# How Long to Let an Abandoned Car Sit... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 27, 2011, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-let-an-abandoned-car-sit/600978 "2011-10-27T16:28:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-let-an-abandoned-car-sit/600978/21 "2011-10-28T20:14:30Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > How can she not move it? It pisses me off when people can’t move their car, at least a little. Put it in neutral, get out, and push the fucking car. I’ve done it, and I’m not a strong girl! > > Call the cops. The OP said “old beater”, so naturally, I’m picturing in my head a 1966 Chrysler Newport. Ever tried to push a 1966 Newport? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-let-an-abandoned-car-sit/600978/22 "2011-10-28T20:25:33Z")
> [@Omar\_Little](#): > > It sounds like its a public street where it’s parked. 24 hours isn’t even remotely long enough before I would consider calling the City on a parked car. I’d wait about a week. If the bumper is blocking the driveway even a bit, it’s illegally parked. I’d say call the police (the non-emergency number obviously) and tell them about it. Call today, that is, not wait the week. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-let-an-abandoned-car-sit/600978/23 "2011-10-28T20:34:27Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > The OP said “old beater”, so naturally, I’m picturing in my head a 1966 Chrysler Newport. Ever tried to push a 1966 Newport? 🙂 I have pushed a late 80s Chevy Blazer. All 4500 lbs of it. Not easy, but not impossible for a typically strong 30-ish guy. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [October 28, 2011, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-let-an-abandoned-car-sit/600978/24 "2011-10-28T22:48:40Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > The OP said “old beater”, so naturally, I’m picturing in my head a 1966 Chrysler Newport. Ever tried to push a 1966 Newport? 🙂 My very first car was a 1967 Chrysler Newport. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-let-an-abandoned-car-sit/600978/25 "2011-10-29T02:24:28Z")
> [@jasonh300](#): > > The OP said “old beater”, so naturally, I’m picturing in my head a 1966 Chrysler Newport. Ever tried to push a 1966 Newport? 🙂 No, but I DON’T CARE. I mean, ok. It’s one thing if your big honkin’ SUV stalls out in traffic and you can’t push it by yourself. In this case, though, I think someone could have come back with her and at least helped her unblock someone else’s driveway. What really annoys me is, and I see this at least once a month, someone’s car broken down in a main lane of traffic, and they are just sitting there. And it’s a sedan. And it’s almost always a young arrogant man talking on his cellphone. You are not too important to get out and push! I used to have this horrible beater car that stalled out. You bet your ass I pushed it out of traffic. Grumble, grumble. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-let-an-abandoned-car-sit/600978/26 "2011-10-29T04:55:22Z")
And, this car was a little compact Chevy someting-or-other. Yeah, unless she had a really bad back she could have moved it a foot or so. I had a 1970 Ford Galaxy 500 that I had to push a couple of times when I was younger. Once out of a drive thru. Have you eve seen a Galaxy 500? The damned things were BOATS. Anyway… it’s gone now, thankfully. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-let-an-abandoned-car-sit/600978/27 "2011-10-29T20:25:57Z")
Not _quite_ over… Just had the woman that left the car sit knock on my door and ask if I had seen anyone messing around with it… She had left it unlocked :smack: with 2 packs of cigarettes and a tiger lighter with sentimental value on the front seat and they were stolen. Wait… let me put on my shock face. :rolleyes: She kept asking me over and over and over like she didn’t believe me or thought _I_ stole them. I told her I am really not home all that much, didn’t sit and stare at the damned car (well, I didn’t say it quite like that… 😛 ) and live TWO BLOCKS from a high school with teenagers walking up and down the street all the time. I am gone from 1 PM till about 11:30 every night. The car was an easy target. If she was worried about her smokes and the sentimental value lighter then she should have A.) taken them with her or B.) locked the damned car. People amaze me… ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-let-an-abandoned-car-sit/600978/28 "2011-10-29T20:33:36Z")
> [@PapSett](#): > > Not _quite_ over… > Just had the woman that left the car sit knock on my door and ask if I had seen anyone messing around with it… She had left it unlocked :smack: with 2 packs of cigarettes and a tiger lighter with sentimental value on the front seat and they were stolen. > > Wait… let me put on my shock face. :rolleyes: > > She kept asking me over and over and over like she didn’t believe me or thought _I_ stole them. I told her I am really not home all that much, didn’t sit and stare at the damned car (well, I didn’t say it quite like that… 😛 ) and live TWO BLOCKS from a high school with teenagers walking up and down the street all the time. I am gone from 1 PM till about 11:30 every night. The car was an easy target. > > If she was worried about her smokes and the sentimental value lighter then she should have A.) taken them with her or B.) locked the damned car. > > People amaze me… Not your problem. And TBH, she’ll probably find them in her pocket or something. I’ve never known a smoker to leave their smokes in the car for too long. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-let-an-abandoned-car-sit/600978/29 "2011-10-29T20:58:31Z")
