Selling paperwork and plates questions

[formerFR]

Originally Posted by upflying

Isn't there a 7500 mile law for a California resident to purchase an out of state vehicle? In other words, California residents are not allowed to purchase a new vehicle out of state and bring it back to California..unless it has more than 7500 miles.
Yes, Ca requires plates but I see many vehicles without plates in the SF Bay Area.

it's absurd that any state could 'require' that you can only drive a vehicle 'with' a plate - in other words, you cannot purchase a vehicle on the weekend since no DMV office is open to 'give' you a plate! No. A simple bill of sale will suffice until you have the 'time' to get one, usually 30 days.

I understand that some will not feel comfortable driving without one, or even some will hastily 'draw' some type of 'tag applied for', which really only serves to tell law enforcement that you are doing something possibly unscrupulous, but the reality is that you have every 'right' to purchase and drive a vehicle any day of the week, whether the DMV office is open, or not, or whether you purchase it in another 'state', or not.
Now, must you have insurance on it BEFORE you drive off with it - yes, but that's a different concern, and much more easily taken care of. No state office or DMV to deal with. : )

[jdkbrooks]

Boy this turned into a big deal. I have sold cars, trucks and motorcycles and Chuck S is correct.

[Larry-NC]

Originally Posted by capt104

Have the purchaser prearrange an electronic transfer of the agreed price directly to your checking account. When you finalize the sale he can pull the trigger for the transfer. The $$$$$$$ usually arrives in seconds and your bank will notify you when. Some people are reluctant to carry large amounts of cash but I would not accept a check unless the buyer is willing to wait till it clears.

Yes, wire transfer is the way to go if you are uncertain. One of my clients pays me each month by wire transfer. The only down side is that each party has to pay $10.

When I bought the 2007 Cherokee 38P destination trailer I was going to pay via wire transfer. The agent at my bank began drawing the paperwork until I have him the seller's bank. He said he would save us each $10. He cut a certified check and told me to simply walk across the street to the seller's bank and deposit it directly into his account, which I did. The seller's bank never questioned the check and there were no holds.

Larry

[CHICKDOE]

i have only sold or donated cars in california and it has already been stated that california may handle things differently. go by a used car lot. all the cars have license plates on them. sellers did not take them off. i sold a car once to a private party in the neighborhood. i actually saw that car a couple of years later and it still had the same license plate on it. we donated a couple off cars to a charity. the tow truck shows up and takes the car with the plates on it. but the california pink (title) has a place on the reverse side where the registered owner transfers title by signing it and giving the info on who it was sold to. this is given to the DMV or auto club and you are done.

[Chuck_S]

There is absolutely no need to ever prove you sold anything or to whom. (Other than some firearms transfers in a couple of the Occupied States.)

"I sold it to some guy." is an adequate answer to any questions. No chain of custody is required.

-- Chuck

[JimHG65101]

A cashiers check is a check drawn on the bank and not the buyer. Almost impossible to stop payment except under conditions of fraud. Most banks will allow you to verify details about the cashiers check either online or by phone. if by phone one would need to verify the phone number is legitimate prior to calling. I always require the buyer to provide a photo of the front of the cashiers check for detail. Then I verify with the bank as to its validity. Then 1 hour prior to transaction I call again the bank to verify one final time. The cashiers check also verifies intent that the buyer is making a commitment. My transactions have always been completed in a bank parking lot or bank lobby. I always ask for the year, make, model and color and license plate # of the vehicle the buyer will be arriving. I also provide the buyer the same information about my vehicle. I am extremely uncomfortable traveling with large sums of cash.

[pgandw]

We sold our A-frame last summer privately in Colorado. We used Craig's List to sell. Buyer was also from Colorado. Buyer did not want to travel with large sum of cash, so we went to a local branch of his bank, and conducted the transaction there.

No one has mentioned, but banks also like to see the transaction because of the $10K (or slightly under in this case) cash transaction federal reporting requirements. We had to sign a form saying what the cash was being withdrawn/deposited for.

