Your car is used as security for car loans. This means that if you don’t pay back the loan, which can happen if you miss just one payment, the lender can legally take your car. Because of this, you might be wondering how to hide your car from repossession, since they can’t take it if they can’t find it.
But this is often a bad idea because it can go wrong and get you into a lot of trouble. In this piece, we’ll show you what to do if you’re in danger of not making your car payments, as well as some ways to keep your car from being repossessed and 6 easy ways to hide it.
Here are 6 ways to keep your car from being taken away.
Let’s look at some smart ways you could try to hide your car from the people who want to take it away.
1. Put it in your garage and lock it up.
Keeping your car locked in your garage is one of the best ways to keep it from being repossessed. If the repo man has to break into your garage to get your car, they can’t take it back. By putting it in your garage, you can keep it from being taken away for a while. If it is parked outside, however, it can be taken away at any time.
2. Switch cars with a friend in another state
If you have a friend who lives in a different state, you can get more time to pay off your loan by trading cars with them. But this isn’t a long-term answer because new technologies make it easy to find and track cars even when they cross state lines.
3. Take out the car’s GPS tracker
Most new cars have trackers in them that the repo man can use to find the car and take it back. By taking the tracking device out of your car, you can keep it from being repossessed. Find where the car tracker is put in and take it out.
After that, park your car somewhere safe and hard to get to. This car-repossession trick can buy you some time to figure out your finances and maybe make up any payments you missed.
4. Hide your car in an area with gates or chains.
This is one way to try to stop the repo man from taking your car. Your creditors won’t be able to take the car if you park it in a closed or locked area and lock the gate.
5. Give your neighbor a ride in your car
One way to try to avoid getting your car taken away is to give it to a friend to use or hide in their garage. Since you aren’t driving the car, you might be able to keep it from being repossessed for a short time.
6. Give up the car
If you are having money problems and can’t make your loan payment, your car could be taken away from you. To keep this from happening, you can sell your car and use the money to pay off the loan. If you do this, you won’t have to deal with your creditors, and you won’t have to pay any extra fees for hiding your car from the bank.
When can your car be taken away from you?
In many places, if you don’t pay back a loan, the lender can take your car. But the meaning of “default” can be different from loan to loan. In some cases, it could be as soon as 30 days after the last payment was due.
But it’s less likely to happen so quickly because it’s in the best interest of your creditors for you to get back on track with your monthly payments. Because of this, you might be able to use some car seizure workarounds to avoid having your car taken away so quickly.
How far can the guy who takes your car go to get it back?
Professionals who take back cars know most of the tricks car owners use to avoid getting their cars taken away. This makes it hard to hide your car from them. Depending on the state, workers who take back cars can:
Watch your home to find out what you do each day.
Find out where family or friends are who might be able to store the car for you.
Your car will be taken away from you while you are in a public place, like work or the food store.
Take your car from your driveway or the driveway of your neighbor.
People can take your car from your garage or any other private property as long as they don’t damage it or threaten you.
Even if you hide your car from the repo man, the creditor can go to court and get a court order telling you to give the car back. So, learning how to park your car is not a good long-term answer to keep it from being repossessed.
How can you keep your car from being taken away?
Working with the company is the best way to keep your car from being repossessed. If you have a short-term problem, like a health issue or losing your job, you can ask your provider if you can skip a payment. Many lenders will let this happen because it makes more money for them to keep getting loan payments than to spend extra money on recovery.
As long as you can show that you are trying to keep up with your monthly payments, you won’t have to hide your car from your creditors because they won’t take it back.
FAQs
Can you hide your car so it doesn’t get taken away?
Depending on where you live, you may be able to park or hide your car to buy more time to pay off your loan. In many states, it is not against the law to take steps to hide your car from the bank unless you are trying to trick the bank. But in some states, it is illegal to hide your car on purpose from the company that is trying to take it back.
Can I go to jail for hiding my car from the repo man?
If the lender has a court order telling you to give back the car and you don’t, you could go to jail for not following the court’s orders.
How Long Will It Take Someone to Find My Car?
Most debtors work to find the car, have it towed, and keep it for 30 days.
How do I park my car so it doesn’t get taken away?
You can hide your car from being taken away by putting it in a private shed. But if you go somewhere public, the repo man can take your car because he is usually allowed to watch your house and follow you around.
What Happens if the Guy Who Takes My Car Can’t Find It?
If the repo man can’t find your car, the collector will go to court and get a court order telling you to give the car back. If you don’t follow this court order, you will be accused of stealing.
Should I pay off a car that was taken away?
You should, yes. When you pay off a repossession, the debt you owe goes down, which can help lower your credit score, and you can get that item taken off your credit report.
