Any LEOs or DMV people here

[Rob S.]

he sad he will give me the 190 to pay the ticket.

Let us know when that happens.

[chuck hahn]

Rob. The replacement title will be in my name. So if he wants to keep the van for his mom hell pay. He for sure will not get this title till he pays up. And the notice will be filed this time.

[Rob S.]

Just curious - how long have you known this guy?

I'm the trusting type, so this could have happened to me.

[chuck hahn]

5-6 years roughly...........................

[argonsagas]

A bill of sale s ALWAYS a good thing to make and keep/

I sold a bike a few years ago, got all the money in cash, kept the plate and the new owner rode away in the evening without a plate on the bike.Gave him a bill of sale that listed his name, address and his driving licence number.

A year later I got a call from the police asking about the bike.....
The bike had just been stopped for speeding.
Cops found the rider had never transferred it into his name, had no insurance.
He was also using a stolen plate, so they seized the bike, then ran a check on the bike's serial number and came up with my name as registered owner..

I had the bill of sale, signed by him as well as me, and gave the cops the details....including his driving licence info.

Cop said thanks, that was all he needed.. Nothing for me to worry about.

That was the end of the story for me.

[bwringer]

This is a reminder that the 50 state DMVs (and BMVs, etc.) are 50 separate fiefdoms that loathe and rabidly mistrust each other (and you) and each has their own bizarre and completely different sets of rules, regulations, as well as practices, customs, and unwritten rules that have nothing to do with the regs. "Byzantine" doesn't even begin to cover the situation.

In Indiana, there is no form or process I've ever found for disavowing a vehicle you've sold to someone else. It's entirely on the new owner to complete the title transfer within 45 days, and you are expected to remove your plate (plates "belong" to the owner around here) and trust, childlike, in the new owner's good intentions.

There's also no form or process for transporting a car with a temporary plate (technically speaking there is, but it's exactly as much trouble as just getting the goddurn title and plate, so there's no point)... which makes buying/selling out of state or at a distance a giant pain in the ass unless you have a trailer. (And there are many other twists that make buying/selling vehicles out of state a giant pain as well.)

Anyway, I tend to use up vehicles to the bitter, bitter end of their lifetime and sell them very cheap. I've been bit by penniless morons like this twice when selling cheap old cars, and lessons were learned.

Fortunately, I also had a signed Bill of Sale for each, and once I explained the situation to Mr. Angry Police Officer, provided the new owner's info, and offered to send the BoS as proof, he dropped the stupid shouty act.

So... BoS, photocopy of DL, photocopy of signed title, and ascertain beforehand if the buyer actually has an insurance quote and the money on hand to get the vehicle insured and registered. You'd be surprised how many people accumulate, say, $900 in couch change and then try to buy $2,000 motorcycles and cars. "Kin I make payments?"

Overall, I also try to avoid selling to people I know. When I sell something, I never want to see it again, and it damn sure doesn't have a warranty. Lose my number. I've learned the hard way that selling to family and friends puts an unbreakable rubber band on the thing.

Overall, selling to, you know, functional adults helps the most.

[tlg1100]

Google suggests that Oklahoma has a form "773 Notice of Transfer of Ownership" document that you are supposed to fill out, and file with the state when a vehicle is sold. It's not strictly mandatory, but it protects you in instances like this.

Simular thing where I live, I'm glad because I've had few incidents selling vehicles,.motorcycles in the past, before such form was in place.

Few years Before they had the form I started making two bill of sales and have them sign it and also showing me sime kind of I.d ., probably wasn't worth the paper it was written on ?

Back in mid -late eighties I gave a pontiac phoenix to my then girlfriend's mother after the mother's car blew the engine.

I had no idea the mother who cherished her son who was constantly in trouble with the law and was in-between one of his rare but life long vacations in prison, would be gifted the car.

Friend called me and said he seen the high speed pursuit, the son got away that time, but the car was totalled .

And had never been titles in their names, I got a letter months later saying the car was impounded from a private parking space at some apartment complex, and that a junk title had been applied for and I could be held responsible for towing and storage.

I went to the wrecker company with paper and told them the story, they said not to worry about it, when they got the junk title it would be crushed and sold off for scrap.

[salty_monk]

I had a parking ticket on a car where the guy had go it the day after & the paperwork hadn't caught up (I hadn't sent the form in as I think you have 7-10 days, nowadays it's all online). Had to submit proof of sale, can't remember if it needed to be notarized or not & that was the last I heard of it....

What is it they say.... no good deed goes unpunished! I've also learnt that the hard way, once on this very forum...

[chuck hahn]

So its finally resolved. I filed that notice of transfer and got a call from the District Attorneys office. I explained what went down as far as when he took the car and everything thats transpired in between. At the end of the phone call she agreed it wasnt in my possession at the time of the ticket and she emailed me a confirmation verifying the state has vacated the ticket under my name. It seems theyre gonna also vacate him from responsibility because he doesnt know who was driving. I believe him when he tells that he dropped it off at his moms and he has no idea who was driving it.
So since the state cant physically prove who was driving he gets a pass too.
But the bottom line is that I will not be fined, no points on my record and no insurance premiums raised. I plan on printing the vacated notice and keeping it with the original ticket. My insurance lady will get a copy also to cover my butt.

[storm 64]

I think you should have paid the fine. Chalk it up as a "stupidity tax". Or to sweeten it up a "life lesson".
The older you get the more tax you should have to pay...

[rphillips]

Congrats chuck, glad you got it straightened out... Also got me thinking, I've never done anything but sign the title over to the buyer, I never knew there was a form like has been explained here, nor anything else I needed to do. I'll sure remember this thread next time I sell a vehicle.

[chuck hahn]

AND another tidbit i learned. Get a bill of sale and include the vehicles VIN and your address and the buyers address. Take a picture of the buyers ID BEFORE filling out the title. Tell them its for your use in filling out a transfer of ownership form. ANY..AND I MEAN ANY hesitation on their part politely tell them the sale is off unless a photo is taken. Do all you can to ID the buyer in the future and the complete vehicles information and VIN. Better to have it and never need it than wind up with the clusterf@^# this was. And never let it leave with a license plate on it!!!!!

[chuck hahn]

STORM..
You can pay fines and such for things your not involved in if you wish. It will be the coldest day in hell before i will.