S3 TAKEN OFF ME!! WHAT CAN I DO???

[simch]

Weird thing is that with many imports, there is no note of the engine number on the log book, it's merely shown as "not known". Your's was an import but had one, hence they had to change the engine number.

Of course this could all be a bit of a red herring.....It may be that the only thing of the stolen car that does not belong to your car is the bodyshell.....I am not sure they can prove anything else, as all other parts, (even the aftermarket parts) could be generic.
It may well be you can claim back everything as yours, and leave the shell to the insurance company. MAybe you could then buy it ( the shell) from them as "stolen and recovered."....Just updat ethe log book wiht the new engine nummbers and you have a legit car, albeit one with an interesting history.....!

 

[aidank1981]

thats shocking mate! hope you get sorted!

 

[bouncer--daz]

If the engine and interior belong too the non-stolen car then I would of thought those parts would belong to you. As said above just talk too the insurance company after seaking legal advice. Good luck

 

[ash_s3]

Yeah i would have thought they belong to me as they dont belong to anyone else. Will just have to see when i speak to the insurance company.

If i get it back im likely to be breaking it as i wont get sod all for a stolen/recovered car with a dodgy history and tampered VIN plates.

Anyone got any idea what i could aim to get for the car if i sold it in bits?
Bumpers, Wings, Interior, Engine, Gearbox, 4wd system, Brakes, Wheels, Exhaust, Lights, Doors, Boot-lid, Mods, Bonnet etc...

Got to be a fair bit id imagine. Im sure the engine would be worth a bit especially to someone wanting to put it in a Mk2 golf or something!

Just an idea at the moment, might not even get the car back at all.

Thanks
Ash

 

[nky_84]

Sorry to here about this, must be a right kick in the stones an then some!

I would of thought you would lose more money breaking the car than if you sold it as a stolen recovered, especially if you made people aware of the circumstances, ie your not the dodgy one and you havent bought it cheap to make a quick buck.

You could always turn the car into a racer? Strip it out and sell the toys to fund some buckets,harnesses, slicks etc.

 

[jojo]

It would be re-registered as a Q-plate if you got it back Ash, and over 50% of the car is not original!

 

[Jaywoo_A3]

They don't re-register car's as Q plates anymore, it just goes on a reg of the car's age now.

 

[ash_s3]

Ah right, thanks Jay, thats handy to know. Would be a shame to see a tidy S3 on 'Q' plates.

 

[bouncer--daz]

If you can....keep it and enjoy it... your bound to get more as a whole car than breaking it!

 

[steebo888]

yer if you get it back i would just get a check done to make sure it is all safe and then keep it for a bit.
Also get all the documentation to state you are the legal owner ( from ins company,police and dvla. Then when you come to sell it you've got all the docs to back up that it is now legit

 

[ash_s3]

yea really could do without the hassle of breaking it, but i wanted to sell it before it got taken off me.
Looking to buy a house pretty soon and i definetly cant afford to keep the S3 and get a mortgage!

 

[JamS3]

They don't re-register car's as Q plates anymore, it just goes on a reg of the car's age now.

Quite right they were withdrawn around July 1997

 

[Prawn]

we have a Q plate 20t excavator at work...... it always puzzles me how a ****** digger can be a Q plate!

 

[ash_s3]

Just thought id post a quick update on the whole situation.

Bloke i bought the S3 off keeps 'failing' to turn up at the police station to give a statement, either he is very lazy or has something to hide, missed 3 appointments with the police, they've sent a unit out to interview him, surprise surprise he wasn't there.... he then phoned me up asking what the police had been asking me and why they wanted to speak with him, i said its not for me to say and you need to give a statement.

Been in contact with the insurance company who own the car, very hard to get hold of, nobody wants to know me and they just dont care at all, however i have managed to speak with the engineer who examined the car (works for insurance company) he's really helpful and very sympathetic, says he's going to do his best for me and negotiate a price with his boss.

As it stands now, the car has no identity, this was removed by the police engineer. If i do manage the buy the car back, I'm either going to have to strip it and sell the parts, sell it on to someone to use as a track/off road car or try and re-register it and get hold of the original details.

I am totally fed up with the whole situation now, its been so much hassle and stress, i just want enough money back to pay my loan off and then start again.
I've been told by 2 solicitors I have a very strong case againsd the bloke i bought the car off and I'm able to sue him for what i bought it for without giving the car back, only problem is, if he hasn't got the cash (not many people have got £9k in their account) then i could end up with £10 a month for the next ten years or something silly like that. He would be liable for all court and solicitor fees also so i was thinking of trying to compromise with him, i.e. Give me £5k back and I'll take it no further..

What do you guys think?
Thanks for reading, hopefully be some more info/update at the weekend

Ash

 

[rickparmar]

really feel for you mate, am sure you will get the car back, and as the police are involved something does sound dodgy from who you got the car off...

well the brakes, spacers, are mine

 

[jojo]

well the brakes, spacers, are mine

Rickparmar = Vulture!

 

[Stewart]

As much as you want this to be over and done with and as much as you just feel like cutting your losses and walking away, persevere mate, keep nagging everyone concerned, it DOES work, you will wear them down.

Chin up.

 

[jcs356]

Yeah, I agree with Stewart - keep at it - you'll get there eventually.

