Just got out of Jail... Need some (serious) advice...
- Thread starter LMSInc.
- Start date
This is the procedure in NYC when I bought a used car. I paid the guy, got the title, we parked the car in a garage, got both keys, ordered insurance over the phone, got the insurance forms faxed to me, then I went to the DMV the next morning to register the car, pay fees and taxes, and got my plates.
He parked it somewhere and left it. The tickets piled up and eventually the cops came to my door about it. That's when I realized he never changed the plates.
Replies below.... But first... Just got back from the Sheriff's dept., and got a copy of the number of the plate in question.
Found the bitches myspace (whom sold the car to me) and lo and behold, she has a cute little pic of her dumb ass standing by a 94 model with... you guessed it, the same plate on it! Viola!
I'm happy. I have 2 pictures of her showing that the plate on my car was in fact from a vehicle she had previously purchased, then wrecked before she titled it in her name. She took the plates off (still registered to the dude she got THAT car from) and put them on this one to drive it around before she then sold it to me.
I just broke my own rule of long paragraphs, but fuck it.
I went in today on my own and got all the other minor shit dropped, the only thing against me now is the plate issue, and that will be taken care of soon.
As for a suit, I am in the process of working one out right now... Fuck this bitch and her shady ass car.
/rant
No bill of sale. No verified ID. I'm not in a "lame little car business"? I purchased a used vehicle, so IDK how that constitutes a car business?! (Maybe if I get a call girl, I become a pimp?) Yes, paid cash in $20's.
There is no need for a bill of sale out here (not legally anyways), and thus no need to verify ID. The notary needs to do all of that on your behalf, which was done. The title was also verified through the DMV, as was the VIN.
Already working on it.
Exactly. The DMV checked the title for me and said all was good, but they didn't check the plates. Turns out even the DMV was wrong, and not all was good, as the car had a salvaged title that the DMV somehow DIDN'T LIST ON THE TITLE! But that's another issue...
Tell me about it!
As was said by another user, that only happens at a dealer. Private party's don't carry around temp plates to issue you, nor are they insurance agents. My current insurance on my old vehicle (broken) covers anything I drive, and thus I never need to really add this vehicle if I don't really want to. I also have X amount of time to get new temp plates until I want to go full registration. I was within that time frame, and thus 'legit'.
God I would be pissed... But I've had the same happen to me as well! Then again, that was just 1 parking ticket... Not a dozen, but I was still pissed!
Found the bitches myspace (whom sold the car to me) and lo and behold, she has a cute little pic of her dumb ass standing by a 94 model with... you guessed it, the same plate on it! Viola!
I'm happy. I have 2 pictures of her showing that the plate on my car was in fact from a vehicle she had previously purchased, then wrecked before she titled it in her name. She took the plates off (still registered to the dude she got THAT car from) and put them on this one to drive it around before she then sold it to me.I just broke my own rule of long paragraphs, but fuck it.
I went in today on my own and got all the other minor shit dropped, the only thing against me now is the plate issue, and that will be taken care of soon.
As for a suit, I am in the process of working one out right now... Fuck this bitch and her shady ass car.
/rant
No bill of sale. No verified ID. I'm not in a "lame little car business"? I purchased a used vehicle, so IDK how that constitutes a car business?! (Maybe if I get a call girl, I become a pimp?) Yes, paid cash in $20's.
There is no need for a bill of sale out here (not legally anyways), and thus no need to verify ID. The notary needs to do all of that on your behalf, which was done. The title was also verified through the DMV, as was the VIN.
Already working on it.
Exactly. The DMV checked the title for me and said all was good, but they didn't check the plates. Turns out even the DMV was wrong, and not all was good, as the car had a salvaged title that the DMV somehow DIDN'T LIST ON THE TITLE! But that's another issue...
Tell me about it!
As was said by another user, that only happens at a dealer. Private party's don't carry around temp plates to issue you, nor are they insurance agents. My current insurance on my old vehicle (broken) covers anything I drive, and thus I never need to really add this vehicle if I don't really want to. I also have X amount of time to get new temp plates until I want to go full registration. I was within that time frame, and thus 'legit'.
God I would be pissed... But I've had the same happen to me as well! Then again, that was just 1 parking ticket... Not a dozen, but I was still pissed!
