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What to do when you are selling a car


gv280z
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This is going to be really short and simple and sweet:

 

A. KEEP your license plates, the state you live in should have a website where you can print out temporary tags for your buyer

 

B. Type up a bill of sale and describe everything from the seller to the buyer to the vehicle and vin number and date and agreed upon sale amount with witness and buyer / seller signature blocks and make a couple copies.

 

C. Again, go on your states DMV website and find the Title Transfer Notification document, which you can either download, fill and sign and mail in, or you can complete online. This is to notify your DMV that you're selling your vehicle and it will no longer be in your name.

 

D. Print out and fill out a title transfer application for the buyer, they sign it and submit that to the courthouse.

 

 

 

 

 

And that's it, I'm telling you this mainly because I sold my Altima 2 months ago and the buyer still has yet to transfer the title, so now we're getting toll violations and vehicle registration renewal notices. Initially, I forgot to go online and complete the title transfer notification online like I should have, but I did finally get that done a few days ago when this was brought to my attention. We really have no airtight way to protect ourselves from whatever they might do while driving around in the car I sold them. I didn't know I could keep the license plates, I will definitely do that in the future, print the temp tags and force the buyer to go to the courthouse and get his side finished.

 

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Well, here in California we sign over the title, have a bill of sale (no witnesses required, just signatures), and the important part... release of liability. Fill out the release of liability form and submit it, no problemas amigo...

 

Sorry you are getting worked over with this, it is unfortunate the number of dirtbags there are out there.

 

B

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Right, us as well in TX, sign the title, bill of sale and technically that's it. But until they actually transfer the title into their name, the plates on that car and the vin still reflect back to the previous owner in the event of a commision of a crime or an accident, then at that point, it is on the previous owner to prove he wasn't responsible. Everything else I mentioned isn't mandatory by law, just advised is all.

Edited by gv280z
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Here in Ontario the plates stay with the driver, not with the car. You can't just drive around on someone else's plates here. You always sign a bill of sale stating how it was sold and that you're not liable for fskc all.

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  • 4 weeks later...

In Kentucky we have an incomplete transfer form, you fill out to free you from all liability after a sale if you aren't present for a transfer.

 

Everything has to be notarized but your presence is not required nor does seller and buyer have to use same notary.

 

I've had 1problem in maybe 40 vehicle sales... the jerk didn't transfer the title and I failed to check at the courthouse and fill out an incomplete transfer. And incidentally I junked a vehicle of the same make and year... He went to transfer it and I had accidentally scrapped his title. $20 later he had a new title. I had my junked truck title junked. And I filed an incomplete transfer on him even though he changed it.

 

Kentucky is awesome. Also real easy to get a rebuilt title on a junked vehicle. Ive done that 3 times.

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In PA, plates only transfer to new owners if it's a classic/antique plate (if the seller chooses to do so) or if ownership is transferred to a child/parent (again, if chosen to). Getting a R title from a salvage certificate sucks, same with a homemade trailer, and 'bill I sale' don't fly-gotta have a title (which sucks as I have a homemade trailer I want to plate. Have to look into registering it in a different state I guess)

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Yea, stupidly I forgot to add the most basic and immediate item is ofcourse the clean Title, in TX it's called a "Blue" Title, not really sure why, may be because of the tint of the paper it's printed on.

 

The Bill Of Sale was never intended or advertised as being a replacement for the title, it's just a basic receipt record for both parties. Buying and Selling a car seems to have gotten extremely complicated these days, when I sold the pathfinder, my buyer and I were sitting in my office at my desk doing paperwork and research on the internet and filling out title transfer applications and it just blew my mind.

 

After this originally all started coming back to us, getting toll violations in the mail primarily, I called the TX Registration office and the Sherrifs dept and they all basically said OTHER than initially filing a Title transfer notification, I had no recourse beyond filing a police report with an officer. Since that time nothing has happened, aside from another toll violation, and I got a surprise when I called the office to discuss it, they said it had already been paid by someone!

 

So I'm left guessing that maybe these folks know the mess they are creating and by now have hopefully transfered the title, and were aware that we were getting their violations in the mail and apparently took steps to correct it. One can only hope. So, I'm just thanking God that my old vehicle hasn't been used in a crime or horrific accident and we might finally be in the clear.

 

 

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