QuestionQUESTION: My car was impounded on July 25th due to me driving on a suspended license. Long story short:I didn't know my license was suspended, went to court judge found me not guilty threw the case out. I called tow company and they sold my vehicle without first giving me any type of paperwork. Is this right? What can I do and how long should the tow company hold my car before they sell it?
ANSWER: I would love to help you with the questions asked, but when dealing with the "lien process" of a state, there are 50 different states and 50 different sets of rules...
And since you did not tell me what state it was in then I can not help with the answer there...
But I have to also say that if the tow company sold the vehicle then it would of had to be in the tow company yard for anywhere from 25 to 45 days at least... And yes some states have provisions for quicker disposal of vehicles if they are under a certain value and were towed for certain reasons...
But for more specific information I would need more information.
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QUESTION: I'm sorry for not clarifying. I live in California and the car was there for 41 days. My main concern is that we never recieved notification that they were selling the vehicle. We were actively waiting as we were planning to buy it back at the auction because that was the only way that we would be able to regain pocession of the vehicle. By the time it was there for two weeks, the fees were already at 700-something plus the release fee that we paid to the police department which was 230-something. I hope that this clarification enough for you to give me advice. Thank you!
AnswerWell the California DMV website has lots of information on it as to towing laws, including "lien sales" which is what happened to your vehicle...
Now as to "notification" of you, I would hope and assume that the vehicle was registered in your name with DMV.. If not then you would not get any of the letters at all, as you are not on the "official" information of owners records...
Now California is also one of the states which have a "vehicle value" law and as such they can "fast track" disposal of vehicles below a certain value.. That part of the law is very complicated to explain and understand.. But if you check out the DMV website you will find it and the answers... Check under towing, liens, and abandoned vehicle sections for information on your problem.. There are hundreds of pieces of information which you know the answers to and I would be only guessing at for this question.
Also I do believe that California law also "prohibits the owner" from buying or bidding on the vehicle at auction....
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/vc/vc.htm
