City Code Enforcement Abandoned Vehicle
- Thread starter GMFan
- Start date
slo town
$200 Site Donor 2026
In California I've always filled out the DMV form stating I sold the vehicle to an individual and who the new owner is. For automaker dealerships I do not.
As an aside, years ago I traded in a Toyota truck at an official Chevrolet dealership. I had some remaining payments on the truck. About 2 or 3 months later I got a call from the lender, asking why I hadn't made my payments. I told them that I traded in the vehicle. I remember the woman on the phone telling me (pretty much verbatim) that "It's not our problem that you gave the vehicle away to someone else. You owe us money."
I called the Chevrolet dealership only to find they had gone into bankruptcy. Thankfully they finally paid up.
Scott
As an aside, years ago I traded in a Toyota truck at an official Chevrolet dealership. I had some remaining payments on the truck. About 2 or 3 months later I got a call from the lender, asking why I hadn't made my payments. I told them that I traded in the vehicle. I remember the woman on the phone telling me (pretty much verbatim) that "It's not our problem that you gave the vehicle away to someone else. You owe us money."
I called the Chevrolet dealership only to find they had gone into bankruptcy. Thankfully they finally paid up.
Scott
Since we're telling stories, I'll relate my similar experience. I traded my 1989 Accord in when I purchased my 2012 Mazda3. The Honda had been severely damaged in a hydroplaning accident, but was still drivable. I figured it would go to auction as I got very little for it. A couple months later I was contacted by both the Mesquite Police and the Mesquite impound lot for the purpose of getting my car back. I explained that I had traded it in and no longer owned it. Apparently, whoever was driving it got arrested which was why the car ended up impounded. Both entities told me to simply disregard the issue. I still submitted the required form to the state DMV to notify of change in ownership and will now do so consistently in the future. It seems that doing so isn't a high priority for dealerships.
