ULPT Request: About to start living in my car, but car is about to be up for repossession
Posted by HotNecklace@reddit | UnethicalLifeProTips | View on Reddit | 69 comments
Any tips on what I can do to delay repossession until I’m able to start knocking out payments again please? Any help is appreciated, never imagined I’d be in this spot.
jadskljfadsklfjadlss@reddit
best advice i can give you is park it on some public land in the middle of nowhere and live out of it there.
thewharfartscenter_@reddit
You want unethical? Steal the plates off of a vehicle that matches the description of yours until you can afford to pay the back payments and get current. Don’t get caught or that’s another bag of shit to deal with.
PleaseJustLetsNot@reddit
This was my thought as well. Or modification of a number on the tags that would pass a "quick glance" test.
thewharfartscenter_@reddit
Stolen plates from an identical car would pass the scan test too.
Julesspaceghost@reddit
Until they are reported stolen.
Sloppyjoemess@reddit
How you can get around this, is ordering state vanity plates from amazon.
PleaseJustLetsNot@reddit
Amazon also sells plates that look very real but if you closely inspect they are thinner and made out of a cheaper metal
Sloppyjoemess@reddit
This is what commercial truck drivers do in Jersey
thewharfartscenter_@reddit
I really don’t think there’s any kind of stolen plate database, at least not in my state. I worked at the DMV and people would come in to get new pl8tes because theirs was stolen, they’d have a police report and everything and all we did was delete the old pl8 and issue the new ones. I know the police did not give enough of a fuck to do anything other than shit out the online report and that’s it.
Tannissar@reddit
There isn't because one of two things happen when they run a stolen plate. It either gets flagged by the original police report or will show up as a retired plate. Either way that car is getting stopped.
aCandaK@reddit
Can you get new plates without the lender being notified? Costs money but cheaper than alternatives
thewharfartscenter_@reddit
It wouldn’t matter. The plate is attached to the registration, that is attached to the VIN that the Lender would have a flag on. It would be a waste of money.
aCandaK@reddit
Bummer
local_eclectic@reddit
If they can't find the car, they can't repossess it can they? How will they find you without an address?
aventurine_agent@reddit
most cars that are being financed have a tracker in them tucked in the trunk lining or something. nowadays with newer cars they probably just use the built-in gps, definitely can be found though.
NorthRoseGold@reddit
Most cars are financed by the person's bank or credit union, so, no.
FishermanSoft5180@reddit
Can't reposses a car if you can't find it. Came here to say this. Never stay in one place and keep moving.
WellsFargone@reddit
Those fuckers driving around scanning plates.
Back into your spaces.
llIicit@reddit
They’ll just scan the front plate (if you have one)
zyraf@reddit
Do you have to display the plate when parked?
GaspingAloud@reddit
Rules vary from state to state but parked on the street is the same as driving on the street. On private property is another matter, but tow truck drivers play by different rules.
YouSickenMe67@reddit
In city streets, yes
llIicit@reddit
Anywhere public property, yes you do.
local_eclectic@reddit
A lot of states don't require them
local_eclectic@reddit
Wow, never heard of that. Crazy.
WellsFargone@reddit
It was the downfall of Dorner
bitcornminerguy@reddit
Do you know if your car has one of the wired-in vehicle trackers that some fianance companies and shitty car lots utilize? If you're not sure, might want to have a auto shop look it over and see if they can locate and remove one. You'd anger them by removing it... but otherwise they may know where the car is at all times already.
HotNecklace@reddit (OP)
Bought it from Carvana. Never occurred to me that they may have put a tracker in it 😭
NorthRoseGold@reddit
But did you finance with carvana?
I bought from carvana but financed with my credit union. So carvana would have zero reason or benefit to putting any kind of tracker in.
Same with you.
I mean really the best way to keep from getting repoed is not be anywhere around your known address. Go live in another state.
Sean__Wick@reddit
Check your OBD. Plenty of videos on how to remove a tracker.
Tannissar@reddit
Find the gps and remove it
DrBinkyBoop@reddit
Get a license plate cover that partially obscures the plate, and park at truck stops. Overnight sleeping is legal there
nycsavage@reddit
Take out a small loan and use the car as collateral. They will have first lien on it 😇
Dutchboy347@reddit
Remove plates hide vin park near mechanic shops with plates removed and vin hidden.
SlightRun8550@reddit
Take out the GPS and move it somewhere else
VinJahDaChosin@reddit
Park in places tow truck can't get to
Future_Usual_8698@reddit
Ask in r/urbancarliving - sorry I don't have a better answer
Dalilah86@reddit
How many days are you behind? I work in financing for a car company and they don’t assign for repo until in arrears at least 3 months. Keep in communication with them and hopefully they can delay it. I’ve seen people defer 6 months of payments because they’re leaving the country for a while. It would have to be reviewed for approval because you’re already behind but it’s worth a phone call. Good luck!
Imaginary-Orange-849@reddit
Make sure the car doesn't have a GPS tracker.
ChukarTheFker@reddit
Avoid large parking lots. Repo drivers will stroll the aisles with their automated readers. Don’t park near any last know addresses or places of work. A good driver can hook and book in under 30 seconds.
If you do run into the repoman and say you’re filing bankruptcy they can’t take it. (California anyways) have a letter written that you can provide to them.
