Got a call about a car that was stolen from me years ago. 1975 model. Wasn’t insured apart from 3rd party. Police have informed me it was picked up in system when the current owner went to try and register it.
Unfortunately for him he has spent $$$$ on restoring it. Car is being held in by police until I pick it up. Need to know if the guy that did it up can lawyer up to try and get money or car/parts back from me?
What if it’s the thief who restored it.
It could be and of course that would change my view. If it was me in that situation I'd try to get more info from the police. If you could determine it was the thief then yeah I'd happily take the car back. But if its some 18 year thats spent all their pocket money to get the car on the road and out of naivety and didnt do the checks then I'd probably let them have it.
agree.
I wanna know the full story.
Someone who allegedly cared so much about a car that they completely forgot to check its history.
people make mistakes. Maybe it was an 18 year old restoring his first car and didnt know?
I'd offer to pay the owner who did the mods as common decency or hand him back the parts that won't render the car a vegetable. Guy is probably gutted too.
The restorers is prob removing all his work now and you’ll get a stripped car.
Read the OP well
Car is being held in by police until I pick it up.
I see.
It's your car, keep it and hope the "restoration" wasn't dodgy. You don't owe the person who was in possession of a stolen vehicle anything…
You don't owe the person who was in possession of a stolen vehicle anything…
Apart from the car? If they didnt restore the car OP wouldnt have got it back
and if they had done their VIN checks like you are supposed to he may have had it back years earlier.
It’s your car at the the end of the day. You deserve it.
Why everyone playing the violin when it’s his car.
Why everyone playing the violin when it’s his car.
It's called empathy.
Empathy? For the person who, in all likelihood was the original thief…
It would have taken them 5 mins on the phone to police or REVS to determine if it was stolen or not. My bet is the person who restored it knew it was stolen and thought that after almost 20 years it would be forgotten about.
No empathy for car thieves nor people who fence stolen property.
After thinking about it, its suss that its never been registered before now. I actually made a comment before reading this saying something similar at the end of the thread. Given that it hasn't been registered for that length of time it's quite possible the thief still has it or the next person who purchased it is probably also quite complicit. My changed thoughts is that I'd still want some more info from the cops to suss out the situation. Depending on who had it I'd still be open to handing it back but it would have to be a compelling story.
Nice. So you got your insurance money back then. And now you got a car you probably would have sold decades ago and not given it a second thought but is now worth a lot more, and it's been fixed up for you at someone elses expense
Winning.
Yes he got the insurance money back for an uninsured car.
you really should learn to read mate.
Sell it back to him for cash no receipt then report it stolen again. Rinse and repeat
@yogihogi make sure to look everywhere for a gps tracker/air tag. If you have an iphone it should alert you after 10 minutes that there is one nearby (or if you have an android there is an app you can get). You don't want this guy knowing where you live, also my money is on this guy knew it was stolen. So glad you got it back!
Dis guy gonna have Rich $ex tonight
The car belongs to you. What you do from here is up to you.
Now that you have it back, get it stolen again and wait for some sucker to do more mods on it the claim it back in another 18 years!
And what was the car in question?
1975 Model Nissan 260Z
Nissan Datsun 260Z without CVT 😉
Apparently I am on a different page to everyone else but maybe I am changing my mind a little.
Is it possible to get more information from the Police? Get their read of the situation?
Given the length of time I am assuming the car is with a different person than the thief. The history of the car could be quite interesting and the more I think about it the more likely it could be the thief's car. In that 18 years seemingly no one has registered it before now? If it was sold by the thief then the next person has not registered it either which is suss. I think if the cars history is unclear then yeah keep it. The police are literally gonna hand it over so legally there is nothing wrong.
I think the only reason I'd give it up is if the Police were able to give more information, if it was some kids first car that he put all his money into working after school jobs then yeah I'd probably be quite happy to let them have it. This is no small minor event, it's something that has serious consequences for either party losing the car, which has happened to OP so they will understand the impact of the loss. Anyway, happy downvoting.
