This is a little long-winded so bear with me….

So working as a courier I noticed a little red Ford focus sitting abandoned on part of my route. I could tell it has been sitting a while as it has started to turn green all over due to being parked under trees.

After a quick word with a woman I deliver to regularly she informed me that it belonged to an old boy who had taken ill around 18 months ago and he never returned. She said that everyone in the area considered the car an eye sore and they’d be happy to see it gone.

Feeling a little more confident to have a snoop round it I discover that it was lying completely unlocked and full of old fishing gear and rubbish. What did catch my eye was the fact it’s an automatic. Now I’m REALLY interested as my better half has recently had spinal surgery and she’s struggling shifting manually.

So cutting a long story slightly shorter I manage to get the owners details and mobile number through his old landlord. After a few texts back and forth I learn that he had a fall followed by a stroke and he tells me I’m welcome to take the car for free as it’s only fit for spares, but he cannot remember what exactly went wrong with the car!

After a little online research I discover that the car is a 123 ps 1.0 EcoBoost automatic that has only covered 54k miles! That’s the good news. The bad news is that I found out these engines are notorious for the wet belt snapping, blocking the oil pick-up pipe and grenading the bottom end round about 50k like clockwork. What are the odds………

Anyway today I’ve found out 2 things. Firstly the engine, as expected, is fubar. Sticking a socket onto crank pulley bolt reveals that either pistons are hitting valves or maybe broken rod (??)

Secondly an HPi check reveals there is finance still owed on the car.

However I’m pretty sure the finance company is unaware that the car is sitting with a blown engine so basically written off as Ford would charge what the car is worth in repair work.

What would you guys do? I’ve been given the car for free and can get a recon engine with 6 months warranty from Pumaspeed for £1500. Is it worth contacting the finance company?

 

 

5 minutes ago, madcourier said:

I’ve been given the car for free

If there is finance outstanding then the car belongs to them, regardless of the condition.

Found this online..

If you’re unlucky enough to buy a car with outstanding finance on it, and you only find out after the sale is complete, all is not lost.

The first you may know of the finance owing on your car is if the finance company contacts you to repay the debt. While this can be worrying, Section 27 of the Hire Purchase Act (1964) can help you if you’re in this situation.

Thanks to this legislation, if you bought your car with no knowledge of the outstanding finance on it, you have the right to keep the car under something called “good title”.

However, the finance company will want their money, so they will try to prove that you don’t have good title and try to get you to repay the loan. If they succeed in showing you bought the car knowing about the finance, they are entitled to demand repayment and, if it came to it, to repossess your car.

If the finance company contacts you, don’t ignore them. Reply to them and explain the situation, giving as much detail as possible, including information like:

• The name and address of the person who sold you the car
• When you bought the car
• How much you paid for the car
• The advertisement for the car sale, or a copy of it
• Any documents from the sale that show proof of purchase

Make sure you keep records of any communication with the finance company.

You could try contacting the seller to ask for a refund or to ask them to pay the finance. However, the person who sold you the car knowing there was finance on it is unlikely to be of any help, and you may not even be able to find them to contact them. If you can’t reach a solution and the finance company is still demanding you pay the finance, you can submit a formal complaint to the company. If your complaint isn’t resolved to your satisfaction, you might want to get in touch with the Financial Ombudsman Service. You can also contact Citizens Advice for more help.

Also, the car has sat for more than 18 months with, I assume, no repayments made. 
 

Why have they made no attempt to repossess the car?

Contact his old landlord and ask them as their may have been a load of unread post there including letters from the finance company.

His old bedsit was emptied by local council after he was taken to hospital and rehoused in sheltered housing. They binned EVERYTHING including keys, logbook etc

Edit: it was his old landlord that gave me his mobile number. They never mentioned any attempt by finance company to repo car, or any correspondence by them

1 hour ago, madcourier said:

If you’re unlucky enough to buy a car with outstanding finance on it, and you only find out after the sale is complete, all is not lost.

Couple of simple points:

1. There never was a sale, you say that you were given the car. Not that the person who 'gave you it' had the legal right to give away something that was not fully owned by them.
2. Also you can't claim to have only found out about the outstanding finance since you mention that you became aware of it soon after you decided to claim the vehicle as your own.

Legally the vehicle is the property of the finance company, but if you feel that it's worth challenging that in a court of law then make sure to get a solicitor that knows what their doing (and cheap, since you will have to pay).

I'd take it back to where you got it from, park it up and walk away

Have you got the logbook in your name?  If not, as above, deny all knowledge of it or get the finance company to repossess it.  It's going to cost £3k+ to get it back on the road.  Assuming it's just a basic pre-facelift, you could buy a working one without finance for not much more that that.

Chances are it'll need turbo & vac pump as well as engine.  The exhaust is probably rotten if it's been sitting in a damp area for 18 months.  Wiring loom could have been damaged by corrosion or rodents.  I doubt the cabin is water-tight and the AC probably doesn't work either.

I wouldn't put any more time & effort into it personally.