TrhwWaya@reddit
Easy, rent a small garage space somewhere. Preferably a small peivate garage, for like 1000 to 200/month.
You can make that money selling roses in the middle of a busy road 3 days a month.
cmh_ender@reddit
repo companies use automated plate scanners. so depending on the city you are in, I see tow trucks drive through walmart lots with their plate scanners on and repo anything that pops on their list.
so.... if you can remove your license plates while parked that can help (leads to other issues).
park where it's hard to drive past your car and get a good view of the plates.
Skeggy-@reddit
A lot of vehicles have gps installed as well.
Reversing into parking spots to avoid scanners is helpful.
aCandaK@reddit
OP, this is true. Especially the fly by night dealerships. Your contract should tell you. Make sure you don’t have one before going rogue!
aCandaK@reddit
Don’t park at home after repossession goes into effect, especially overnight.
Don’t park it at work.
Don’t park it at the home of any reference you used to buy it.
Tell your references to stfu about your current location or workplace if they are called.
If you use social media, do not publicly post locations or pics of anything you do regularly.
Repo guys scan parking lots for cars on their list so try to park in areas with a lot of cars.
If you don’t plan to pay to get it out of repo, always leave the doors locked and e-brake on. If you can leave your wheels angled, do so - sometimes they don’t have a key and this can cause an issue.
If you can. park it somewhere inconvenient for a snatch truck to go (like on the side of a muddy yard or between sets of trees).
Skeggy-@reddit
Can’t tow a vehicle if you’re inside it.
diablitos@reddit
This right here is good advice. I remember Tom Magliozzi from Car Talk using this strategy to keep from being towed- rather than arguing with the tow truck driver, he just hopped in the driver's seat, put on some tunes, closed the window and waited him out.
CheckmateIn8@reddit
I did this once. The tow truck driver watched as he towed all the other vehicles first with me sitting inside mine. I rolled the windows down, talked to him, and he still towed me 3 city blocks with me IN THE CAR! I was yelling and screaming from the driver's seat but I knew better than to get out while rolling.
It was 4:45am at the time of tow and my wife and I arrived to the city and parked in the city at 1am. I was so exhausted that I don't parts of it. We also grew up in towns of less than 1k people so being in a downtown of a state capital is a very different space to be in. 😀
diablitos@reddit
Whoa! Did you press the issue after that happened? That sounds like a highly predatory tow company
CheckmateIn8@reddit
They were clearing the lot for an art show that evening. I set an alarm to wake up 3 hours after laying my head down to kick off our vacation, but that wasn't early enough. It was downtown Portland, and we were staying in an airbnb across from the college. It was on Clay Street, if I remember correctly. That could be irrelevant. Lol shrug
0ttr@reddit
unfortunately, you can't be inside it at all times and it takes < 10 min to tow it.
Skeggy-@reddit
The request is to delay. The tow driver isn’t going to sit there for hours waiting for you to get out.
The fix is paying your car note.
0ttr@reddit
My point is, you can't stay in the car 24/7. You have to leave it at some point. If the repossession company finds it empty, it won't take long to get it. You have to hide it well. But yeah, the fix is to make the payments.
PrincessPindy@reddit
Can't tow it if thet can't find you. Keep moving around don't tell anyone where you are. Hide it when you're at work.
jarede36@reddit
I don't have any advice for you but I just want you to know that I will say a prayer for you tonight. I hope you find a solution for your situation. I can't imagine how you feel and what you're going through. Don't give up hope. Things will get better and you will be stronger because of it.
HotNecklace@reddit (OP)
Hey friend, I really appreciate this. Thank you.
Darth_Emlen@reddit
Filing Bankruptcy stops collection efforts immediately.
SuperUltraMegaNice@reddit
You just have to hide it long enough. If you have a job they will look there so park some distance away or in a different lot entirely. Don't park anywhere near any known addresses.
ShakyBadger@reddit
Maybe get a car cover for it to make it harder to identify, try to make the car cover look old, or find a used one.
Unable_External_6636@reddit
Drive the car far away?
Cowcud@reddit
Find a matching car and clone the plates.
DailyDirtAddict@reddit
Can you call and ask to defer your payments? My credit union auto loan had up to three months of deferred payments available per year.
Inevitable_Channel18@reddit
Maybe park in a parking garage and move it around everyone once in a while. Hard to find or tow a vehicle in a parking garage
0ttr@reddit
don't be anywhere near a last known address, that's for sure.
call a company that helps when you are in credit trouble, they may be able to work out a deal for some token payments, but sadly, this is a long shot
Sonikku_a@reddit
Is the car otherwise valid? Registration, insurance, etc? They can’t tow with you in there. If you aren’t with the car just don’t park it where you work or near the address you provided them.
They could still find it, and many newer cars have GPS they could use to track.
They can also just (in the US) report the car as stolen in which case you’ll be shit out of luck if the cops run your plates.
HotNecklace@reddit (OP)
Registration is expired as my state charges yearly property tax on vehicles and I haven’t had the money to pay it. Insurance is current.
Sonikku_a@reddit
Expired registration gets you pulled over at least and tickets on top. Not gonna lie you’re not looking too good on getting away with this
Legal_Creme7319@reddit
let me guess, tech layoff?
HotNecklace@reddit (OP)
Insurance - personal lines. 🙃