Originally Posted by v_therussian' post='1037984' date='Oct 22 2009, 02:25 AM

Sounds like the dealer you bought the car from does not have the title. Read on - I'll give you a play-by-play in the end of this post, but first:


Take the time off work and go there.


Do go there.

Ok, first allow me to "flash some credentials" here: I used to manage a used car lot and through no fault of mine (because the owners were crooks, actually), the lot often held back the registration and title to a vehicle. In the case of these guys I worked for, they were dishonest businessmen and they ended up getting arrested and the place closed down. Again, I managed the lot, so I was not a part of their scheme, but after they got arrested I learned a great deal about what they were doing and why.

The only reason a dealer/seller can ever hold back the title and regi is because they don't have the title. This could be for several reasons. In the case with my former bosses, they simply held back the payment for the cars they bought to dealer auctions as long as they could (often long after the cars were re-sold to customers) to maintain an inflated cash flow, so the auction house did not release the titles. They often stretched it so long that the cash flow they were keeping would get spent and they literally had no money to pay a car off. Which is one of the reasons they got nailed in the end, actually.

Another reason they don't have a title is they bought a car from a Gov't auction and a new title has to be issued for the vehicle, which often takes ridiculous amounts of time - this would actually be a preferable scenario in your case. If this is the case, you'll have to invade your DMV and basically annoy them until they get a move on. All other reasons include all kinds of schemes, scams, theft and so on - you don't wanna know, trust me.

What do you do? Well, its not simple, as I'm sure you've guessed by now. My advice is to go to the seller physically and demand your registration. Say you won't leave until they give you the regi or your money for the regi back and the title, so you can register the car yourself. Do not take no for an answer and make sure that they pay attention. You'll probably need some kind of "liaison" for this one - like the kind that will convey some fear to these guys - they are obviously bullies, so if you have a friend who is a cop who owes you a favor... all I'm saying is you need to make sure they stop giving you the run-around, basically. If you cannot get the registration from them (which means no title either, bc title is sent to you from the DMV once the car is registered), you'll have to collect all your papers that prove you paid for the car and any additional papers necessary (find out through your local DMV which ones, in NY you need a bill of sale, proof of payment and the requisite IDs and so on) and go to the DMV to have a new title issued, which will allow you to register the car. I'd also make sure the car is tucked away where it cannot be stolen, bc the seller may actually have the title and a duplicate key. Try proving to your insurance company that the car was in fact in your possession without a valid registration or a title - I'm guessing you'll not have too much luck.

This has a potential to become a VERY ugly situation, so my advice to you is, again, to go there as soon as you possibly can and start to resolve this. If you need some coaching on how to handle these guys, I can provide some more advice - PM me and I'll give you my phone number so I can talk to you about it. And in any case, keep this thread updated with everything that's going on - hopefully, this will be painless and quick.

Really hope that none of what I've said above applies to you and its just an honest mistake, but better be safe than sorry.

Originally Posted by nomis_nehc' post='1037678' date='Oct 21 2009, 05:37 PM

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.

Originally Posted by gildagjg' post='1038173' date='Oct 22 2009, 11:15 AM

You should take a day from work and go to the dealership!! I would have done that after a month of not receiving anything escpecially since the DMV has no record of your car being purchased from the dealership.

Originally Posted by porsche911targa' post='1038185' date='Oct 22 2009, 08:38 AM

You would have done that after a month? I would have given the bastards zero days. I would not have handed over any money (except for a small down-payment for them to hold the car) until all the documents were signed, sealed, and delivered to me, including the registration and plates. In other words, I don't hand over any money until they have the car ready by the door for me to drive away with.

Originally Posted by nomis_nehc' post='1037644' date='Oct 21 2009, 04:54 PM

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?

Originally Posted by gildagjg' post='1038173' date='Oct 22 2009, 10:15 AM

You should take a day from work and go to the dealership!! I would have done that after a month of not receiving anything escpecially since the DMV has no record of your car being purchased from the dealership.