[quote=“Cadjag1, post:20, topic:352119”]
“Gee, our legislature decided to allow “illegals” to get Driver licences??? Registraion still requires valid insurance. But, just steal a plate or the year tab!!!”
Some advice for CA residents who want to sell their car: What often happens is a buyer never transfers title into his name, driving the car with your still good registration sticker on the plate. When he gets into an accident, he either runs from the scene on foot, or claims it is not his car. If he stays at the scene, he will either produce a fake driver’s license, or no license. As far as the DMV is concerned you are still the owner and responsible for damages. You will also be responsible for any parking fines accrued.
What I just described happened to an acquaintance of mine, and is the reason you need to be able to document that you are no longer the owner of the car. To protect yourself, do not sell your car to anyone who refuses to show you a valid CA driver’s license and proof of insurance. Do not sell to anyone under 18. Record the info from the license. Immediately after you sell the car:
1.) Xerox the filled out transfer of ownership paper attached to the title. Mail it to the DMV, Certified Return Receipt. You need to send it CRR because the DMV will not always record the transaction. They will claim they never got it in the mail. You need to protect yourself with proof that they received it.
2.) Go to the DMV and ask for the form needed to alert them that you sold the car and to whom. Be sure you watch them enter it in their system. Keep a copy for yourself.
3.) Never throw any of this documentation away.
Also, when you get a new registration sticker for the license plate on a car you own, after installing it, use a box cutter to cut lines back and forth across it. When a criminal tries to peel it off your plate, it comes off in unusable bits.
I got stung in the exact way you describe, even after xeroxing all forms …
I sold a car that the buyer failed to register and soon enough I started receiving his parking tickets … these were followed by a summons for failure to pay the fine or show up at court …
Luckily I had a copy of transfer of sale and liability which proved to the courts I was not responsible… but not so fast … car had been impounded and had racked up quite a bill in storage… since I ( actually my wife and that made it worse ) was technically the owner the impound company traced it to my / her name through license plate and vin #
I explained the calamitous screw up to the impound company but they didn’t want to hear … because ( the buyer Was now back in jail for the violation of a previous offense he was out on bail for so he was free and clear with no worries ) I was technically the owner they had a right to recovery …
I had to cut my losses and pay for the impound fee. I could have made a legitimate case and probably won but it would have meant lots of red tape and time which I didn’t have … there were so many other things going on at that time and it stung … it really stung …
yes you have to fill in every damn form and protect yourself
At one time, folks just walked away from impounded cars and the lot was stuck. Lien sales brought little. I think that has changed, You remain liable, car picked up or not. As in Rudy’s case. Tow plus storage can grow to a goodly sum.
My daughter may havc dodged a bullet. She traded her tired Passat in to a rent a car outfit for a very decent little Nissan.
although the lot assured her they would take care of the DMV work on both cars, I insisted she follow an old axiom, "protect yourself at all times’.
Indeed, DMV has a form for that. I found that notification of sale and transfer of ownership can be done on line. Done, fast… Saved.
Yes, if one fails to see that title is changed, one can remain financialy liable. And worse, no insurance to protect one.
In addition to signing over title, and keeping a copy, Create a detailed “Bill of Sale”. Signed by buyer and seller. Include verifiable Id.
Actually, all of the above is of benefit to a buyer as well!!!
Additional Caveat. Paid in full sales only. No time payment plans.
All private sales are AS Is. No warranty. But it is a good plan to include that language in the “Bill of Sale”.
You know carl I was virtually out of my mind… I had done everything right and it seemed no one would listen.
It was only when I made a last ditch effort to cold call the courthouse that things broke for me … a real person actually answered!!! Totally unbelievable nowadays…
Cold sweat … I’ve never been so relieved. I was also livid, exasperated and full of self blame because the buyer really smelled of wrongdoing and I kind of had a hunch something might go wrong … that xeroxed copy was my savior