Abandoned classics

We've all seen them. Once shiney and new, now parked, neglected and rapidly deteriorating. Like Neil Young said, "Rust Never Sleeps". If you can locate the owners there are several replys.

"I'm going to restore it/them someday" "I have plans for it/them" "Sure, I saw on e-bay they were going for a jillion $$$." "I gave it to my son in law/son/neighbor and he's supposed to pick it up ...... "

Anyone have any luck rescueing classics or does anyone have any ideas on how to save valuable cars or salvage parts?

Too bad we can't do something like historical societies do with buildings.

Well, for one thing, you have to have the money in hand to pry the car from them. And usually they see the memories or potential, not the tatty heap it currently is.

And we do have something like a historical society for buildings, it's called antique tags.

The people that I know who do this are gently persistant. They decide a value of the car and then look it over with the owner who will suggest that it is valuable and then offer cash if they want it or give a contact number. Then they go back every few months and ask again suggesting the value is dropping with age and deterioration. It is now a parts car etc...Let his wife know you will tow it away and that you might be able to save it. Cheers Ron

A few years ago I came across a MK I GT6 that had been long neglected. When I knocked on the door the lady who answered it told me I could have it, but her husband interfered saying it belonged to her brother and she needed to ask him first. Long story short, the brother is wanted by the law, and no one has heard from him in years. The GT6 is rusting away to this day.

I also came across an MGA setting under an old oak tree with a tarp over it. When I asked the guy about it he said that since it was a "foreign" car he needed $20,000 for it. It was a parts car at very best, but there was just no reasoning with him. By now I'm sure the car has rusted into oblivion. Moron...