You were kinda asking for it ... See how much not being on top of your shit has now cost you?
Glad im ballin' enough not to have to rely on free representation though, because u definitely get what you pay for.
By the way - do make sure you pay your court fees off (they charge you for those public defenders that dont do shit)
If you don't pay the fines they can suspend your license (happened to me... I figured I just could just ignore the court costs and they went to collections - who slap a fucking 20-60% surcharge on it to pay it off by that point)
That one I can agree with. The lesson to be learned here, and to be shared... Get a fucking bill of sale for EVERYTHING.
No matter what you buy, get a bill of sale. Lawnmower? Bill of sale. Car? Bill of sale. Call girl? ....Skip the bill of sale on that one.
I just wanted to update you guys on this whole mess!
So after calming down for a few days and realizing that this is going to suck a cock no matter what I do, I decided to dig into the bitch that I got the car from.
Now I replied to a CL ad when I got this car, and they had used a throw away phone. So when all of this shit went down, I was at a loss.
So I hit the streets, hit forums, hit CL... I eventually got a lead on this girl, and once I found her Myspace, it was all down hill from there.
I got her Facebook, her address, parents address, work, phone numbers, boyfriends' info, all of her 'modeling' pictures, all of her CL ads, all of her forum posts, her entire Photobucket account, every single fucking thing about this girl.
I compiled a huge file with all of the corresponding info about my car (from pictures to screen shots of her Myspace status updates about her selling this and other cars and even her correspondence with other people) and sent it off to my Public Defender.
He just emailed me (on a Saturday morning) to tell me that all charges have been dismissed.
Thank god! Anyways, I just wanted to update this in case anyone was interested... I appreciate the feedback and advice guys!
Now, time to sue? I think so
So after calming down for a few days and realizing that this is going to suck a cock no matter what I do, I decided to dig into the bitch that I got the car from.
Now I replied to a CL ad when I got this car, and they had used a throw away phone. So when all of this shit went down, I was at a loss.
So I hit the streets, hit forums, hit CL... I eventually got a lead on this girl, and once I found her Myspace, it was all down hill from there.
I got her Facebook, her address, parents address, work, phone numbers, boyfriends' info, all of her 'modeling' pictures, all of her CL ads, all of her forum posts, her entire Photobucket account, every single fucking thing about this girl.
I compiled a huge file with all of the corresponding info about my car (from pictures to screen shots of her Myspace status updates about her selling this and other cars and even her correspondence with other people) and sent it off to my Public Defender.
He just emailed me (on a Saturday morning) to tell me that all charges have been dismissed.
Thank god! Anyways, I just wanted to update this in case anyone was interested... I appreciate the feedback and advice guys!
Now, time to sue? I think so
Not advocating wasting a bunch of time but considering your possible skill set there could be something more gratifying than a lawsuit? Looking at it as a relaxing hobby in your spare time you could assure that all her future employers are aware of what happened. Could be done without creating a liable situation for yourself I imagine.
You can't even escape problems when you GIVE cars away.
I got a nice used car in 2005 for like 15k - kept it in really nice condition through the years, but then upgraded to a new car in early 2009. The car was just sitting in my driveway for almost 2 years.
So this year I upgraded again and bought myself a nice new 2010 Ford Edge with all the bells & whistles.
So because the car was just taking up driveway space, I gave my old car away to my mom instead of selling it.
Problem is she's 2400 km away from me. So a family member offered to drive it to her.
I said sure, I'll take the insurance off as soon as she gets there, post dated the ownership and bill of sale.
8 into the trip I get a call, fender bender, just great.
The damages were like 5k to his car, because it screwed up dude's trailer hitch. My car was fine.
Anyway now for this nice gesture, I'm being rewarded with $400 more a year on my insurance for 6 years.
What a rip.
I got a nice used car in 2005 for like 15k - kept it in really nice condition through the years, but then upgraded to a new car in early 2009. The car was just sitting in my driveway for almost 2 years.
So this year I upgraded again and bought myself a nice new 2010 Ford Edge with all the bells & whistles.
So because the car was just taking up driveway space, I gave my old car away to my mom instead of selling it.
