Bill of sale

[67sss]

Thought I'd pass this bit of info along. I bought a 66 GMC 1/2t longbed at a auction last week and sold it 3 days later. I had filled out a bill of sale and asked for the buyers ID and then exchanged the paperwork for the cash and he was on his way. About 2hrs later cops were at my house asking if I owned a 66 GMC truck, no I sold it today I told 'em, whats up? Officer said it was involved in a hit and run. The guy backed into another vehicle and left the scene, someone got the license plate and called the cops, the rest is self explanitory. Next time I think I will put both the date, and TIME on the BOS.

[Longhorn Man]

That is something I always wondered about while i was in Texas.
Texas does it like you do in Wa (aperantly) where you sell the car and the tags go with it.
Here, you keep your tags, they are YOUR tags...not the car's.
I always wondered if some one who was running from the law were to buy a car with fresh tags and inspection, and never put it in his name, and just do this every year with cheap beaters, everything he does in that car would go on the last owner, and hence, make it harder to get him busted.

[old Rusty C10]

hope you are off the hook now

[Randy70C-10]

In Virginia the tags belong to the owner as well. If the tags aren't that old, you can turn them in to the DMV and get some money back. (not 100% sure if they still do this)

[jay6891]

Here in Arkansas, you keep the tags also. You can even transfer them to another car as long as it is insured for 5 bucks. Hope you are off the hook though.

[Hutch]

67sss
I sold a 69 Ranchero to a guy and signed the back of the title. Two years later I got a registered letter from the local pound,that it was impounded. I went down an got it for storage fee's and sold it again and this time I made sure to transfer the title to the new owner.
The officer's said that it had never been re-registered and that if any accidents had happened during that time that they would have been looking for me.
I learned a lesson that day.

[70c10]

In Maryland we keep the tags also. Whenever I sell a vehicle I write up a bill of sale and make the new owner sign the title in front of me.

[Class of 69]

Plates (tags) stay on the vehicle here, and yes people buy cars and don't transfer the title ALL the time!!! When I sell a vehicle now, the new owner HAS to go with me to the DMV to transfer the title immediatly. If they aren't willing to do it...they don't get the vehicle...Period. I've been down the " I'll transfer it next week " road twice, and it isn't pretty when they are involved in a collision!!

[Truckhead]

Here in Virginia the tags (we used to call them plates in Indiana) stay with the owner....but.....be sure to put your date of sale on the title; otherwise, until the new owner registers the car, it is still yours! Could be big insurance problem.

[Truckhead]

Another difference: Midwest it's called "pop"; out here in Va. it's "soda".

[Longhorn Man]

Very true.
Which is better than in my inlaws house, where it is all called Coke.
You hav regular Coke,
Red Coke,
Clear Coke, Root Beer Coke...ect.

I'll stick with pop.

[palallin]

Originally posted by Hutch
67sss
I sold a 69 Ranchero to a guy and signed the back of the title. Two years later I got a registered letter from the local pound,that it was impounded.

BTDT. I just let the ol' Caddy go to the big junkyard in the sky, however, courtesy of St. Louis, MO. BTW, I sold mine to a DEALER, and the prick wouldn't even return my calls after I got the letter.

[72addict]

I sold a Cavalier a couple years back for $500 on a Friday afternoon. The guy paid me in cash and was on his merry way. The next sunday morning, the next county next to me POLICE dept called me and wanted to know why my cavalier was flipped over in field resting up against a tree. I explained that I had sold the car, but I did not know the name or location of the person who bought the car. The officer told me as far as they were concerned, I was the owner and I was responsible for all cost to remove the car from the scene. So, after being heckled by the police department with the threat of going to collections and ruining my credit, I paid the $150 to get the "smell of bacon off me". Next time I guess I will photo copy their drivers liscense.

[Phillip Johnson]

Oregon, you just keep the registration and go to DMV and let them know who bought your car. Then you are done. Its about the same in Calif. You turn in a release of liability.

[Locutus]

In Texas, on your title is a little tab you seperate. On that tab you fill in the new owners info and send it into the state. The DMV record is updated to show you have sold the vehicle but the new owner has not titled it himself yet. That protects you in case they don't fufill thier obligations. I would also get them to sign a release saying they picked up the vehicle at this date and time and get it notorized.


Mike

[Longhorn Man]

I never quite realized what that tab was for on my old Tx titles.
Oh well, it's not like many of my cars are driven after I get rid of them.

[rickspickuppart]

We had the same problem w/ someone we sold a car to a while back, they bought it in the morning and that evening they went out and robbed a store and got chased by the cops, but luckily they caught the people and the cops just thought they stole the car from us.

In AZ we have the tab that you pull off, fill out and mail in after you sell it and my wife was telling me it can be done online now also.

[yellowgmc]

when i sold my old dakota the new owner didn't register it for about a month. in mn the tags go with the car. so i got a whole bunch of parking tickets on the old heap. and the new owner moved to az and just let me pick up the tab. it was 5 tickets and he knew they were going on my name so he didn't do anything about it. prick. next time the new owner and i will exchange titles at the dmv and reregister right then. i registered my 72 3 hrs after i got it.

[busterwivell]

Here in Tucson, they just take it, don't pay you, don't leave your plates, don't want a title.......they just head for the border as fast as they can........

[Earl Junior]

In Idaho the backs of your registration forms have the proper paperwork for release of liability (which is the underlying idea of this entire conversation). You fill in the new owner's name and address, the mileage, description and VIN from the vehicle, time and date of transfer, and selling price and send it off (along with $2) to the DMV in Boise.

Any former owner who signs and returns a completed Ralease of Liability Statement to the Idaho Transportation Department, with the proper fee, will not be liable for the operation of this vehicle after it has been sold or transferred. (Section 49-2417, Idaho Code)

I always keep a notorized copy of the bill of sale. I've got some for vehicles I haven't owned for ten years or better. But it is better to be over-cautious than to have to drop $150 to tow a car I don't even own. Almost every bank has one or more notaries public under their employ, and I almost always insist on doing the transfer in a public parking lot.

[67sss]

It's amazing how every state is different and how some states fees are only a couple of bucks, here in WA.(one of the highest taxed states in the Union) it cost me about $70 to do a title transfer and for tabs. I like Idahos idea, 2 bucks......probably another hidden fee somewhere else. Washington doesn't have a release of liabilty form that you sign either, that is what a bill of sale is used for. I still think from now on I'll put the date AND time on any B O S.

[Locutus]

It doesn't cost anything to send in that tab to notify the Texas DMV that the vehicle has been sold. It does cost to title and register your vehicle. It is based on type(car or truck, etc) and if its a truck i think they also charge different prices based on the carrying capacity of the truck.

Mike

[oldiron]

Washington does have a release of interest form when you sell a vech. But the state does charge you for it. The last truck I sold cost me S15.00 just to release the title. This state will nichel and dime you for everything.