Edit: if you keep the car maybe respray it or wrap it. You may not want to accidentally cross paths with the other person
maybe, I would doubt police would share information. I would expect privacy laws etc would prevent them from sharing anything beyond the most basic of information.
It's your car. Not your fault he didn't know it was stolen and put his parts in it.
Just ask the cops and get legal advice. Simple.
yes it is simple, it's the OP's car and the restorer now presumed "criminal" is in possession of stolen goods and didn't do due diligence and they did not run a $5 VIN/REVS check as any normal adult human would.
No empathy for the person who restored it. Likely they knew there was something odd about the car or perhaps knew it was stolen/don't ask don't tell etc hence not registering it for so long. (I bet they were hoping the original owner had moved away or died etc)
It takes 2 minutes to do a check online before you purchase.
Why wouldn't you do that to a classic car you pour thousands of dollars into??
Op. Take your car. Get legal advice and never ever ever contact the person
After hearing its a 260z, I'd claim my stolen car. The fact he did up a stolen car wouldn't go well in court if he wanted to claim all the effort he put into restoring it. Especially if he has no proof that he wasn't the one that stole it.
The model of the car is totally irrelevant. And why it would go to court? If the OP takes the car, the police aren't going to hand out OPs details. The other party will never know who has the car.
Great to see some common sense on the thread . Its virtually no chance at all for any case coming against OP . Don't people get that OP is saying : Car is being held in by police until I pick it up
To me it is. If it was a $2k vh commodore as it'd be effort in collecting it. Paper work and then taking it to the wreckers.. I wouldn't bother but a $80k 260z I would.
It could go to court if he lodges a small claims notice against him.
Holy crap. Just looked up the price of a VH commodore.. What happened! Wreckers wouldn't even give me $300 for one that I drove to their shop when I was younger!
@Name: I finally retired my 79 XD S-pack in 2007, wreckers offered me $500 at the time. I bought it in 83, and didn't need the 500, so just parked jt under the house. Did a basic restore on it 5 years ago, its still a very original matching numbers car, and its been valued around 40k. Old commodores and falcons, who would have thought. But id be struggling to hand that 260z back over.
I say it's irrelevant because any car of that age will require significant maintenance so it's always gonna be a car that has value. Almost any car of that vintage will have collectable value, even a Corolla.
Im sorry but what about OP its his car. HIS CAR! He lost out financially when it was stolen why should he be penalised!
Was the guy that restored it the one that stole it?
Is he related to the one that stole it?
Was he forthcoming with police as to where he got it?
Have the police charged soneone.
But all that is irrelevant as its his car and the police have said he can pick it up.
My advice is pick it up but dont sell it hang onto it until more information is forthcoming.
Bad luck to the guy who spent $$$ fixing up the car. He has zero entitlement to it whatsoever.
They spent $$$$$$ on restoring it, but didn't want to spend a coupla $s to check the car status? Something definitely suss and they knew to not get it checked or registered!
But weird that he decided he wanted to register after having had possession of it for 18 years.
Were hoping it would be forgotten about more than likely.
It reminds me of the guy in the Philippines who built his house on the wrong land. It turns out he doesn't own the land instead a different plot nearby. He can't expect the owner to give him the land due to his own mistake.
A good analogy. But if I were the landowner I would not feel comfortable just accepting a free house being built and telling the one who built it to go jump.
It would be a bit like finding a bundle of cash. If I didn't know whose it was I would consider it a windfall. But if I knew whose it was and that someone had worked really hard to earn it, my conscience would always be troubled if I kept it.
Bringing it back to the car, if I thought the restorer was not the thief I would probably want to come to some sort of compensation agreement. If I thought it was the thief who had restored it, nothing would be too bad.
Couldn't imagine a much better phone call than "We've got your vintage sports car here and somebody did it up for you!"
