Hey ccampit,
First off, I'm sorry to read about what happened to you. It's unfortunate that we have individuals in this world that commit the types of crimes, your ex has done to you. I just hope everything works out in your favor, and that you can move on with rebuilding your life; with the lessons your garner from this terrible experience.
Currently, I am trying to research what options you have available to you; concerning the matter of the vehicle, and will post any updates when I come across them. For now though- and from what I have gathered so far -a voluntary repossession is not a wise thing to do. It will have the same negative effect on your credit as a regular repossession would. This is mainly because you will still be held liable for the remaining loan amount- after auction -including the actual cost of the repossession. This is something they refer to as the "deficiency" balance. For more information about this, I reccomend this site:
Voluntary Repossession
Additionally, depending on what state the car was actually purchased in (I don't recall if you mentioned that or not), you might want to contact your state Attorney General (
NAAG | Welcome) or local consumer protection agency (
Consumer Action Handbook - ConsumerAction.gov Main Page) to learn more about your rights and the specific repossession requirements in your state. You can get the phone numbers for these organizations in your phone book, through directory assistance, or through Web directories.
Also, I recommend you post your exact questions and concerns on the above linked blog
Voluntary Repossession. The author appears to be pretty good at commenting in a timely fashion (plus he is well versed in case law for the State of Florida).
Beyond that, I think Vince's suggestion will work in the interim; though his suggestion implies you having to be there in person to over see it of course (which I am not sure is an option for you or not). Please continue to do what you can, and do not let this individual get away with this any longer.
As an aside (and more of an emotional rant)- I Thank God! that nothing like this has happened to me; 'cause honestly, I would have been all over the news, acting a complete and utter fool that day, right along with him. How dare he have the unmitigated gall to pull some crap like that! And don't get me started about the whole apartment thing. Let's just say Miami Beach would have had a brand new car wash that day. I would have razed the whole thing to the ground, along with him in it! But I digress... it did not happen to me.:redface:
Good Luck kind sir! And please keep us posted.
Regards,
T.D.
Ciao-