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Ok here goes guys, big deep breath.

Datsun was found under a cover (not in a shed as I was initially told) by a guy out in his four wheel drive. It was camouflaged by pine trees and had probably been there since the day it began appearing in the media...........

All manuals compendiums etc were taken as was the key making it next to worthless in my opinion

No word from Shannons yet they collected it from the police station this afternoon I believe.

It had one very flat tyre and is carrying much mud inside the car and out from all reports where the a$$holes have done their best impersonation of Colin McCrash :-( sadly without the crash.

My gut feel is that it will show up at an Auction in Tasmania at some stage in the near future, not sure if I want to see it, my Dad did not take any photos of the car as he thought it would upset me to much. This reflects the fact that even though I called it a dirty old Datsun to me it was way more significant than that, I had wanted one since I saw Jim Richards road car at an ATCC round in 1991, had one and despite the high km it was in reasonable mechanical condition.

I am also not sure how Shannons will sell it without the key it seems a big punt for someone to take, but that is the game of life I guess.

Currently I am over cars though I did see some very nice English cars on the weekend, though a 4.5L supercharged Bentley is a little out of my price range sadly.

enjoy your cars guys, go have some fun in your Datsun for me :-)

Cheers Alex

Ok here goes guys, big deep breath.

Datsun was found under a cover (not in a shed as I was initially told) by a guy out in his four wheel drive. It was camouflaged by pine trees and had probably been there since the day it began appearing in the media...........

All manuals compendiums etc were taken as was the key making it next to worthless in my opinion

No word from Shannons yet they collected it from the police station this afternoon I believe.

It had one very flat tyre and is carrying much mud inside the car and out from all reports where the a$$holes have done their best impersonation of Colin McCrash :-( sadly without the crash.

My gut feel is that it will show up at an Auction in Tasmania at some stage in the near future, not sure if I want to see it, my Dad did not take any photos of the car as he thought it would upset me to much. This reflects the fact that even though I called it a dirty old Datsun to me it was way more significant than that, I had wanted one since I saw Jim Richards road car at an ATCC round in 1991, had one and despite the high km it was in reasonable mechanical condition.

I am also not sure how Shannons will sell it without the key it seems a big punt for someone to take, but that is the game of life I guess.

Currently I am over cars though I did see some very nice English cars on the weekend, though a 4.5L supercharged Bentley is a little out of my price range sadly.

enjoy your cars guys, go have some fun in your Datsun for me :-)

Cheers Alex

Firstly, I'm sure I speak for the majority on the forum in thanking you for the update...........

Apart from the flat tyre, have you been able to ascertain how much (if any) damage to the car?

The loss of the compendium and books etc does effect the value but by no means does is make it worthless.

An automotive locksmith should be able to remove the ignition barrel and cut a key to suit so I'm sure that's not a deal breaker.

Everything happens for a reason but it make take some time for the puzzle to make sense.

If I were you I'd just wait, but keep in contact with Shannons and follow whatever path the car takes from here.

I'm thinking they may clean her up and put it into their Melbourne auction where it would get a lot more exposure.

As I said from the start, thanks for the update.

Bob.

I wouldn't be disheartened alex. Yes it is a shame but even better than this is that u were fortunate enough to locate it.

Regarding the key, a locksmith can match a new key to your ignition barrel as I did the same with my dato 1600 back in the day. You simply get a new genuine gtr key and the job is done :)

If u are over it, I do understand this as well.

If I were u, tell Shannon's u want to buy it back before they auction it and u may just pick up a bargain fingers crossed

Update...................

Shannon's Insurance will not allow me to buy the car back, it has to go to Auction.

In my efforts to recover more than the 'true' value of the vehicle I inadvertently managed to get Capricorn Mutual to have to pay Shannons the amount they had paid me due to their admission of the panel beater being at fault, when I initially spoke to Shannon's they were not going to chase this amount................

so Panel Beater gets off Scott free Shannon's makes a profit once my vehicle is sold at auction and I am left to rue the actions that were totally outside my control. The fact the car was in a very secure place when in storage and it was only ever driven sedately meant that the under insured value was for an accident mainly and I perceived that as an allowable risk which I was able to control. The fact that it all happened totally outside of my control shits me to tears.

When you have a Lawyer say to you yes he was negligent in his duty of care to you as a customer but it would be hard to win the case does not help one little bit.

Cheers Alex

Edited by no_gtr_yet

You never know..... you may get it back at a bargain price.

The market is very soft at the moment so the chances of it selling at a premium are next to zero.

Did they give you an idea as to where they will auction it? I think it would be Melbourne so please keep us updated.

Cheers,

Bob.

Bargain price or not the whole saga leaves a very very very bad taste in my mouth :-(

I will have to send someone along to the Auction armed with my cheque book in a last ditch attempt to minimize my losses.

If you see a wine red Datsun at an Auction and there is a 5"5' elderly gent bidding on it go up and say hello Adrian as it will be my Dad :-) I will be out in the middle of nowhere trying to recoup the loss from this whole sorry saga.

Next Saturday I will put an add in the local paper saying something about a reward ($500) for the compendium & key no questions asked and see how that goes long shot but worth a try

Our family of which two are here on SAU can understand how violated you feel.

We had 4 cars stolen within a 3.5 yr period and by the last one (which was investigated at the behest of the insurance co), we had to prove ourselves innocent. It took 6 weeks before clearance and payout.

its not much more though as i looked at the delta, we are only talking an extra few hundred.

i dont know how shannons can get away with insuring these ADM's for 30k when they have sold them on their public facing website for over 50k...

looks like the car has turned up at pickles

http://www.pickles.c...yline/302053289

Gee... you think that they would have at least given it a bit of a tub and vacuum.

I think you will have a pretty good chance in getting her back at a fair price.

I can't see a Pickles auction in Tasmania creating a huge demand.

Bob.

Thats been for the last couple of years.

I never tried to insure it for anymore, just what it owes me. Obviously the more you insure the more exoensive the premium.

Even if you insure it for $55K the Premium won't be very much more "R"

They just need to understand that you have a appreciating asset

Yes my Dad won the Auction armed with my now very very bent cheque book.........................

it is a big gamble as the mechanical condition remains unknown :-(

but at the same time it has been my car for 11.5 years, so it has great sentimental as opposed to real value

there are still a couple of things to be sorted it has been a major stress particularly for my poor old parents

A mate that was there was amazed the price went up so quickly, Dad did not enter until the death knell he could not get a bid in.

Cheers Alex

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