I'd be interested in knowing more specific details though. What are the chances this guy bought the chassis from a wrecker, built it up from scratch and has now had it taken off his hands? I'm sympathetic to both sides of the argument, and unfortunately you'll never know what the story without having to come face-to-face with the bloke - which might come with its risks. It'd be a shame if he was a regular Joe who'd been building his passion project for years, only to lose it when it's potentially minutes from being complete. But he should've checked everything first.
I'd be stoked having received the phone call, but I can't help pity the feller who may have invested a lot of time, money and effort over a period of years for nothing.
Santa has drop in to OP hehe .
The restorer may be entirely innocent and was 'gifted' the vehicle to restore. (Yeah long shot and still there is a nefarious character involved along the line) However if it is going to worry the original owner, offer to go to mediation if the restorer is willing to pay for the mediation.
Nope. That's not his concern.
Pick up his car from the police and never contact the person who restored it.
Honestly I doubt the police would even tell him who it was.
Not how the law works. If you buy or get given stolen goods, it is still the property of the original owner.
Even if you buy something from cash converters and you find out it's stolen, you have to give it over. Then it's your job to seek remediation from cash converters.
$2
A PPSR check is $2.
Unless it was stolen in Tas, where they don't participate.
That's all that really needs saying.
Not even $2…
Free PPSR car history check
Find out whether the second-hand car you’re buying has any money owing on it or has been stolen or written off. Get your free PPSR report now.
https://www.budgetdirect.com.au/car-insurance/ppsr-car-histo…
Logically the op would have no idea who had the car post it was stolen and the person who restored it would not know who the op is….why would the police share this info. They won't even share the info when you get into an accident with someone….they just refer you to your insurance…why would the police share?
Hey OP. How would anyone know your identity…beyond see you driving the car around.
I feel for the person who will have their car taken away by police, without any compensation. But the original owner who had the car stolen legally owes nothing to the person losing the car.
The person losing the car should have checked if it was stolen, and should now seek to take legal action against the person who sold the stolen car. Yes, not much chance of success but it's the best that can be done in this situation.
The car is yours. Keep it. It's not your problem if he has put money into it. How do you know that he wasn't the one that stole it?
NOT YOUR PROBLEM! What's yours is yours, regardless of how it got to him and what he did to it. However, if he has restored it to a level where the value of the car is of great value, then compensate him. Everyone wins. But keep the car.
It's beyond my belief that some people here are suggesting that OP should let the thief keep the stolen car instead of trying to get him punished for what he did. Why should OP care if the thief spent any money on the car or not, or even how long he kept it. Nothing matters - thief should return the car and should be punished. That's it.
I think the contention is whether the person found with the car was the thief or just an innocent, but stupid bystander.
The problem is he is not going to tell the truth if he is the thief. The police would likely know if the guy was the thief or not, he should be able to supply the details of the person he bought the stolen car from, bank account, address, name and phone number.
I'd ask the guy if he could come up with and verify the story of how he came into possession of the car.
If it turns out he's the thief, then walk away with the car end of story. If profiting from the situation makes you uncomfortable (it would me) then sell the car, take the 2005 value for yourself and donate the rest. Sounds like you want to keep the car though, so then do it but donate the difference anyway (don't forget tax deduction!).
If he can prove that he received the car from some other party then that's a lead for the police and then you and he can have a conversation.
came here for pics, and was disappointed
Deduct the value of an 18 year lease on the car from any incremental value added by the restoration.
Plot twist, the restorer was the chop shop…
Nah but seriously, if it was insured and they'd already paid out then that's fine it would legally be the insurance company's.
As it wasn't insured for theft it's still legally yours. Maybe take possession and then work out a deal to sell it back to him (admittedly it is a bit of a dick move on taking it off his hands in better condition then when he found it).
It was a dumb decision on not checking the VIN to see if it's a stolen vehicle.
Moral of the story: "Don't buy stolen goods."
