Sold a car and new owners did not register it. NEED HELP!

[Bryophyte]

I got a notice a year and a half after selling a car that the registration needed to be renewed. The new owner never registered it. Luckily, I still had some emails from the guy that gave his info (at least his name and phone number) and the agreement to buy the vehicle, so I printed them and took the info to the DMV and they said they would take it from there and that our names would be taken off the title. Never heard back from the DMV and it's been about 9 months, so I think they took care of it.

What's funny is that we sold it to someone who works at the same place my spouse does, and when we sent him an email telling him that we were going to turn the matter over to the DMV, he told us that he only owned it for one month and sold it to someone else (so he thought that he didn't have to register it because the new guy would). Strangely enough, the guy we sold it to was still driving it to work 17 months after he supposedly sold it (my spouse saw him in the parking lot almost every day.) He's still driving it, 9 months after we contacted him. Was he stupid enough to think that my spouse wouldn't notice it even though they worked on the same campus?

 

[skyking]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: skyking
In my state, there is a neat thing called a "seller's report".
File that the day you sell it with the ID, name and address of the buyer, and you are off the hook.

Provided they match up to a real person. Bill of sale and copy of their ID is usually not enough to prove a sale if the person doesn't exist and then goes on a carmaggedon rampage through a shopping mall.

As a seller, it is your responsibility to check the buyer's driver's license. If you get took by a fake, at least you did your due diligence.

 

[Bryophyte]

Originally posted by: Kalvin00
No bill of sale required here, but the title has this nifty little portion that is titled 'Release of Interest in Vehicle'

They don't do that there....?

That's what we do here. In the future, I'll be taking the title to the DMV myself, or with the buyers if they don't trust me any more than I trust them.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: skyking

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: skyking
In my state, there is a neat thing called a "seller's report".
File that the day you sell it with the ID, name and address of the buyer, and you are off the hook.

Provided they match up to a real person. Bill of sale and copy of their ID is usually not enough to prove a sale if the person doesn't exist and then goes on a carmaggedon rampage through a shopping mall.

As a seller, it is your responsibility to check the buyer's driver's license. If you get took by a fake, at least you did your due diligence.

Like I said...they have procedures. Doing a bill of sale and getting a copy of a fake ID will not save your ass from legal issues if your vehicle is involved in a crime.

If so, it would be easy to make up a bill of sale to Heywood Jablomee and an ID to go along with it. Once scanned in, an ID is easy to fake in printed formats.

 

[skyking]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: skyking

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: skyking
In my state, there is a neat thing called a "seller's report".
File that the day you sell it with the ID, name and address of the buyer, and you are off the hook.

Provided they match up to a real person. Bill of sale and copy of their ID is usually not enough to prove a sale if the person doesn't exist and then goes on a carmaggedon rampage through a shopping mall.

As a seller, it is your responsibility to check the buyer's driver's license. If you get took by a fake, at least you did your due diligence.

Like I said...they have procedures. Doing a bill of sale and getting a copy of a fake ID will not save your ass from legal issues if your vehicle is involved in a crime.

If so, it would be easy to make up a bill of sale to Heywood Jablomee and an ID to go along with it. Once scanned in, an ID is easy to fake in printed formats.

the seller's report IS the procedure.

 

[weirdichi]

Updated.

 

[Rage187]

wow, WTF

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: skyking

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: skyking

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: skyking
In my state, there is a neat thing called a "seller's report".
File that the day you sell it with the ID, name and address of the buyer, and you are off the hook.

Provided they match up to a real person. Bill of sale and copy of their ID is usually not enough to prove a sale if the person doesn't exist and then goes on a carmaggedon rampage through a shopping mall.

As a seller, it is your responsibility to check the buyer's driver's license. If you get took by a fake, at least you did your due diligence.

Like I said...they have procedures. Doing a bill of sale and getting a copy of a fake ID will not save your ass from legal issues if your vehicle is involved in a crime.

If so, it would be easy to make up a bill of sale to Heywood Jablomee and an ID to go along with it. Once scanned in, an ID is easy to fake in printed formats.

the seller's report IS the procedure.

I agree it's the procedure...but I don't buy you are off the hook even though they state it should your car be involved in a subsequent crime you cannot prove you had nothing to do with.

 

[Squisher]

Michigan now requires the seller to fill in his portion and have the buyer fill in his portion of the title including signature then the seller is also required to make a copy of filled out title.

This is something new. Previously, as a seller you just signed the title.

 

[DrPizza]

Something I don't understand - and maybe it's because I live in NY,

How can they drive the vehicle around if they don't register it? You people in other states aren't required to remove the plates and the registration sticker; and turn those in to the DMV immediately? You can always steal plates, but I can't see how you could get a registration sticker without registering it, and you'd be nailed by the police the 1st time you drove past them without the sticker.

 

[waggy]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Something I don't understand - and maybe it's because I live in NY,

How can they drive the vehicle around if they don't register it? You people in other states aren't required to remove the plates and the registration sticker; and turn those in to the DMV immediately? You can always steal plates, but I can't see how you could get a registration sticker without registering it, and you'd be nailed by the police the 1st time you drove past them without the sticker.

easy.

i have a old plates. i don't have to turn in the plates (sopposed to but who does?). i get the car and put old plates on.

plates need to be renewed. i get a form in the mail and send it in and get new sticker.


of course the plates are registered to a fod and im driving a chevy.

 

[sniperruff]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Something I don't understand - and maybe it's because I live in NY,

How can they drive the vehicle around if they don't register it? You people in other states aren't required to remove the plates and the registration sticker; and turn those in to the DMV immediately? You can always steal plates, but I can't see how you could get a registration sticker without registering it, and you'd be nailed by the police the 1st time you drove past them without the sticker.

here in NYC im sure you can get some sort of temporary plates... or usually the previous owners will just leave you the old plate/sticker in goodwill so you can drive to the DMV and get your own.

