Drivers rush to buy cars cheap as $100 after abandoned vehicle crackdown – but warn they have ‘better odds in a casino’

A CRACKDOWN on abandoned cars can make a great deal for restorers looking to flip and profit – but the odds aren’t good.

One driver said the odds of finding a car worth restoring and selling would be better if he were at a casino.

Fox 2

Fox 2

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In April, Detroit’s Mayor Mike Duggan announced a feverish effort to remove abandoned vehicles from the city’s streets to improve traffic, increase property values, and decrease health risks to visitors and residents.

Duggan and the city’s police department, however, were careful to note that the goal wasn’t to take from citizens but to remove vehicles that were abandoned.

A task force was assembled shortly afterward, made up of 20 parking officers and 12 code enforcement officers to find and cite unlicensed, severely damaged, or inoperable vehicles.

“We’re impounding some vehicles that are parked illegally on this property,” said police Capt. Jason Adams, quoted by FOX affiliate WJBK .

“The goal is not to confiscate vehicles. The goal is to improve the area to combat blight.”

After the crackdown was announced, the police removed over 4,500 in four months.

Part of the increased efforts aimed at enforcing often-ignored parking ordinances, like the parking and storing of commercial vehicles.

“You can’t store your cars on lawns. …You can’t store your commercial vehicles in our neighborhood,” said Duggan.

“You can’t store your whole fleet of commercial vehicles in our neighborhoods. You can’t store semis in your neighborhoods.”

Data from the city showed that 85 percent of the 5,200 cars that were ticketed were moved by the registered owner.

However, those who weren’t saw a different fate.

Many were sold to junk yards as scrap metal.

Those that were more likely to be repaired and resold are sent to a vehicle auction , where buyers can try their luck.

Vehicles that make their way to auction have varying prices, as the starting price is the towing and storage fees.

Some can score a worthy car for the city’s towing fee of $100, while other cars have accumulated such high fees compared to its condition that it isn’t worth it.

Tony Nastasi, a regular at the city’s auction centers, says the chances closely match those experienced by gamblers.

How to report an abandoned car

Reporting an abandoned vehicle is important for keeping city streets safe and clean

Not only is an abandoned car an eyesore, it’s also a hazard to the surrounding community as pests and rodents can take refuge in the interior, engine bay, or trunk.

Leaking fluids can be dangerous for the environment, as many vehicle fluids are toxic and can wreak havoc on ecosystems if they enter waterways.

They can also encourage crime with several cities like Oakland, California reporting that drug dealers may use them to hide and side drugs or weapons.

Abandoned vehicles can also lower property values.

Therefore, they’re worth Specific contact information for your city’s abandoned car hotline may vary, but the necessary information on the vehicle is the same.

When reporting an abandoned vehicle, police will need:

• The exact address of the vehicle
• Information on the steering column (broken, missing, intact, etc)
• Condition of the vehicle (severely damaged, windows broken, leaking fluids, missing body panels or doors, etc)
• Make and model
• Color
• Body style (pickup truck, SUV, sedan, etc)
• License plate number and state, if applicable
• VIN

Many cities will allow residents to report abandoned vehicles online through an online form, or it can be called in.

Source: ABC affiliate WPVI-TV

“Never buy a car from here. You’ve got better odds at the casino,” he told the Detroit Free Press .

“And we don’t win much at the casino.”

He owns an auto parts store and has found a car worth restoring only a handful of times.

Most cars are in such terrible condition, that they aren’t worth the costs.