Help with Valuation of car for DEA Restitution claim

hwgunner · 03-22-2012, 10:04 AM

Hey guys, I need some help with a valuation of my car after the DEA seized and searched it. This will be done by pictures and is part of the requirements for getting restitution from them for the damage that was done. If you have an intimate knowledge of 73 911T's and don't mind sharing your "credentials" and providing a written estimate of value to support my claim, please contact me so we can talk. Thanks

jonathan
hwgunner (at) msn.com
805.550.81 05

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

If you are a PCA member, they will do one for free....the letterhead woul be impressive as well.

hwgunner · 03-22-2012, 10:26 AM

Thanks Joe Bob, I didn't know that. I am a member so i will get ahold of them.

jonathan
hwgunner

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

http://www.pca.org/Membership/ValuationProgram.aspx

j911brick · 03-22-2012, 12:11 PM

Are you talking a valuation estimate, or a repair estimate? What did they did and why?

hwgunner · 03-22-2012, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by j911brick

Are you talking a valuation estimate, or a repair estimate? What did they did and why?

From the looks of it they are not looking for a repair estimate, they are looking for a new value of the car after they searched it (read destroyed the interior etc. etc.etc.). The car was rough to begin with but they did things like peel up the thresholds and stick screw drivers into the longs destroying the heater tubes. That is just the beginning.

jonathan
hwgunner

porwolf · 03-22-2012, 12:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Bob

If you are a PCA member, they will do one for free....the letterhead would be impressive as well.

Can also recommend PCA member free valuation. Got mine and my State Farm Insurance agent used it to get my classic car agreed value raised substantially from the original insurance value.

gshase · 03-22-2012, 12:43 PM

I would love to hear this DEA story from start to finish. It might even spur some interest that could help you in your battle with Big Government.

dlearl · dlearl's Garage

According to this thread, a '73 T is worth about a hundred grand. If you hurry, maybe you can get some of John's "appraisers" to help you out before he moves to the big house.

hwgunner · 03-22-2012, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dlearl

According to this thread, a '73 T is worth about a hundred grand. If you hurry, maybe you can get some of John's "appraisers" to help you out before he moves to the big house.

I saw that thread. Didn't read the whole thing but sounds like a bummer to say the least.

My car was not a perfect car to begin with but man did they do a number on it. Here is what it looked like the day I got it.

hwgunner · 03-22-2012, 04:15 PM

OK, here is the basic story. I know now that it was the DEA, not the FBI and they were actually looking for $1,000,000 or more in cash, not drugs.

So I am not sure where to start but I need to get this on papaer just so i have a record of it. I bought a 73 911T non sunroof car from 914 LTD. Brad was great and sent a bunch of pictures of the ratty old beast and i was hooked from the very first moment. I definitely could see the beauty within. Well, I looked all over for a transport company and called a couple guys that I had used in the past and got refered to Kity and her boyfriend. Very nice people and we struck up a deal. They were quick and the car got picked up today from the Body shop down the road from Brads shop. I called the body shop to make sure things were good and they said the car was pretty rough but was on the truck and down the road. Shortly after that i get a call from Kity confirming that the car was going to be here on Tuesday and that everything was going smooth. Now comes the good part. I am sitting here at about 5:10pm Cali time and I get another call from Kity. "Jonathan, this is Kity and i have some bad news". I imediately start laughing. I just knew it couldn't last. You see, I have had some pretty good luck for the last week, Mark got free lunches all week and can vouch, and knew it had to end somewhere. Kity says "We stopped at a truck stop just outside of Chicago and when we were walking back to the truck, several men approached us. The first one pulled out his badge and said he was with the FBI. He said he wanted to search the vehicles we were hauling and our truck." By this time I am rolling on the floor laughing my ass off from the fear that my dream car was no more. Kity went on to say that before they even got all the way to the truck she realized that there were about 6 vehicles surrounding the truck and about 15 undercover guys standing around. Next thing she knows there is a narco dog running around the car. What does the dog do? He sits down at the tail end of my 911 and pats his paw. DRUGS!!!!!!!!! At this point the FBI guys start swarming the car. They are inside, outside and under the car trying to figure out how to get the (rear) trunk open. Couldn't do it!!!!!!!!. So they keep sending the dog around the car and he keeps sitting down at the back of the car and pawing the ground. Kity says the dog did this about 10 times while the car was on the trailer. Finally the FBI tells Kity and her man that they have to follow them to an autobody shop so they can get the car off the trailer and search it better. Now, Kity sounds to me like she might be Puerto Rican (I had a PR girlfriend once) and from our initial negotiations i knew she was not going to take any crap from anyone. so at this point she takes out her cellphone and starts trying to take a few pictures. Phone confiscated!!! Kity then asks if she is going to get a receipt and or a case number and the guy tells her that she will. So Kity and her Boy friend head over the the bodyshop. At the body shop they are led into the waiting room as the 911 is being taken off the trailer. At some point Kity notices that they are getting a fork lift out to move the car around and lift up the back of the car. She tells me she sorta got mouthy and told one of the guys that she better get a receipt for all the damage they are doing and the guy says to her "Don't get cocky and go sit down". Now, mind you, this is all taking place over about a 4 hour time period. So the guys finally get the (rear) trunk open and find the motor. OK, so the dog goes around the cars a few more times and keeps allerting to the rear end of my car. By this time Kity decides that it is time to shut up, sorta, because it is pretty obvious that they are pissed off that is it is taking so long to find the DRUGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!! What do they do next?? Take out the motor and trans!!!! Inspect the motor and trans!!!!!!!!!! NOTHING!!!!!!!!!!! OK it appears that the last place they decided to look was INSIDE the tires, SLASHED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nothing. So now kitty notices that the number of guys standing around is getting fewer and fewer so she goes back out and asks if they found anything to which the guy said no. At this point, tires slashed, motor and trans out of the car she goes over to one of the shop guys and says somthing about putting everything back together and back on the truck. The shop guy looks at the head FBI guy and says "If I were an ASS i would make you do it yourself". He then started with his couple other guys to put things back together. so now my car is back on the truck and Kity goes up to the very pissed off FBI guy and demands a case report. He gives here a piece of paper with his name and a phone number and says that is all she is getting. Kity, not backing down again, says what about the damage you have done to my customers car and the tires and everything else to which, according to Kity, the FBI guy responded "tell your customer his car was a piece of **** to start with"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At this point Kity looks at the guy and just says "Sir, I hope you had a wonderful day" turns and walks away.