> [@](#): > > She kept asking me over and over and over like she didn’t believe me or thought _I_ stole them. I told her I am really not home all that much, didn’t sit and stare at the damned car (well, I didn’t say it quite like that… 😛 ) and live TWO BLOCKS from a high school with teenagers walking up and down the street all the time. I am gone from 1 PM till about 11:30 every night. The car was an easy target. While I can understand why you would want her to know that you weren’t watching her car, I think it was unwise of you to let her know that your house was unattended during those times. ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-let-an-abandoned-car-sit/600978/30 "2011-10-29T21:10:57Z")
Oh NO!!! I didn’t give her the hours, just said that I am not home all the time, I am in & out! I just put the hours here for emphasis! I’m also sure it did not hurt that I had a big, black dog standing silently on either side of me, both just…watching her. ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-let-an-abandoned-car-sit/600978/31 "2011-10-29T21:17:18Z")
Dogs are notorious smokers, given half a chance. I bet one of them took her smokes and lighter. ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-let-an-abandoned-car-sit/600978/32 "2011-10-29T21:18:16Z")
> [@PapSett](#): > > Not _quite_ over… > Just had the woman that left the car sit knock on my door and ask if I had seen anyone messing around with it… She had left it unlocked :smack: with 2 packs of cigarettes and a tiger lighter with sentimental value on the front seat and they were stolen. > > Wait… let me put on my shock face. :rolleyes: > > She kept asking me over and over and over like she didn’t believe me or thought _I_ stole them. I told her I am really not home all that much, didn’t sit and stare at the damned car (well, I didn’t say it quite like that… 😛 ) and live TWO BLOCKS from a high school with teenagers walking up and down the street all the time. I am gone from 1 PM till about 11:30 every night. The car was an easy target. > > If she was worried about her smokes and the sentimental value lighter then she should have A.) taken them with her or B.) locked the damned car. > > People amaze me… LOL! Someone who is so rattled by having a car break down they don’t make an effort to move the car to a convenient place, don’t talk to the person whose driveway they are blocking before taking off and don’t lock the damn car with valuables in it probably shouldn’t be allowed to have nice things like beater cars. :rolleyes: Was she, like, 16 or something? ---
**Author:** ![PapSett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecc23a/32.png) [@PapSett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PapSett)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-let-an-abandoned-car-sit/600978/33 "2011-10-29T22:26:04Z")
Nope, probably in her 40’s or thereabouts. Looked like she’s been rode hard and put up wet, if you know what I mean… ---
**Author:** ![chiroptera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/df705f/32.png) [@chiroptera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chiroptera)\ **Post date:** [October 29, 2011, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-let-an-abandoned-car-sit/600978/34 "2011-10-29T22:33:01Z")
> [@PapSett](#): > > Nope, probably in her 40’s or thereabouts. Looked like she’s been rode hard and put up wet, if you know what I mean… Ha, yep know exactly. Glad she got her car back… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-let-an-abandoned-car-sit/600978/35 "2011-10-30T01:20:14Z")
> [@PapSett](#): > > Oh NO!!! I didn’t give her the hours, just said that I am not home all the time, I am in & out! I just put the hours here for emphasis! > > I’m also sure it did not hurt that I had a big, black dog standing silently on either side of me, both just…watching her. OK, actually, letting her know that you’re in and out all the time is a good thing. And so is having large black dogs staring at her. Because even if you’re not home, more than likely the dogs ARE at home, and would like a new chew toy. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [October 30, 2011, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-let-an-abandoned-car-sit/600978/36 "2011-10-30T15:45:23Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > Dogs are notorious smokers, given half a chance. I bet one of them took her smokes and lighter. First time I’ve laughed out loud at a post in weeks. Thanks. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-to-let-an-abandoned-car-sit/600978.md?page=1)