When I had to deal with both insurance and police in the past when my car was stolen, I initially thought both insurance and police would try to help me. Well, that's why you pay insurance and the police are supposed to support the 'victim' of the crime. You soon find out the opposite is the case. Certainly they will try and grind you down and get you to accept a 'compromise' or get you so p***ed off that you just walk away. So stick to your guns and keep at them. It might take more time and more phone calls and more emails, but you will get there in the end.

 

[Toxik-Signal]

Find out how much the insurance company want for the car then charge that to the guy you bought it off. Makes sense really. :icon_thumright:

 

[claudefrog]

Find out how much the insurance company want for the car then charge that to the guy you bought it off. Makes sense really. :icon_thumright:

hows that??? he is left with a car only worth breaking as it has no identification

 

[MikeA3]

Good luck ash, hope you get it sorted out, as stewart said above, chin up and keep at it.

 

[Nilz]

Ash,

Keep at it, i know its not the same but I had an issue with my Golf when it got written off a few years ago, it went on for nearly a year, when they eventually decided to pay up, i felt like giving up, but keep at it and hopefully you will get what you want

 

[ash_s3]

Thanks for the support from all of you guys, its really appreciated.
For arguments sake, say i get offered the car back at a good price, whats the best thing i can do with it? Do you think it would sell as it is considering its history, apart from the ID problem the car is perfect, drives superb, its in really good condition and has been well looked after by me.
Do you think anyone would buy it as a track-day toy?? Is it worth the hassle and time spent breaking it for parts, seems such a shame to even consider breaking a car that hasnt even got any dents, let alone accident damage!

Cheers
ash

 

[rickparmar]

If you do get it back, i would say just keep it, as you say it runs fine etc

 

[Nilz]

I would probably keep it and look after it for as long as poss and run it into the ground....what else can you do, as you said, with the history its got, its only going to appeal to you, unless someone else wants the car as a trackie or something....

 

[fingermouse]

get it back and run it ino the ground................ might take 10 years but do it lol

 

[Dave_Bayern]

Are you people missing something?

Without a valid ID you cannot tax it, MOT it, anything, so you couldnt run it into the ground!!!!

Hence track car or off road use comments above.

Personally, I'd buy a Mk2 Golf for daily driver and keep the S3 for track work only, and have an EXCELLENT track car.

 

[jojo]

Personally, I'd buy a Mk2 Golf for daily driver and keep the S3 for track work only, and have an EXCELLENT track car.

Only problem with this Dave is, you'll have more fun in your daily driver! I'm considering selling my mk2 Golf soon, as I currently have 4 cars lol, but it's just so much fun driving it, it's telling me to keep it!!

 

[Dave_Bayern]

There is that, its hard to beat a Mk2 and they are amazing as track cars too!

 

[ash_s3]

Cant really afford to keep it if i get it back, me and the mrs are looking to buy a house and i cant afford to run the S3 aswell!

 

[nick-barnes07]

id sell it with all the paper work to say it was stolen recovered , it will be a cat d , it wouldnt put me of a car if i knew it was stolen recovered , as long as it hasnt been in a smack ,

 

[simch]

Only problem with this Dave is, you'll have more fun in your daily driver! I'm considering selling my mk2 Golf soon, as I currently have 4 cars lol, but it's just so much fun driving it, it's telling me to keep it!!

I thought i was the only one with 4 cars and who cannot bear to sell his mk2!
lol

 

[ash_s3]

Had some half decent news from insurance today. Looks like il be able to get the s3 back at a decent price. Just dont know what to do?

1. Sell it straight on with the mods still on.
2. Put it back to standard and sell on.
3. Re-register it, try sell it as Stolen/Recovered.

Really getting me down now, glad me and the Mrs booked a holiday the other day, just need to get away from it all!

 

[Dave_Bayern]

Can you sell it on without registering it as stolen/recovered? Surely thats fraud is you know about it and dont inform the buyer?

 

[perryuk]

hard luck Ash....me in your shoes...

Get the car off the insurance company providing its at a realistic price. Strip the mods & sell them, sell the car as standard and as Cat D,
Take the hit, buy the house n move on

....chin up old stick n njoy the hols...

 

[ash_s3]

Oh no i wouldn't dream of selling it on and hiding the history. Id make it perfectly clear the history of the car to the new owner, wouldn't want anyone else going through all this ****. Will be advertised as stolen/recovered. Wont be registered as a Cat C or D etc... as there's currently no I.D. to the car to register a category ABCD etc to. However if i try and re-register it, id imagine it would be a Cat C write-off as the insurance company have re-claimed it and sold it on unregistered.

Any more thoughts or input anyone? Running out of ideas, need other views on my options.

Cheers
Ash

 

[Nilz]

Sell the car as standard and recooperate whatever you can from the parts, i know its not much, but it will probably be all you can do with the background of the car....

Soz mate...feel your pain!!!

 

[ash_s3]

Yeah thats what i was thinking of doing.

Gonna start a new thread with the parts i'l have up for grabs and ask how much i can get for them.

Im not bothered about the money ive lost, money is money, it comes and goes.

Thanks guys

 

[Dave_Bayern]

So with the stolen recovered and no ID, does that make the car pretty worthless?

I know a mate of mine bought a Cat D R32 for £7500, and R32s hold their money a LOT better than S3s.

 

[ash_s3]

Seen a CatD S3 sell on Piston Heads for £6500, pre-facelift with 50k on the clock. Its worth what someone is willing to pay i guess.
Wouldn't say its worthless as its still a mint car, not like its been bent round a tree or anything.