Wayward aunt has granny's car! HELP!!?
My Grandmother loaned her SUV to my wayward aunt (every family has one) to drive from Alabama to California for an open-ended length of time. The understanding was that my aunt would send the car payment to my Grandmother every month. (My Grandmother is a very gentle, giving soul and would do anything for her kids -- even the jackasses).
Anyhow, my aunt has been LATE every month sending the $$. The family is considering reclaiming the vehicle, but fears my aunt would hide it if she knew someone was coming to get it. (She lives in Cali, all other family members live in Alabama and Connecticut -- complete different coasts!)
Is there a company we could hire to reclaim it without notifying my aunt? We would have to notify the police because she would report it stolen and they could tell her the owner has simply reclaimed it. But we are trying to do this without getting the police involved because that would break my Grandmother's heart.
Any (reasonable) suggestions are welcome!!
Answers:
i would place one call to say hi / wish her well / catch up / sort of chat. find out details such as where she lives / works / . what she does in her spare time. who her freinds are, etc. gather information / write down what she says so you do not forget. try to verify the information. i would then place another call a couple days later and would ask questions about any details that don't check. you might need this information if you decide to go to CA to get your car back.
next, i would tell her that you need the car and would like it returned. you need it right away. maybe it's time that she purchase a car. you'd like to be able to help but the car is needed. if she hustles you / gives you a hard time you can always bring out your big guns and tell her that you plan to have the car reported as stolen. the police will be looking for the license plate if she is driving it and she will not be able to get plates without title. i would alert the DMV , they will jump on this / they love this stuff / will hassle the hell out of her. eventually she will drive the car and the police will recover it. if she tries to sell it / she has broken a serious law. you can threaten her and that may be enough .
i would also think that your grandmothers heart is already broken. she has a broken heart / and her suv or she has a broken heart and no suv. i 'd rather take the broken heart and have my suv back.
the only other course of action i see is to find out if your insurance company will reimburse you for a stolen vehicle ?? Maybe ask a lawyer if you have that kind of coverage / if the car is really stolen if you gave permission. i would think that it is stolen because you ask for the return and it was nto returned. i would check this to confirm if it is right or not. if you can recover from the insurance company, they have lawyers that could work on getting the car back.
good luck to you and your family.
Unfortunately, if no one else's name but your grandmother's is on the title she is the only one that has legal standing to initiate proceedings to reclaim her car.
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