Happygilmore_1964
New Member
- Jurisdiction
- Georgia
My ex wife passed away almost 2 years ago. At the time of her death, she had been paying on a car for approximately 6 years and at some point (years before her death) had renegotiated the terms of her loan. The car is a 2008 Honda Accord. I'm not sure if it matters, but around 2012 she hit a deer and the car sustained severe damage. Surprisingly, her insurance company did not total the car and it paid for the repairs. Anyway, the car has been sitting in my driveway since her death. I wasn't aware that she even had an outstanding loan on the car, something I found out 8 months after her death when I tried to move the car out of the way but couldn't find the key. It took several hours of research, but I finally found the company that financed the car in order to have a new key made. They refused to allow a new key made unless someone paid the (new) debt which includes additional fines and other fees. Although my ex wife never missed a payment nor was she late on a payment prior to her death, I'm being told that the finance company requires $15,000.00 to gain title to the car. It's been nearly 6 months since we provided a copy of the death certificate to the finance company and they have yet to repossess the car. The car has been blocking my garage for well over 2 years now (even prior to hear death). I'm not sure what to do next. It's not worth the price the company is asking for payoff...the estate is out of probate...I cannot find a key to the car (it's apparently chipped?). Can I begin to charge the finance company for storage fees? I also don't understand why they are asking to sell the car for a virtually new, off-the-lot price, as though she never paid a dime toward it. Help?