Beta value/security.

[WestonTB]

I think security for our cars has been touched on here before but this week has been a slightly unpleasant one for Jacob & I as regards his car.

I gave Jacob my spare 'Turin shroud' Coupe when he was 3 years old to stop him crying one night... I thought he would have forgotten about it in the morning but quite the opposite happened!

Said car lived in a lock-up along with the bigger parts that I could not accommodate at home and all has been good for the last 22 years of tenancy... until the old owners sold the land & lock-ups, the new owners took over towards the end of November 2020 and made no attempt to be in touch as far as tenancy agreement/new standing order etc, then I found out why!

They had moved my car & my friends Beta Spider and hoped we would not visit for a while (I only checked a few times a year) Both cars were in different lock-ups and we had no access, turns out they wanted to 'sit on them' for a while and then claim ownership and sell on, more money in that than three months rent!

Needless to say both cars are safely back at our respective homes and the Police have been excellent , but our cars now have some value, even as restoration projects, so keep a close eye on your cars everyone and make sure all storage is as safe as possible... ebay prices are attracting the WRONG kind of attention!!! 

[mangocrazy]

That must be the worst nightmare of any Beta owner whose car is in a lock-up or rented garage. Glad you had a successful outcome...

[WestonE]

Very Scary Stuff and it reminds me of a thread on FB where a developer was sharing details of some Betas abandoned in lock ups he was demolishing. In that case he said hands off until he had made all attempts to contact and had ownership via DVLA. This does make me wonder!

I have so little faith in the security of my rented council lock up it only contains parts and an old trailer I have yet to sell. Finding long term secure storage is a serious issue and I resorted to real classic car storage this winter for the Monte.

There will be a parts bonanza when the Beta Spyder is finished but I still need secure garaging for 2 high value cars. A house move is on the cards frankly.

Eric

[squiglyzigly]

I’m very pleased to hear a happy ending to your story.

Storage is clearly something that many of us loose sleep over. I had to make a big decision 18 months ago as my VX coupe was kept at my fathers house in S.London. I am amazed and grateful that it survived there for over 15 years along with my tools and spares. Every time I opened the doors I was pleased everything was as I left it.
18 months ago I was forced to make a decision as my father wanted to downscale. So moving home was the only choice I could see. (Selling the car was not an option)
I now feel fortunate that this worked out well and I now have both cars at home with me.
It’s a real concern for many of us and often not an easy one to resolve which makes our passion for a classic car much more complicated than simply keeping them going.