Went online and printed out a Bill of Sale specifically oriented towards Colorado to make it easier at DMV. At the time of sale, we did not have title due to loan on vehicle. This was specified in Bill of Sale, and we had 10 days to deliver cleared title. Colorado DMV allows retention or transfer of plates. We chose to let plates go, as it was just as cost-effective to get new plates when we got another A-frame.

All this shows the importance of checking state laws where you are at and doing what is appropriate for your situation.

Fred W

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by formerFR

it's absurd that any state could 'require' that you can only drive a vehicle 'with' a plate - in other words, you cannot purchase a vehicle on the weekend since no DMV office is open to 'give' you a plate! No. A simple bill of sale will suffice until you have the 'time' to get one, usually 30 days.

I understand that some will not feel comfortable driving without one, or even some will hastily 'draw' some type of 'tag applied for', which really only serves to tell law enforcement that you are doing something possibly unscrupulous, but the reality is that you have every 'right' to purchase and drive a vehicle any day of the week, whether the DMV office is open, or not, or whether you purchase it in another 'state', or not.
Now, must you have insurance on it BEFORE you drive off with it - yes, but that's a different concern, and much more easily taken care of. No state office or DMV to deal with. : )

I can't vouch for all states, but the DMV in the states we have bought and sold in gives 24 hrs. This time span does not included hours the DMV is closed (weekends and holidays). A bill of sale will suffice during this time period. At times, we were outside the 24 hrs because of distance to the nearest DMV office. To be safe, we drove another vehicle to the office.

However, we recently went to an auction where vehicles were being sold. The MN auctioneer would mail the vehicle title once the personal check had cleared or provide the title with cash in hand. That would obviously take about a week or more.

Again, in the states we have had dealings with the DMV, they issued the plates across the counter. There is such a thing as a temporary registration if the vehicle is being driven/towed a distance and the buyer can not apply for registration immediately. As for law enforcement, any "license plate application" not issued by a DMV is an attempt to deceive. Police tend to view that dimly. It would be much better to explain the circumstances with the bill of sale.

As for insurance, we have provided the information to the insurance company prior to taking possession. However, if you currently have a vehicle insured with them, they provide coverage on the newly purchased vehicle for 30 days.
In our case, we had a truck insured and were purchasing a MH making it a second vehicle. When the policy is written, it is back dated to the day of possession. As a trailer, it is covered under the TV policy while connected. The TT policy is only in effect when it is disconnected.

[SunseekerFunseekers]

SORRY, my mistake! In re-reading some stuff on our (Oregon's) DMV site, I remembered that the last vehicle I sold, had personalized license plates on it & you DO have to relinquish those, IF you're not going to be putting them on another vehicle.

[SunseekerFunseekers]

JimHG65101 -

www.thebalance.com/cashier-s-check-fraud-315795

[waybeck2018]

Originally Posted by RedLdr1

I'm not a "seasoned expert" but I've sold a few vehicles. First, take the cash! A certified bank check can be faked so unless they are willing to wait until the check clears your bank, which can take several days, cash is best! It is the simplest solution.

As for the plate you need to keep it. They can make, or get, a temporary plate for the trailer. A dated notarized "Bill Of Sale" should satisfy any inquiring minds along their way home if they are pulled over. Depending on what state they are in they may be able to get a "real" temporary plate from their DMV...

That's how I'd do it...

X2 on this recommendation.

[Ralph02813]

It might be worth it to have them call their insurance company to find out what they need in RI I think you can use one of your own plates to transport a private sale vehicle.

[TheWolfPaq82]

Title...signed by seller and buyer. Bill of Sale...can print a blank on line. Take you plates OFF !. CASH or arrange a money transfer at a local bank. Done.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by Ralph02813

It might be worth it to have them call their insurance company to find out what they need in RI I think you can use one of your own plates to transport a private sale vehicle.

