How-To
Become a Repo Man
Repossession or recovery agents frequently must locate automobiles and other vehicles whose buyers have failed to make required loan payments to the lienholder, or in some states, whose buyers fail to maintain required insurance coverage while making payments for the vehicle.
The repossessed vehicles may later be returned to the buyers if all due payments and fines are paid; otherwise, they may be returned to the creditor or sold at public auction.
For more information on laws regarding vehicle repossession, see the Federal Trade Commission Web site.
For further information on repossession agents and companies near you, see Repo-Links.com, or read the Boston Magazine article “Repo Man.”
Tools of the trade
There are two options a recovery agent has to repossess a vehicle. The first is to make contact with the debtors who have failed to make timely payments, and convince them peacefully to hand over the keys to the vehicle.
If the debtor cannot be located, or will not cooperate with the recovery agent, then the second option is to locate the vehicle to be repossessed and tow it away when the buyer is not present. This may also involve picking the locks to gain entry to the vehicle, in order to disengage the parking break.
There are two basic methods of opening a locked car. The first is to use a Slim Jim or similar hook-type device to disengage the lock mechanism within the door. The other method is to manually pick the lock or to use a set of automotive jiggler keys, which are generic keys that can be used to open many popular brands of car locks.
To quietly move a parked automobile without having the keys, a Go Jack may be used to lift each tire off the ground, allowing the vehicle to be pushed out of its parking space to a location where it can be picked up by a tow truck.
Repo Men on video
To see real-life recovery agents in action, see the DVD “Repo Men Uncensored.”
The TV series “Repo Men: Stealing for a Living,” produced by The Learning Channel and hosted by Vincent Pastore (of “The Sopranos”), follows real-life recovery agents across the country as they do their jobs. Check your local listings for times and channels.
Also see the series “Operation Repo” on truTV, produced by EGA Productions, featuring real-life repo man Lou Pizzaro and his company.
For a fictional depiction of the profession, see the classic 1984 film “Repo Man,” starring Emilio Estevez and Harry Dean Stanton, on DVD or as a digital download.
See more repo man videos on SecretAgent.TV.
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