Titling a vehicle

[A1cntrler]

So I bought a car from a guy in California. He mails me the title and bill of sale. There is a problem...it is a PA title, and it has the original owners name on it transferring it to the guy I bought it from. This transcation took place in Sept. of 2004. I guess he never took the title in to get it transferred to his name, but he drove the car and had CA plates on it?? Confusing to me..



Virginia will not take this 3rd party title and put it in my name even though I have a bill of sale with both the sellers and my name on it as well as the VIN number.



If I send him the title back to get it titled in CA, will he have to pay some sort of penalty or back taxes on this inorder to get a title in his name so he can transfer it to me???

 

[Tom Schindler]

Sounds like something isn't right. Sounds like he is title jumping and is illegal. He needs to transfer the title into his name, pay any aplicable tax's, then mail you the new title and bill of sale.



IIRC, PA titles have the option to have the vehicle sold over and over, but each seller must be a dealer. If they are not a dealer, they can not sell the vehicle unless they have the title transfered into their name.





Tom

 

[Richard L]

I never buy a used car without visually examining the title. That solves several potential problems. 1. It tells me that the titles is clear. 2. That the title is not a "Salvage Title", and 3. That I am purchasing the vehicle from the rightful owner.



Most states will not take a "Third Party" title because it can be a very shady deal...especially if the original owner did not really sell or sign the title over to the second party. The second party always has the excuse that they never registered it because they never got around to doing it, or something just as lame.



The guy you bought the vehicle may have aquired it legally, but you may never know. He has an obligation to get the title put into his name before he sells the vehicle.



I would contact him and tell him that he will have to have the title transfered into his name before he can sell it. If he refuses, you only option is to take him to court!



As far as the state is concerned...The original owner still owns the vehicle. If the vehicle is involved in an accident or robbery they are going to be looking for owner #1, so he is sticking his neck out too because owner #2 has failed to have the title changed into his name.



...Rich

 

[Steve Krusich]

Tom is right!!! Something is fishy...sounds like the guy was trying to avoid taxes and transfer fees and likely used a license plate from another vehicle. Good luck....he is not going to like it when you ask him to pay the fees he thought he avoided!

 

[Rodger Tellefson]

Cayman is right about something being fishy. You might get the DA in CA involved either from the city that he supposedly resides in or the CA State DA, and the CA Dept. of Motor Vehicles. Also, contact your local police and have the run a check on the vehicle.

 

[A1cntrler]

I called him and spoke with him about it. He says he didn't know that the title would not be transferrable to me. The bill of sale basically said that it was from him to me. (BOS was from a lawyer, but still really basic) He offered to give me a couple of hundred bucks back and will fix the title problem. The only miles he had put on it were from PA to CA, and then 20 miles around his town, and 35 miles from his place to the shipping station. The mileage from the title when he bought it to the odometer statement add up, so I don't think he is trying to swindle me. He had about 10 of these cars and bought them all to fix up (him and his son) and he has another 4th kid on the way. His wife was on him to move them out. Guess she thinks they needed the money or the space..



He never titled the car because it was not really used. It was intended to be the car that him and his son were going to fix up/restore. He hasn't sold any of his other cars yet, but now that he know this will be a problem he is goign to get all the titles he has transferred to his name.. I don't know how or why someone would have so many titles yet not put them in thier name...

 

[Rick Kent]

He is avoiding the massive registration fees that California charges on each vehicle.

 

[Richard L]

Usually, just transferring the ownership (application for a new title) only cost about $10-$15, in most states. It does not require you to Register the vehicle to drive it on the street. That's what is expensive because you have to pay the registration fee, have insurance, get the vehicle safety inspected and/or smog tested. To change the title is usually not that expensive In some states you don't even have to pay sales tax on the purchase price unless you actually register it to drive.



Some states do require that you transfer the title within some specific amount of time or you will have to pay some pentalties fees. If he let it go that long, then he deserves to pay the fees.



He would not have a leg to stand on in court. He sold a car that you cannot get a title in your name. He would have to give you your money back, plus court costs and expenses, and he will probably still have to pay the penalty fees anyway!



...Rich

 

[Gerald Pierce]

As far as the state is concerned...The original owner still owns the vehicle. If the vehicle is involved in an accident or robbery they are going to be looking for owner #1, so he is sticking his neck out too because owner #2 has failed to have the title changed into his name.

Rich is right on this.... DS sold a car to someone, they drove it for a month until they destroyed it completely (it was a pos already) and left it in a space downtown. Police had it towed and the tow company sent him the bill since he was the last registered owner.



Took a lot of hassle on our part to get it cleared up.