If OP decides to keep the car with its crazy history . It would be good for story telling in the future .
I don't believe he can claim anything. It's a stolen vehicle, doesn't matter what he has done to it. It's like saying someone who stole a gold ring and paid for it to have the scratches removed will have some claim for removing the scratches.
At the end of the day, it's a stolen item so it needs to be returned to the owner.
OP, do you know how much was spent on the resto?
Just commenting to see what happens, please OP. Tell us what happens
What if the only stolen part is the bit with the vin on it. All the rest the new owner had bought individually to restore
It wouldnt be unfair for the other party to take back their parts if they can produce receipts.
The restorer was 100% dodgy. Enjoy your car returned to you, in whatever condition it is, and never ever look back.
Ignorance is bliss
Send it to auction. If he wants it, he will re-buy it and the market can decide what it is truly worth.
That way you are not guilt ridden every time you see it, and he has the chance to buy it legitimately (albeit paying twice.)
Ok quick update… just loaded car onto trailer, as a quick inspection it has had a closed door respray in an awful colour, interior is same but sun damaged dash and parcel shelf. Still has original engine with the triple carb setup on it ( like that when I bought it) new suspension and wheels/ tyres. Still low kms ( indicating it’s been stored and not driven)
Apart from new paint/ coil overs/ wheels I’d say it was in better nick when stolen! I’d say he’s spent $10-15k on it not $$$$ as indicated by police.
Police said ‘owner’ is known to them but wouldn’t give any other details
In total it’s going to cost me 2 days wages some fuel and one nights accommodation to get a car back I lost a long time ago.
Going to get it resprayed back to it’s Original colour and enjoy driving it on weekends ( fully comprehensively insured this time)
Thanks for your support
In that case take the car, don't look back. sounds a better than average chance the restorer and thief are one in the same or at least he has some connection to the thief.
Gratz on the positive result.
PS: hoping you don't live in the same place it was stolen from. Would suck to be targetted again.
Not even same time zone
Even if you were, we all know that every ozbargain member has bikie connections. The guy would be nuts to come after you
Was the car recovered close to where it was initially stolen from?
Congrats on the result of this one mate! Enjoy your pride and joy!
Yeah thats bugger all mods. Certainly not big dollars. If they are eBay coil overs and non genuine wheels thats only $2k or $3k worth of gear. In my earlier comments I was imagining a nut and bolt restoration.
I think 2 days wages is a fair trade for your long lost 260Z!
known to police is a euphemism for career criminal
Yep, I wouldn't even feel a little bit bad taking the car back.
Remember the other owner will have a key, and is known to ccops.. you obviously have a cover note already on it ?
Lol stop referring to the crook as the 'owner'.
Wait - this is legit?? I was waiting for the punchline that somehow scammers were impersonating the police and asking for payment to ship the car - and it would never turn up. Robbed again!
a nice happy ending!
Reading half the comments in this thread it seems like it’s perfectly normal to bolt parts onto someone else’s car and then claim ownership of it
Firstly, congrats!
Secondly… Pics plz? XD
Xu1?
New wheels you say. So orginal wheels gone or still in possession of possible thief ? When the car was stole, were the wheels factory?
Congrats! If only it was easy for you to claim for all your costs, including the respray, damaged dash and parcel shelf.
I am very happy you got your car back and I hope you can make up for all the lost time by enjoying it! I think maintenance is expected in any vehicle and that is what has happened (even though I think the restorer has no claim anyway). You lost almost a few decades of ownership which is priceless. Go well!
"known to them" - sprayed in a dodgy colour, yep, confirms my previous comments - you may not like some of what has been done without your consent, person who had it may have questionably acquired it - it's yours and you don't owe them anything. Respray and don't look back.
PS - Just hope no one comes looking for the wheels you probably have on it, (i.e. are they acquired the same way from someone else?)
Congrats
Thank you for the update!
$$$$$$$ could mean new tyres and a few tins of rattle can paint.