You would have to check the RI DMV on that one. In most states, using a plate registered to another vehicle is call "Improper use of registration". Consider this, vehicles and trailers are stolen daily. Thieves will put a stolen plate on a stolen veh/trl. Police agencies are now using license plate scanners to help identify plates that don't match. It would be a red flag if they don't match. And no, there is no delay in getting DMV info on line immediately. When the DMV does a title transaction, it is on-line when you leave the building.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by JimHG65101

A cashiers check is a check drawn on the bank and not the buyer. Almost impossible to stop payment except under conditions of fraud. Most banks will allow you to verify details about the cashiers check either online or by phone. if by phone one would need to verify the phone number is legitimate prior to calling. I always require the buyer to provide a photo of the front of the cashiers check for detail. Then I verify with the bank as to its validity. Then 1 hour prior to transaction I call again the bank to verify one final time. The cashiers check also verifies intent that the buyer is making a commitment. My transactions have always been completed in a bank parking lot or bank lobby. I always ask for the year, make, model and color and license plate # of the vehicle the buyer will be arriving. I also provide the buyer the same information about my vehicle. I am extremely uncomfortable traveling with large sums of cash.

The bases are covered pretty well. But, a cashiers check can be cashed by the person who requested the check. For instance, the buyer the OP is dealing with gets a cashiers check issued in the name of the OP. After looking at the unit, the buyers decide to renege. Must they give it to the OP to cash or are they out the money? Neither, the buyers can go back to the originating bank, sign the check marked "not used for intended purpose."

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by Chuck_S

There is absolutely no need to ever prove you sold anything or to whom. (Other than some firearms transfers in a couple of the Occupied States.)

"I sold it to some guy." is an adequate answer to any questions. No chain of custody is required.

-- Chuck

Probably not, but we do keep a copy of the bill of sale signed by both parties. Two years ago, we sold a MH to a couple that paid cash. The receipt had all of the info, including odometer reading at time of sale.

We got a knock at the door a year later. It was the people we had sold the MH to. They decided to sell and had a buyer. But when the new owners tried to get a registration, the odometer reading on the title was 10X what was on the title and bill of sale. We keep the pictures that we posted on the Net and had a photo date stamped of the odometer reading. We provided that information to our buyer to help them correct the title. It was determined that the DMV had included the tenths of a mile as actual mileage which grossly inflated the actual odometer reading. With all the documentation we provided our buyers, they were able to get the title corrected for the third owners.

We provide accurate information when we sell something and never feel we have to hide from someone we have sold to. Because we kept the information, we actually have two sets of happy campers.

[gptraveler]

So many replies here and they go in several directions.

• Massachusetts DOT site doesn't have anything to guide me.
  Calling them is a joke.
• I know we will return the plate to the registry along with the "Affidavit of Cancellation of Registration" form. That should be helpful in getting the excise and insurance credits without too much delay.
• Payment option seems like cash is the best way.

I still have questions about whether something needs to be notarized.

[PenJoe]

Originally Posted by gptraveler

So many replies here and they go in several directions.

• Massachusetts DOT site doesn't have anything to guide me.
  Calling them is a joke.
• I know we will return the plate to the registry along with the "Affidavit of Cancellation of Registration" form. That should be helpful in getting the excise and insurance credits without too much delay.
• Payment option seems like cash is the best way.

I still have questions about whether something needs to be notarized.

We have never had a need for a notary for a bill of sale. As I recall, the dealers don't do it either. Refer to post #37. The bill of sale should be signed by both the sellers and the buyers and include sold as is. The buyer, by signing it, agrees to the terms.

[Eric H.]

Why is everyone so worried about the plates going with the rig? A bill of sale and release of liability is all you need. Just because you remove the plate does not mean the VIN is not traceable back to you.

[SteveEckart]

I sold two cars to out of state buyers last year.


I picked them up at the airport and drove to my national bank. One had an account there. After he decided to buy, I watched him get me a cashier's check and I saw it come across the counter.


The second buyer didn't have an account at my bank, so he opened one and same thing. After viewing mr car in the bank parking lot, I watched my cashiers check come across the counter.


Hope this helps.



Steve