Problem is she's 2400 km away from me. So a family member offered to drive it to her.
I said sure, I'll take the insurance off as soon as she gets there, post dated the ownership and bill of sale.
8 into the trip I get a call, fender bender, just great.
The damages were like 5k to his car, because it screwed up dude's trailer hitch. My car was fine.
Anyway now for this nice gesture, I'm being rewarded with $400 more a year on my insurance for 6 years.
What a rip.
Those plates with numbers in the wrong place can get you into a shitload of trouble as we've seen.
My mother passed down an old beater to me when she passed away, and I inherited this thing with no title. Once I bought a new car and was ready to dispose of the old car, I removed the NYS license plates first thing, and turned them over personally to the DMV. It took only a minute, and I was given an official receipt stating these plates are registered to xxx vehicle and xxx owner. I keep this receipt filed with important papers.
Once the plates were turned in, I was able to cancel the insurance on the old vehicle. I decided to donate the old car to a charity, and before it was placed on the truck I received a form from the driver documenting the donation. I had more than a few moments of anxiety over this, because I didn't have the original title and heard several horror stories about people using untitled cars to commit crimes. Nothing happened though. :bowdown:
My straight laced relatives buy only cars that had been leased vehicles from domestic dealerships. They come with a warranty, and the previous owner had to take good care of them as part of the leasing agreement or pay a penalty. You pay more for them, but there's no headaches included.
Update: Nice going, OP. Good luck bro.
It seems like things got straightened out, though you had to go through a lot of bullshit in the process.
I know it's old and doesn't really matter now for your situation, but I do have to agree with some others that disputed what the normal sales process/procedure is.
Insurance and DMV laws vary slightly state by state, but I have never heard of a normal "legit" car sale where the new owner keeps the old plates. This is NOT just for dealers, but private parties as well. When you sell a car you are required to remove the plates/tags and turn them in.. at least in all the states where I've lived. Seems like you could get screwed over on either end of the transaction, as a buyer or seller, if you dont follow the normal procedures. Sure private parties dont carry temp tags on them but it's the buyer's responsibility to take care of that and take care of transporting the vehicle. Last time I sold a car I met the buyer at the DMV for their convenience. I parked the car, got the money and took my plates off. It was his responsibility to figure out how to drive the car home ( which was easy enough since he could walk in the door and get temp tags right then). I would have been fined for not turning the plates in, so I dont see why a seller would even consent/offer to provide plates unless they WERE illegal. Also as far as insurance, states where I've lived required proof of insurance on the actual vehicle from the day you own it charge daily fines if you don't. The normal procedure is to get a quote from your insurance company for any car you might consider buying and then go ahead and activate it the day you get it. Yeah you can have insurance that covers "anything else you drive," but that implies cars that someone else owns. I'm sure you weren't trying to do anything "wrong" but there are a lot of flags and risky things involved in this process IMHO.
I know it's old and doesn't really matter now for your situation, but I do have to agree with some others that disputed what the normal sales process/procedure is.
Insurance and DMV laws vary slightly state by state, but I have never heard of a normal "legit" car sale where the new owner keeps the old plates. This is NOT just for dealers, but private parties as well. When you sell a car you are required to remove the plates/tags and turn them in.. at least in all the states where I've lived. Seems like you could get screwed over on either end of the transaction, as a buyer or seller, if you dont follow the normal procedures. Sure private parties dont carry temp tags on them but it's the buyer's responsibility to take care of that and take care of transporting the vehicle. Last time I sold a car I met the buyer at the DMV for their convenience. I parked the car, got the money and took my plates off. It was his responsibility to figure out how to drive the car home ( which was easy enough since he could walk in the door and get temp tags right then). I would have been fined for not turning the plates in, so I dont see why a seller would even consent/offer to provide plates unless they WERE illegal. Also as far as insurance, states where I've lived required proof of insurance on the actual vehicle from the day you own it charge daily fines if you don't. The normal procedure is to get a quote from your insurance company for any car you might consider buying and then go ahead and activate it the day you get it. Yeah you can have insurance that covers "anything else you drive," but that implies cars that someone else owns. I'm sure you weren't trying to do anything "wrong" but there are a lot of flags and risky things involved in this process IMHO.