well is this true you might ask?? Kity gave me the number that the FBI guy gave her and sure enough it was the Chicago FBI headquarters. I can tell you from personal experience, I called, that the after hours phone system they have is a bit hard to navigate. kity is going to give me the numbers for the body shop and the tow company that were on hand tomorrow and I will be calling them on Monday.

Is everything Kity said true? I don't know. I tried to be as accurate as i could and I know that i paraphrased a bit but that is the story as i know it.

Last but not least....... The dog was wrong!

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

From personal experience, Dog's will lie.

tevake · 03-22-2012, 05:35 PM

You are going to end up thanking your lucky stars that this happened now instead of after you have gotten your new ride all put together and nice.

Rough start though, will be interesting to see if they ever treat you right and take of any damage they may have caused.

Hang in there with it
Richard

schumicat · 03-22-2012, 05:40 PM

they did all this without a warrant or forfeiture order supposedly? this story smells like what that puppy left in the hallway.

gshase · 03-22-2012, 05:53 PM

Did they adjust the clutch and test run the engine for leaks?

ancashion · 03-22-2012, 06:19 PM

Sweet! Feds just paid for your car to get overhauled!

Hugh R · 03-22-2012, 06:50 PM

Doubt it, you'll see $ in 100 years.

db_cooper · db_cooper's Garage

Be sure and remove the oil tank and inspect it...just saying..it been done before.

And for the Feds screwing up your 911 and the many 1000s of dollars cost in federal man hours and vendor expenses to the taxpayer.

Here is to them....

Joe Bob · Joe Bob's Garage

Hope you get more than your purchase price and transport costs.....btw the diamonds are in the oil tank.

alwaysflat6s · 03-22-2012, 06:58 PM

Jonathan.

First, if you can afford it, get a good lawyer.

If they will do this in this manner, they will do their damnedest to stiff you on this. Once they realized they had screwed up it should have been Kid Gloves time and it sounds like they intend to bulldoze their way out of this. If you can access it, read Sports Car Market, Legal Files and their article on a fed agent taking a Ferrari F50 for a joy ride and destroying it. It was evidence on a case that the legal owner allowed them to store it as evidence to make a better case. it was never supposed to be moved, much less driven. What did the feds do? Deny. It was denied in court for a variety of reasons that you would say "This cannot be!". It is still winding through appeals. So, you can put in a fair claim, but I will be surprised it you don't get a denial.

Make sure you get written documentation from any and all that are involved and witnessed what happened. If you wait, memories will dim and that can be used against your case.

I wish you the best...and DON'T TRUST ANYONE.

JR