.

XxMerlinxX

iTrader: (2)

Was the car titled in her name?

Stolen_RX7

The backside was filled out in my wife's name, but the never actually turned into the dmv. But the car was legally bought.

XxMerlinxX

iTrader: (2)

Do you have a bill of sale with her name on it?

Stolen_RX7

No. We can still turn it in to the dmv.

XxMerlinxX

iTrader: (2)

I'm just trying to figure out where your legal claim is to it. If it's not titled in your wife's name and you don't have a bill of sale showing it was sold to her, I don't know what documents you can provide to support your story.

Stolen_RX7

All of her information is on the title, and it was notarized. I can probably still turn it in and have the title transferred to her name. We still have a key to the car as well.

lt1_rx7

iTrader: (13)

tricky stuff...i know for a person to transfer a title to someone else after the top portion of the back has been filled out, they have to get the original owner (person whose name is on the title), the previous "buyer" (person who filled out top portion of the back) and the new buyer. The previous buyer signs the other form saying "no, i didn't buy this car". sell signes it saying "nope, that person didn't buy it...i'm selling to new buyer" and then new buyer fills out the 2nd "transfer title" portion....

but being at a shop, mechanic's lean possibly...wonder if they sent the title off with a lean on it for the new owner (stolen_rx7's wife) and got it back to the shop, waited a little while then tried to claim owner ship of car because of the lean...don't know...just trinking of how they could have gotten the title transfered to someone else...

good luck, and where in NC are you?

NoPis10

iTrader: (29)

If you look further down on the main page, by the classifieds, their is a forum just for VIN checks. There are several members that will run a carfax for you.
Good Luck

BoostedFd3s

iTrader: (3)

i am curious as to what shop you took this to...any pointers???

Snack

as far as that goes. the car is probably legally titled to someone else's name due to the shop putting a lean on the car. There is no way yours going to get the car back because legally the shops as a right to take ownership of the car depending on how many days your state law says. find out who has the car then contact a lawyer to see what you can do. good luck

Stolen_RX7

The only way that the mechanic could have placed a mech's lean on the car is if he forged the paperwork. The car was left at the shop with an understanding that there was no storage fee and that the boyfriend and his friend could come at any time to work on the car. If he did forge paperwork for that, I'm not sure how to get around it because the two guys that set up the deal both died in the above mentioned accident.

As for the title. I still have the original title, therefore i still have the seller's name. If i absolutly needed a bill of sale, i could look the guy up and contact him to get a bill of sale, or see if he would sign a witness statement telling that the car was legally bought.

Thank you for all of your reply's, the information is helping.

P.S. I'm in the South West Charlotte area.

Stolen_RX7

Well I got someone to run the car fax for me. (Thanks for the tip lwnslw) The car's last titles issued is the one that I have in my possesion. So the guy either parted the car out, or is hiding it somewhere for some reason. I guess I'm going to have to go to the PD to see what to do from here.

gslse-driver

Not to be mean, but your wife abandoned the car at a business for a period of YEARS and expected it to be still there waiting when she finally came back?

Regardless of what agreements were made, after a long time the shop owner probably either had to move or close up shop or something, and the car needed to be disposed of. If I am reading this right, he had no way to contact your wife, and your wife never contacted him?

He would have had the right to file for a mechanic's lein on the vehicle due to it being abandoned on his property. The general procedure is that they have to send a registered letter to the *last registered owner in the state's computer, aka the person whose name is PRINTED on the title that was last acquired from the state*. That person has a set time period, usually 30-90 days, to claim the vehicle and pay any associated repair/storage/towing fees. OR if there is no response, then ownership is awarded to the shop owner, by the state, and any old titles floating around (aka yours) are voided by the state's authority, and it becomes his to do with as he pleases legally.

In my mind, this would not mean the shop owner were shady or went back on his word. A vehicle was abandoned for a period of years and he had no way to contact the "owners" (you all). What was he to do?

Odds are you will find the car has been taken to a junkyard or parted out, or crushed. IF you ever find it at all, that is.

Good luck in finding your abandoned car.

Stolen_RX7

The car was not abandoned for years. It was only a means of one year at the most. It has been two years now. The owner told her that the car was already picked up by the deceased boyfriend. You are right though, the car was probably parted out or crushed. Because the carfax says the title i own is still the last state registered title. Howerver, I know the possiblity of me finding the car is slim to none.

81gsl12a

iTrader: (1)

+1 whats the name of the shop?

Stolen_RX7

I'm not sure what the name of the shop was. He is just a small town shop.

nyc_scorpio

iTrader: (1)

well I knew of some a-holes that stole a RX b/c they crashed theirs, what they did was steal another FC and change the VIN plate on the dash and the firewall, painted it the same color and..... So just maybe that RX of yours is running around as a clone.