$50 best bad idea I've had

I must be one lazy, impatient son of a B.

I'm turned off and frustrated just reading about the run-around you're getting from the State.

Sorry it's YOU... Glad it's NOT me.

I would like to give old big Berkeley you to the state department of licencing.

The "supervisor" just called me back and after I explained the situation accused me of theft and told me there was no way for me to get this information. I civilly told him that I was certain that there was a process to contact the last owner so that they could claim the vehicle or release interest and asked him what that process was. He became agitated and replied that "he has been doing this for 30 years" and there was not.

This kind of "service" makes me ashamed to be a government employee...

I will try the county office again, I brought the bill of sale with me this time.

Is the person giving you the run-around a state employe? If so, and they are not able to do their job, politely remind them that they do work for you and that if after 30 years they do not know how to do their job, could they please provide their name and the name of their supervisor and connect you to said supervisor. They don't really have the option of saying NO to this request. What you are looking for is the actual documented phrasing that says they can not hand out this information. It may come to pass they are telling you the truth, but make them do their work.

Here is Ontario, we are a bit screwed because the service has been franchised/privatized so the people are NOT working for you and they just tell you to go berkley yourself and move out of the way.

I don't think you can go wrong with this project: Worse case scenario you start selling parts and introduce the shell to Mr Sawzall. Easy enough to get rid of a car shell when it looks like chunks of metal. I just post an add for free scrap metal and the problem goes away.

Here is the email he just sent me:

Thank you for your time in our telephone conversation this morning. As I explained during our conversation, the Department of Licensing will not provide vehicle ownership information responsive to your request.

When I asked if you purchased the vehicle from a lien sale or some other type of sale, you explained that the vehicle was parked at a location with a for sale sign. You explained that you contacted the seller and that person told you that the vehicle had been abandoned, that he was unable to locate information about the owner, and he was selling it.

The laws regarding disposal of an abandoned vehicle can be reviewed at this link - http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.55 , but, in short, a property owner cannot claim ownership of an abandoned vehicle, obtain registration only, or apply for a bonded title. The vehicle must be removed at the direction of the property owner (or law enforcement officer) by a Registered Tow Truck Operator.

With this information your vehicle record request is complete and is closed.

Respectfully, E36 M3 Head Washington Department of Licensing
Vehicle Vessel Records Disclosure and IVIPS Units Supervisor

The disconnect seems to me that nobody is claiming ownership of the vehicle. I simply want the last registered owners contact info so that I can get them to release interest or they can claim the thing if they want.

If the owner does not respond, or can not be reached then I can go through this process:

http://app.leg.wa.gov/wac/default.aspx?cite=308-56A-210

Gotta love the WA DMV/DOL system....

Good luck. I want to see a V8 in it!

Hahaha, bite me state guy...the County came through for me.

The registered owners are NOT the local people on the insurance card I found in the glove box. The last mileage reported is about 80,000 less than the oil change decal on the windshield, so I have a feeling they sold it to the local people who never transferred the title to their name, then it was totaled and they could not re-register it because they could not forfeit the title they did not have to get a salvage title.

Now to send them a certified letter...

TIL some things about my own state's licencing system...
whoa.

Letter sent via certified mail....now we play the waiting game until the 8th or so...

Saab Twice Module if you get the title you can buy the twice module and keys on e-bay pretty cheap.

I am constantly surprised at how long people are able to drive around unregistered cars.

I poop myself a little every time I drive with a totally valid but printed-out-on-printer-paper insurance card after buying a new car.

50 dollars is a lot for the sign glad the car came with it.

The package has been delivered....well the letter has at least. I received the slip showing the last owners got it in the mail yesterday. Now we will have to see if they return the release of interest.

I stopped by the junkyard today with a battery powered sawzall and grabbed a new bumper support. The current plan is to cut off my old one leaving at least an inch of overlap and graft the new one on.

I also grabbed some chrome door handles, the one of the plastic ones is broken. Total cost was $23. I complained to the cashier that was almost half what I paid for the whole car, but he wasn't sympathetic...

I got out the cutoff wheel and started hacking apart the damaged area.

Using the finest bending tools (a sledgehammer, pry bar and a large crescent wrench) I started bending the remaining metal back into shape:

Here is what I'm going for to graft the new piece on:

That's as far as I got. The wife decided a 4 hour round trip to the beach was in order...

More progress on the crash damage.

Using the finest old-world hand metal shaping techniques (just like the Trolls use in Trollhättan) I have got the "frame rail" almost back to it's original shape.

I was able to mock up the new piece that will be grafted on.

I still need to do some final trimming and shaping. It needs to go back about 1/2" and I want the overlap joints to be tight to the new piece for a good solid weld... but it's almost there!

Awesome!

Yey! I just heard from the previous owners, they are going to get me the release of interest as soon as they can get it notarized.

They said they owned the car last year when it was totaled, and they turned it, the keys and the title over to the insurance company. They seemed to really love the car and were happy someone was going to get it back on the road. It even has a name...Mongoose

Hooray!
(and nice name)

So how the hell did it go from insurance company to methman?

Gotta be a bit more story than that. ..

But great news!

Methman bought it at an auction and never filed/lost the paperwork to get the salvage title. Either that or someone bought it at an auction and then traded it for 50 bucks worth of meth?

And if the car has the name Mongoose, then it has to be capable of hunting Cobras right?

Wow thats awesome! I didnt think you would hear a thing.

That's awesome, though don't start celebrating until the paperwork is cleared. Mongoose is a lucky car.

Maybe I should start buying $50 cars from local meth dealers...

Some how the local Mom/ daughter on the insurance card must have got it from the insurance company, then meth man got it. Odds are the keys are with the mom/daughter. I've Facebook messaged them with no response (probably because the message went to the "spam" folder for non-friends). I'm wondering how hard I should try to contact them on the off chance they have the original title.

Putting the wreck to use.

Find the easter eggs.

it was looking bleak there for a minute, but now everything seems to be going much better then expected.

I count 5 eggs.