Legal Question in Real Estate Law in California

No. Sorry - it doesn't work that way. If a towing company tows it, it may go to auction at their yard, at which time you can buy it.

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Short answer No. If the vehicle was parked on your property and you properly noticed the registered owner of the vehicle that it was on your property and incurring charges for storage then after a 75 day period you could file a lien sale. Otherwise a vehicle parked on a public street can only be dealt with by the proper authorities.

If you can ever identify the registered owner and/or the lienholder (if any), you can negotiate with them to buy it, but there is no "finders keepers" provision in the law for automobiles that are left on public streets by their owners.

You may be thinking of the adverse possession laws applying to real property. There's nothing analogous for automobiles.

The "finders keepers" principle applies to lost-and-found property where there is no reasonable chance to determine the true owner. If you find a $100 bill on the pavement on a windy day, you can probably keep it without wronging anyone. If you find a wallet with $100 and a piece of identification, you should make an effort to find the person and return the money and the wallet, and if you keep it without trying to return the lost property, you are committing theft. (I think you can also just put it back where you found it, and that there is no obligation to be a good samaritan). With motor vehicles, the VIN will allow the authorities to determine who is the owner of record and to make an appropriate return or other disposition.