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Cadillac Sitting in Impound


newbold1

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I traded my 96 SLS for an 04 CTS back in July 04. I owned the 96 for about 6 years and always took very good care of it. Well... today I received a letter from the City of Chicago advising me that the car is in their impound. They still show me as the owner of record and don't realize that they're notifying the wrong person. In any case, the car was towed to impound because the driver was stopped for DUI.

Its not my car anymore but I hate to think what it's condition might be now after I tried for so long to keep it looking brand new.

Oh well... :(

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Its not my car anymore but I hate to think what it's condition might be now after I tried for so long to keep it looking brand new.

I hate to think how much dirt you could have been in if something more serious happened with that car! Whenever you sell a car, it's important to verify the new registration with the new owner. Some places actually recommend you not turn the car over unless the new owner provides proof that he/she already registered it in their name.

Jason(2001 STS, White Diamond)

"When you turn your car on...does it return the favor?"

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Had the same thing happen with our old '72 Caddy. We sold it and a few months later got a notification that the car had been towed. It's very scary to think of how many cars are on the road with no insurance or aren't registered to their rightful owners.

And like you, I hate to think of one of my former vehicles being abused. :angry:

Brad

----------------------------

1999 Deville Concours [sOLD]

Blk/Blk w/gold package

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Did you trade it at a dealer or to an individual? I have heard some horror stories on this. A lot of times if something happens with your old car and the registration was not changed you could be held liable because you are the owner. Then it is an uphill battle because you have to prove you are not the current owner. It is a little like identity theft. I am like jadcock, I would hate to imagine if the drunk driver hit and killed someone. Without proof of the sale, it would be a bad situation to be in.

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Did you trade it at a dealer or to an individual?

In my case, we sold it to an individual. The car was over 20 years old and pretty ragged at that point, so you can imagine the clientele that I was dealing with. LOL

Brad

----------------------------

1999 Deville Concours [sOLD]

Blk/Blk w/gold package

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Go pay the tow bill and bring her back home.

2001 STS Mettalic Otter Grey, Black Leather, 213,000 kilometers - miles - ? Still running strong!

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I had a deal like that too. Cops called and said my car was in an accident.

Picked the car up in the middle of an intersenction (no damage). :rolleyes:

I didn't know to ensure the title is actually transferred. I went to the drunk's house the next day with the biggest buddy I could find and took the car back.

Sold it again a few days later (the gal at the department of motor vehicles just scratched his name) and there we go!

Good luck :)

Add power to leave problems behind. Most braking is just - poor planning.
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  • 2 weeks later...

I wasn't worried about the registration because I traded the car in at the Cadillac dealership. I think its just the city not having their paperwork straight.

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I wasn't worried about the registration because I traded the car in at the Cadillac dealership. I think its just the city not having their paperwork straight.

In some states selling it to a dealer won't change your legal responsibility. Dealers are notorious for not doing their DMV paperwork on time, and you can get bitten. I know of at least two cases in the past few years where this did happen.

In California, for instance, if you don't notify the DMV that you sold the car within 10 days, you remain responsible for the car - including liability up to $15k, potentially more, if they are at fault in a collision with it.

Best policy: find out what your state requires for you to be released from liability, and do it immediately upon selling the vehicle, no matter to whom you sell it.

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If you have since transferred these plates to another vehicle, you should have no problems. If you sold a car in Chicago that was impounded before the new owner transferred it's title, you will get a letter from the city. Without plates, the city will go by the last registered owner. The form that will/has been sent to you will give you clear options regarding providing information that will prove the car is no longer yours. If you have the plates in your hands, you have nothing to worry about. The letter will also state that you have "X" number of days to reclaim the car before they destroy it. Chances are since it is a Caddy, the new owner did not abandon a non running car, but got "busted" for whatever reason, in a car that was not legally transfered to the new owner. Whenever you sell a used car, take the plates, and get a bill of sale. In some states, the plates go with the car. But in Illinois, that is not the case.

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Yeah, the plates were put on my new 2004 CTS. I received all the paperwork from the dealership showing that I traded the car and I had the Illinois Sales Tax form showing the new car purchase and I believe it shows the money applied against my purchase as the result of my trade-in value. I think it wouldn't be too hard to prove that the car was no longer in my possession as of July 7, 2004.

The car was impounded due to the driver being stopped for DUI. If he/she doesn't get the car out of impound soon I expect it will go up for auction. If the car still looks the same as it did when I traded it then someone is going to get a great looking car at a cheap price. I kept it spotless, the leather was still good with no discoloring or cracking, it had DVD screens in the headrests, and I put 2000 Deville wheels on it. I only traded it because it needed enough mechanical work (nothing too major but many things at once) at the time that it seemed a better deal for me to trade it for the new CTS.

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