So I purchased a vehicle from http://mussarimotors.com/ this past May, and since today, I still have not receive my registration and plates.

I have contacted the seller no less than 20 times, the few times I don't end up leaving him a voice mail, I get the generic "call me back in an hour", or "let me find out for you"... so 5 months later, I still have not receive my paper and plates.

I am pretty ticked at this point, I paid out my vehicle in cash and full, and I feel jacked that they are not upholding their end of the legal contract. I had purchased this vehicle prior to the registration fee increase, so if I register this vehicle now, I would be paying even more (not to mention I already paid the registration to the dealer).

I called up DMV today, and asked them if they had receive any paper work for my car, and they said they have nothing. In fact, my vehicle is now in their database as non-operational. WTF.

Earlier today, I had tried to dial the dealer, got him on the phone, and said would call me back. Surprise surprise, no call back yet.

Now I am just fed up. What legal recourse can I take to make sure I am taken care of? I have filed a complaint with BBB, and did notice they have craptastic BBB score. I should've paid more attention before buying from them.

Advice?

I don't know if I would have bought from them in the first place, all the cars seem to have really low miles and high prices. That makes me suspicious about them right off the bat (another reason why I went the CPO route).

Notify your Division of Motor Vehicles and file a written complaint. PHONE CALLS DON'T COUNT!! That also applies to all future communication with the seller.

I have called DMV already, they gave me a number to call for investigation, but I am not sure what that is suppose to do? And the written complaint, I have filed with BBB. What other steps should I take?

That sucks, sorry man. Have you tried stopping by the dealer in person?

Nah, the owner (person I bought from) doesn't even work in the office most of the time. And I am about an hour away. Unless I take a work day off, I can't exactly stop by during their business hour.

Do you have the title to the car? You said above that you paid in full for the car in May. If you haven't gotten the title yet you could have major problems (like the dealer didn't pay off the last loan for the car and they don't really own it) just a wild ass guess... A lot of dealers have gotten into real cash flow problems leaving consumers shit out of luck.

If you don't have the title get a lawyer, fast....

I have the the motor vehicle contract?

And I thought I was suppose to get the title after the transfer?

I'm not familiar with the process in California but here in MA if you don't have the title you don't own the car. Again here in MA the dealer needs to submit the title to the DMV in order for the DMV to issue plates and register the car, then a month or so later the DMV (or dealer) sends you the new title listing you as the owner.

What you have is a purchase and sale agreement from the dealer to you. It is a valid contract but you need to get them to uphold it and get the title so they (or you) can register the car.

The entity that has the title owns the car. For example when you buy a car with a loan, the bank holds the title as collateral, you don't get the title (and outright ownership of the car) until the bank gets it's money.

A lawyer will try to enforce the contract (P&S) make the dealer come up with the title and complete the deal.

The Better Business Bureau is POWERLESS to cause a business to take any action - they are mostly a repository of complaints. And as you noted, you saw there were complaints about this business and gave them your money anyway!

You need to write your complaint (or file it on-line) with (1) the DMV, (2) The dealer - providing a copy of your contract and copies of your payment (image of the check will suffice), and (3) your State Attorney General and Consumer Protection Agency.

Your complaint could note any California laws and regulations the dealer may have violated - GOOGLE is your friend!

These correspondences should be clear, objective - JUST THE FACTS !! No emotional BS ... that doesn't cut it with these dudes.

In these days this is very common ... under-capitalized dealers and/or car owners who are "upside down" in their loans have problems securing clear titles. I suspect that is what has happened here.

Good luck - I hope you got a good deal on the car because future legal fees to unravel this mess may be substantial!

How the heck did you manage to register your car ???

PS - If you haven't already, keep a track of the calls you have or will make to anyone ... names, dates, and outcomes ... etc etc

The devil is in the details!!