 

[RaiderJ]

I sold my old truck to a friend who then sold it to another friend who was then arrested on a DUI. Luckily I turned in my part of the title - so if it had been a serious crime I wouldn't have had a problem, but my friend who didn't re-register the title would have had a problem.

 

[thomsbrain]

Bummer! Yeah, I was lucky enough to learn about this from the internet of all places. When I sold my last car, I trusted the buyer to register the car in her name, but I got a really good vibe from her and her parents were helping her buy the car, so I didn't insist on a group DMV trip to get it taken care of.

I hope it all works out for you.

 

[AndrewR]

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: skyking

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: skyking

Originally posted by: alkemyst

Originally posted by: skyking
In my state, there is a neat thing called a "seller's report".
File that the day you sell it with the ID, name and address of the buyer, and you are off the hook.

Provided they match up to a real person. Bill of sale and copy of their ID is usually not enough to prove a sale if the person doesn't exist and then goes on a carmaggedon rampage through a shopping mall.

As a seller, it is your responsibility to check the buyer's driver's license. If you get took by a fake, at least you did your due diligence.

Like I said...they have procedures. Doing a bill of sale and getting a copy of a fake ID will not save your ass from legal issues if your vehicle is involved in a crime.

If so, it would be easy to make up a bill of sale to Heywood Jablomee and an ID to go along with it. Once scanned in, an ID is easy to fake in printed formats.

the seller's report IS the procedure.

I agree it's the procedure...but I don't buy you are off the hook even though they state it should your car be involved in a subsequent crime you cannot prove you had nothing to do with.

If you're a reasonably upstanding citizen and have done the paperwork that you're supposed to, then it's unlikely the police will hassle you. a) You have a bill of sale and perhaps a copy of the passed title (with your signature assigning the title), b) you're not someone who ordinarily would be under suspicion for a crime, and c) you have a new(er) car that you just purchased to replace the sold one. Since police resources are limited, they are going to waste time pursuing a dead end.

If you live in the projects, routinely get rounded up by the police, and greet your friends with cryptic hand signals, perhaps you should be worried.

 

[Jessica69]

Fortunately, this is rarely an issue for us.........our state has the license plate follow the owner of the plate, not the car. So, when you sell a car privately, you sign over the title, sign the registration and give the purchaser a copy of it (never the original....and states such on the registration anyway), we also add in a bill of sale for each person, and then remove the license plate. The buyer has 30 days to reregister the vehicle and obtain a new plate. His copy of the signed, dated title transferring ownership to him is his proof that he owns the vehicle and has XX days, up to 30, to get it transferred, which absolves him from being ticketed by the cops.

Naturally, he needs to provide his own insurance, but that's on his own, too.

 

[Bryophyte]

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Something I don't understand - and maybe it's because I live in NY,

How can they drive the vehicle around if they don't register it? You people in other states aren't required to remove the plates and the registration sticker; and turn those in to the DMV immediately? You can always steal plates, but I can't see how you could get a registration sticker without registering it, and you'd be nailed by the police the 1st time you drove past them without the sticker.

Unless you have personalized plates, they stay on the vehicle you sold in Oregon.

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: funkymatt
didn't the title have a bill of sale/relinquish ownership portion you sent to the DMV?

That's what we do in California, too.

MotionMan

 

[MotionMan]

Originally posted by: Bryophyte

Originally posted by: DrPizza
Something I don't understand - and maybe it's because I live in NY,

How can they drive the vehicle around if they don't register it? You people in other states aren't required to remove the plates and the registration sticker; and turn those in to the DMV immediately? You can always steal plates, but I can't see how you could get a registration sticker without registering it, and you'd be nailed by the police the 1st time you drove past them without the sticker.

Unless you have personalized plates, they stay on the vehicle you sold in Oregon.

Same thing here is California. If they are sequential plates, they go with the car.

MotionMan

 

[Maer]

Maer...? No need to reopen a thread that is 9 years old... Do not do it again...

AT Moderator
Bartman39



I have the similar situation like @alkemyst. I've also sold my car and the guy said the he wanted to register it to his mother name, and car was saturn. What should I do now? Should I go to DMV office and explain the situation?

 

[highland145]

I have the similar situation like @alkemyst. I've also sold my car and the guy said the he wanted to register it to his mother name, and car was saturn. What should I do now? Should I go to DMV office and explain the situation?

Too bad Alk's banned or he could just ask the guy's Mom for you.

 

[Maer]

if he is banned it is bad

Too bad Alk's banned or he could just ask the guy's Mom for you.

 

[bruceb]

You should have wrote up a Bill Of Sale, had both you and the buyer sign it. Then keep a copy or Photocopy of it. Same with the Title after you signed it over, keep a copy of it showing the Buyer and Sales Date. And I hope you took your Plates off the car. Never sell a car with plates on it that are in your name.

 

[Maer]

Thank you for response.Yes, I took number plates, but I did not take a photocopy of the signed title

 

[deadlyapp]

You should have wrote up a Bill Of Sale, had both you and the buyer sign it. Then keep a copy or Photocopy of it. Same with the Title after you signed it over, keep a copy of it showing the Buyer and Sales Date. And I hope you took your Plates off the car. Never sell a car with plates on it that are in your name.

Despite this thread being a necro, what you're saying is wrong and not correct for every state.

State of California the plates stay with the car. Seller detaches a portion of the title and sends it to the DMV to remove themselves from the record. If the buyer never registers the car, then the DMV goes after them.