You should take the vin # and have it traced to the owner.  Or the last 
registered owner and hunt the present owner from there if they are not 
the same.  You can have the vin run at the main office of Your motor 
vechicle department.  The last registered owner of the car can have a 
duplicate title printed for the VW.
Indiana Pez

On Sat, 21 Sep 1996, Northcoast Internet wrote:

> Richard Alexand Palmer wrote:
> 
> >   All these are opportunities for the Air Cooled Search and Rescue Team. Some
> > of you are already members, without knowing it. It's the concept of fellow
> > Listmember Bob Hufford, a rescuer himself. We've all driven down a back road at
> > some time, and seen the familiar friendly shape of a splitty or Bug, and wished
> > we could give it a good home. Many of us even do try to give it a good home, or
> > at least pass it along to someone else who will love it and treat it right.
> >   They aren't making any more of them, and it's such a shame to see the ones
> > still around falling to pieces. We must do what we can to save them all. Bring
> > them into your driveways! Never mind what the wife/husband/kids will say. Never
> > mind the neighbors- they probably already think you're crazy!
> 
> What are the legal ramifications/issues involved in rescuing 
> an abandoned vehicle? I have had my eye on a bug carcass 
> sitting in the middle of a feild for a couple of weeks now. 
> The feild is really more of a semi vacant lot with a half 
> collapsed house on it. I could just load it onto a trailer, 
> but I would want to register it someday...and not get busted 
> for auto theft.
> 
> any thoughts?
>