Car reposessions over in America

Car reposessions over in America

Author
Discussion

TonyRPH

Original Poster:

13,144 posts

175 months

Tuesday 24th September
quotequote all
I've been watching a few videos of car repos in America and I'm amazed at how the guy just rolls up and lifts the front wheels off the ground and off he goes.

Here's an example: https://youtu.be/p1L03YfitrM?list=PLgV4V2RyiS0MJhg...

Now I presume that most of the cars he's recovering are front drive automatics, so the handbrake is unlikely to be applied.

But what about those with the handbrake applied? I'd expect to see locked wheels and smoke, unless the handbrake is very ineffective (and going by the "Just rolled in" Youtube channel this is highly likely!).

I have seen one where he places a set of dolly wheels under the rear wheels but this seems rare.

It must be quite a shock to find your car gone though.


lancslad58

1,108 posts

15 months

Tuesday 24th September
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What about your plane .....



TheDrownedApe

1,209 posts

63 months

Tuesday 24th September
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I've been watching sin city tow (new discovery show) and in RWD cases they seem to disconnect the drive shaft quite quickly when they pick up the front end.

It seems they don't use the handbrake, but then it's rarely used in Germany with autos.

TonyRPH

Original Poster:

13,144 posts

175 months

Tuesday 24th September
quotequote all
lancslad58 said:
What about your plane .....


A couple of years ago there was a series on aircraft repossessions. I don't know how hyped up it was, but there seemed to be a lot of clandestine activity at various airports, hiding from security and so on.

I'm sure much of it was hyped up though - after all, how do you spin up the engines on a Lear jet and taxi away unnoticed?

Sway

29,355 posts

201 months

Tuesday 24th September
quotequote all
TonyRPH said:
A couple of years ago there was a series on aircraft repossessions. I don't know how hyped up it was, but there seemed to be a lot of clandestine activity at various airports, hiding from security and so on.

I'm sure much of it was hyped up though - after all, how do you spin up the engines on a Lear jet and taxi away unnoticed?
I (genuinely) know someone who once 'borrowed' a gulfstream from a fellow operator who owed them a bunch of cash. No locks, no ignition keys - just get in, radio for takeoff instructions/clearance, go.

Was back in the late 80s, involving two firms not noted for their moral fortitude. Flew to a nearby island, waited for confirmation debt had been repaid, flown back and handed back with a smile. Seems it wasn't a particularly unusual practice amongst those guys in the Wild West.

x5tuu

12,141 posts

194 months

Tuesday 24th September
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A few years ago (pre covid) when I learned to fly, Mike Ashley’s jet was parked up at Newcastle international just off the main runway, aside from the flying school planes and after my lesson the instructor asked if I wanted to see inside it … obvs I said yes!

Zero locks and security, just open the door and climb in!

I was shocked!

jeremyh1

1,413 posts

134 months

Wednesday 25th September
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On a same note I have been watching Scotty Kilmer on you tube and in the last few days he has been saying that there are so many used car repos in the US at the moment that used prices are plummeting because of market over supply

Jader1973

4,289 posts

207 months

Wednesday 25th September
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Based on something I saw on Instagram, they’ll just drag them away with the wheels locked and stop round the corner to put them on a dolly.

ThingsBehindTheSun

1,252 posts

38 months

Wednesday 25th September
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jeremyh1 said:
Scotty Kilmer
Thanks for that, now I just keep hearing "rev up your engines!" in my head in a horrible, screachy voice.


Sheepshanks

35,037 posts

126 months

Wednesday 25th September
quotequote all
x5tuu said:
A few years ago (pre covid) when I learned to fly, Mike Ashley’s jet was parked up at Newcastle international just off the main runway, aside from the flying school planes and after my lesson the instructor asked if I wanted to see inside it … obvs I said yes!

Zero locks and security, just open the door and climb in!

I was shocked!
Smaller aircraft have a key - FIL owned a Cessna and had its key on his key-ring.

andrewh

467 posts

266 months

Wednesday 25th September
quotequote all
x5tuu said:
A few years ago (pre covid) when I learned to fly, Mike Ashley’s jet was parked up at Newcastle international just off the main runway, aside from the flying school planes and after my lesson the instructor asked if I wanted to see inside it … obvs I said yes!

Zero locks and security, just open the door and climb in!

I was shocked!
Depending on the airfield/airport, you need clearance to go airside, and pass through a metal detector as a student
/potential student, visitor etc. sites are well covered by cctv, fencing etc.

DonkeyApple

59,096 posts

176 months

Thursday 26th September
quotequote all
TonyRPH said:
I've been watching a few videos of car repos in America and I'm amazed at how the guy just rolls up and lifts the front wheels off the ground and off he goes.

Here's an example: https://youtu.be/p1L03YfitrM?list=PLgV4V2RyiS0MJhg...

Now I presume that most of the cars he's recovering are front drive automatics, so the handbrake is unlikely to be applied.

But what about those with the handbrake applied? I'd expect to see locked wheels and smoke, unless the handbrake is very ineffective (and going by the "Just rolled in" Youtube channel this is highly likely!).

I have seen one where he places a set of dolly wheels under the rear wheels but this seems rare.

It must be quite a shock to find your car gone though.
I don't think it's any kind of shock for the defaulter. It's just a core part of US life.

Many consumers are easily sold objects they can't afford or upsold until they breach affordability and few of these particular consumers have any financial competency so repo objects they don't own and which they've left outside is a common occurrence.

Millions of Americans rushed out with their free Covid cash and borrowed multiples of these sums in loans that all parties knew would be defaulted upon once the free bonus cash expired and the consumer reverted to living just on their actual work income.

I suspect that given the ubiquity of firearms in the US, the chaps removing the object have a general desire to get themselves and the object out of any potential 'arc of fire' as quickly as possible. It's not like the U.K. where they can take as long as they want and stand around chatting to the person who has defaulted on their debt. Plus, the U.K. defaulter is going to be far less inclined to feel they have been deliberately duped by the third party lender as we are far better protected in the U.K. from the practice of deliberately selling debt for the purpose of making the profit via the defaults.

And then it's also worth considering that most of these shows are fraudulent and they stage a large amount of what they film as its quicker, cheaper and more reliable so when watching them you may not always be seeing reality?

droopsnoot

12,664 posts

249 months

Thursday 26th September
quotequote all
TonyRPH said:
A couple of years ago there was a series on aircraft repossessions. I don't know how hyped up it was, but there seemed to be a lot of clandestine activity at various airports, hiding from security and so on.

I'm sure much of it was hyped up though - after all, how do you spin up the engines on a Lear jet and taxi away unnoticed?
I remember watching some of that too, I think the end credits mention parts of it being "dramatised" rather than actual footage. If I recall correctly the thing seemed to be to get the paperwork for the plane as much as the plane itself.