Car Storage Dilemma

[Rusty Nuts]

This is a long tale so please bear with me, In March I sold my MGB GT to a bloke from Germany by eBay, sale went OK he came and paid for the car took the car away on the 13^th of March 2013, but he left us his Vauxhall Frontera an “S” reg car, he also left us the key but the car has no tax on it. He said that he will be back soon to collect the Frontera. The car has now been parked on my drive for nearly 3 months and is getting in the way a bit.

 

I have sent him numerous text messages and voicemail message to one of the numbers he made contact with me when he came to pick the MGB up, I have sent him a couple of emails to the address linked to his ebay account, but he has made no contact with me what so ever.

 

I am in a dilemma, the wife wants the car removed I really don’t care either way, the chap was a nice bloke a bit scatter brained (like me), in fact he was a bit of a walking disaster from the story he told me of his journey to collect the car. We put him up for the night and fed him as we thought if he carried on the way he was he would end up killing himself and possibly others.

 

The MGB was for him to use in the UK as he had already stayed in the UK before and was returning soon, he was going to take the MGB and park it up in London (as this car had road tax and MOT) where as the Frontera did not. He was going back to Germany to collect his partner who was not well and on his return he was going to collect the Frontera. I know he got back to Germany OK as he sent me a text thanking me for the hospitality and about his journey to London in the MGB.

 

I was just in the process of writing him a polite letter asking him to remove the car or I would have it removed giving him a month to do this in, but the car has loads of spares in it some for the MGB and some for a Fiat X19 which he had also purchased on the same trip in March.

 

What are my options legally? As there are some traders on here no doubt from time to time they must get punters get work done on their cars and not pay or collect.

 

Morally I feel sad as I don’t know about his personal circumstances and granddad used to say treat others as you would like to be treated yourself. I know I wouldn’t like to loose all them valuable and hard to source spares may be the Frontera not so much.

:(

 

 

[TAFKARM]

If you've got the key, is there an option to move it to a different off road location?

[SteveD]

if you can get it to me i can store it , but really you want it gone for good, the legal time period has passed for money owed for services rendered and has he does not owe you money for services then legally you have no ties to the car at all other than it was dumped on your drive by a unknown guy , you could just ring a local scrap yard to remove it ,some will do this without the v5

[Captain Colonial]

Make reference to the numerous messages, send last message that he has seven days to shift it or you will move it to the street, where the police will tow and scrap it for having no tax.  If that doesn't get a response, nothing will and it's not your problem.

[Norman Verona]

If the law hasn't changed it's minefield.

I'll pm you with a suggestion.

[Rusty Nuts]

Thanks for all the replies, I don't want to drive the car on public roads as it has not tax or insurance at the moment don't know about MOT, like I said I will be posting him a couple of letters to his address in Germany and London.

[User0083]

I'd email him via eBay, that's where you had success with him before and offer to sell it, via eBay, either as a complete package or in bits, minus your fee's, eBay, PayPal and time. Then split what's left 50/50. Ask for the documents to be posted.

That way he's got rid of something that is giving him a head ache, you get rid of something giving you a head ache, upsetting your good lady... Who's giving you a head ache. He gets money in his pocket and you get to take your wife out for a nice meal!

There is a risk, small one granted, that he stole the frontera and has no documents for the car and has abandoned it.