help with cars

[scrate36]

hwlp with cars. first of all i live in ca. on our forms we filed for chapter 7 we put down that together our cars are worht 4000. Problem is that her car needs approximately 1200 in repairs and is barely running. My car needs about 1800 in repairs but is running ok. Tomorrow we go for our 341 meeting. We are concerned that they will make us surrender our cars as we own both of them ( meening we have the titles). However thsi will leave us in a worse situatuon as she works 32miles away from home and i work 42 miles away from home the opposite way. Now we both agree that we would not care if we would lose her car as it hardly runs however we are concerned with my car as it runs better and is worth more. Would the courts make us sell the cars or give them up to them. Is there any way to save the vehicles even if they hardly run. As if we were to be ordered to sell them or give them to the courts we would have to buy cars to go to work with money we do not have and credit that is torn up.

[StaciMM]

Each state has an exemption amount-I believe you posted that it was $2400 and you filed jointly? You should be fine. Even if CA does not double the exemption for joint filing (not likely) with what you have described, it wouldn't be worth the trustee's time & effort to bother with your cars.

Be prepared, though, by having documentation of the condition of the vehicles for the 341, so he doesn't think you're intentionally under-quoting their value.