Stolen car found after 17 years!!!! Help me recover it!

Ok, i got a title 42 from the Oklahoma Tax Commission. Which to my understanding is a mechanics lean. Its says we owe $34,500 if we want our car back otherwise it is going to sale.

A little background on the car, it was purchased by my grandfather a month after i was born. He was going to make it his new show car so he sent to to a guy to have it restored. Well after my grandfather had givin him the money to restore it the man basically disappeared along with the car. My grandfather was searching for him and the car when he became ill and past away. Not much was really done about it after that since all searches came up nill.

Anyways today i went to pick up the mail and had a letter from the OTC as stated above. I talked to my grandmother who is in her 80s and we went though the files and i found the title and registration. She gave me power of attorney over the car.

Now to my question how do i go about getting the car back? Its legally mine and i have the title! Can he make me pay for all this work that he claims he has done to get my car back? Can i go repo the car since it is legally mine? I'm going to go to the town where it is located tomorrow and try to find it and talk to a attorney. But i would like to know my rights and if anyone has been in a situation like this before.

I spoke with the guy that has the car and he basically lied to me several times about how he came about the car and what shape it was in when he got it. He said he bought the car in 94 and has been working on it since then. So i asked him why he never registered and he couldn't give me an straight answer. He waited a supposed 13 years and just now tried to title it. He also informed me that the man he bought it from said he bought it from an elderly sick man. So i think he was basically waiting to get it registered in hope the owner would be dead and gone.

So basically he bough the car illegally then waited 13 years to try and register it. Even went so far as to put a different tag on it so he could drive it. The whole thing seems very shady to me at this point. He bought the car with no title cant remember who he bought it from!

How do i go about getting the car back?
He has no title, he has no contract with me to do any work to it so i cant be charged for any work he has supposedly done.
I have pictures of the car in hopes that he cant strip the car before i get it back which is certainly a fear of mine!

Now to my question how do i go about getting the car back?

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Pay the lien holder the $34,500 or attend the sale of the vehicle and attempt to buy it back, most likely at auction. Something else to consider, if your grandfather was compensated for the theft by an insurance company, the vehicle belongs to the insurance company, not you. The attorney may have other remedies available to you.

racer72 said:

Pay the lien holder the $34,500 or attend the sale of the vehicle and attempt to buy it back, most likely at auction. Something else to consider, if your grandfather was compensated for the theft by an insurance company, the vehicle belongs to the insurance company, not you. The attorney may have other remedies available to you.

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Ya why would i buy back my car? Its mine title in hand i have no contract with this guy.

beauchamp said:

Ya why would i buy back my car? Its mine title in hand i have no contract with this guy.

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Did grandpa collect any money from the insurance company when the car was stolen?

Zigner said:

Did grandpa collect any money from the insurance company when the car was stolen?

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No he did not.

beauchamp said:

No he did not.

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Then talk to an attorney. You may, in fact, be on the hook for the money if you want the car. And if you don't want it and they do sell it at auction, them Grandma may, in fact, be responsible for the difference between the lien amount and the amount the car brings at auction.

On the positive side, if the car sells for MORE than the lien amount at auction, your Grandma may be getting some money back

Has the lien holder made use of the vehicle since it was restored? There's more to this story here.

Zigner said:

Then talk to an attorney. You may, in fact, be on the hook for the money if you want the car. And if you don't want it and they do sell it at auction, them Grandma may, in fact, be responsible for the difference between the lien amount and the amount the car brings at auction.

On the positive side, if the car sells for MORE than the lien amount at auction, your Grandma may be getting some money back

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I dont have a contract with this guy it doesn't matter what he has done to the car i cant be held responsible for it since we didn't have a contract.

TinkerBelleLuvr said:

Has the lien holder made use of the vehicle since it was restored? There's more to this story here.

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No this is the first time he has even tried to get a title.

beauchamp said:

I dont have a contract with this guy it doesn't matter what he has done to the car i cant be held responsible for it since we didn't have a contract.

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And THAT is not necessarily true...and also the reason you need to talk to an attorney.

Did your grandpa ever report the car as stolen? If not, why not? If so, have you notified the police of the car's location. In whose name is the car titled? Why do you believe that the car is yours?


Good luck

Zigner said:

And THAT is not necessarily true...and also the reason you need to talk to an attorney.

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How can i be liable for work done to a car when i have no contract for him to do so. If i come take your car and put a new motor in it put a lien against it for the work thats legal?

Dave1952 said:

Did your grandpa ever report the car as stolen? If not, why not? If so, have you notified the police of the car's location. In whose name is the car titled? Why do you believe that the car is yours?


Good luck

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I have the sheriffs dept looking in to it they are not sure if it will pull the Vin since its only 9 digits.

The car is in my grandmothers name but i have legal power of attorney of the car.

beauchamp said:

How can i be liable for work done to a car when i have no contract for him to do so. If i come take your car and put a new motor in it put a lien against it for the work thats legal?



I have the sheriffs dept looking in to it they are not sure if it will pull the Vin since its only 9 digits.

The car is in my grandmothers name but i have legal power of attorney of the car.

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Ask your attorney. Seriously...for nearly $35,000 dollars, it's WAY beyond hanging out on an internet forum for your answers.

Tryingtowin said:

If the vehicle (what it is who knows, a 1975 pinto?) is worth more than 35K, then get it back, if not let it go.

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More downright stupid advice...would you REALLY want poor old grandma to be on the hook?

You're acting like you personally suffered a loss. The car was stolen when you were just an infant.

I know you want to hear that you're a poor little victim who has the right to go take the car back and wash your hands of the rest, but the truth is this is a far too complex matter to be answered on a forum. You're going to have to consult with an attorney on this. Depending on all the facts of the case, your grandma may be on the hook for a lot of money, or she may be entitled to recovering the car, or she may be entitled to the car back in addition to having to pay for work that was done.

Having power of attorney doesn't mean you own the car. Is the title in your name? No? Then the car isn't yours and you only have the power to act on the car in place of the owner. Did she put the car in your name? Then you are the owner. But to complicate matters, after 17 years ownership of the car may be disputable.

You said you're going to see an attorney. Save your questions for then and don't go to the meeting whining, "But the internet told me something else, so you are wrong!"

Dave1952 said:

Did your grandpa ever report the car as stolen?

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THIS I would like to hear the answer for