Selling car in a different state

[GGorman04]

Im not sure if this is the right section, but I need some help.
I am in Pa. and am selling a car to someone who lives in Maryland. In lieu of driving to Maryland and taking care of it there, is there another way to handle this? I asked an attorney, and he said if I sign the title over in Pa. there is no guarantee the buyer will put the car in his name. This would theoretically leave me liable since the car would still be in my name.

SInce tons of cars are bought and sold on ebay with out of state purchases, how else can I take care of this?

 

[stephen9666]

Bill of sale signed by the buyer, perhaps?

I think we need more details. How did you sell the car? How is the buyer getting the car? Are they coming to pick it up in person?

 

[eljefino]

Does PA require a notary and both parties present? Is there an exception for long distance sales?

Does the PA DMV have a "notice of sale" where you tell the DMV the car is off your hands? Can you fill out the back of your registration and hand it in cancelling that part?

In leiu of all that photocopy the back of your title (and the front) with the buyer's info filled out and keep it for your records.

The odds of the buyer doing anything shady are under 1% anyway.

 

[bepperb]

You sign the title and have it notarized and they drive the car away. You can then send the plates back to the DMV as your way of telling them the car is no longer yours. You could get a bill of sale signed by the buyer if you are concerned.

 

[GGorman04]

All good points, but even with a signed title the car would leave the state in my name

 

[Donald]

You need to keep a copy of title and/or bill of sale signed by buyer & seller, time & date.

Then how does he get the car to his house?

 

[surfstar]

"Legal transfer of vehicle ownership occurs when both the seller and purchaser, sign the Pennsylvania title in front of a notary public."

http://www.dmv.state.pa.us/faq/faq-misc.shtml#Q03

Say what you will about CA, but at least we can just sign over a title and submit a notice of release of liability w/o a notary or anything like that.

With a notarized signature though, how could anyone go after you for liability? It was notarized that you sold it. Don't worry and tell that attorney he's not worth a dime.

 

[GGorman04]

Ca. works a little bit better than Pa. He is willing to come and pick the car up in Pa.

 

[GGorman04]

Surfstar,
I was told by a lawyer and a local auto tags place that unless I go to maryland to get this done, the car will leave Pa. in my name and need to be titled by him in Maryland. If he does not title it there and gets in an accident I could be sued.

 

[eljefino]

Any state that needs a notary seems to have a strong dealer lobby that wants to make private sales less convenient. Or the state thinks private sales defraud them of sales tax revenue.

Most likely the buyer will have to turn your title in to get plates in his name. Of course the "illegal buyer" is the one you're afraid of. Sometimes they can get a temporary or transit plate without a title though.

 

[GGorman04]

It hurts because I have the car sold if I did it the easy way and not have to drive 3 hours to Maryland to get this done.

 

[eljefino]

Do it the easy way. If you sold it on ebay there's that paper trail too. Reference the ebay number in your bill of sale. My state photocopies the bill of sale for their records (tax man).

You're pretty paranoid if you think the world's out to get you. Keep your old license plates and you've already made a good faith show that the car is not under your control anymore.

 

[heynow]

Get title notarized with buyer's info.
Complete a simple bill of sale with signature from both buyer and seller.
Keep a photocopy of each.
Turn in your old plates/cancel registration. Keep receipt.
Send the car on it's way.

Although technically PA DMV will still think you own the vehicle until the buyer registers it, you have proof in the form of the above documents that the car was sold and is no longer owned by you. This will prevent you from being liable for anything the car does after it leaves your possession. You are worrying about something that is not really an issue.

 

[dtownfb]

Originally Posted By: Christopher Hussey
Get title notarized with buyer's info.
Complete a simple bill of sale with signature from both buyer and seller.
Keep a photocopy of each.
Turn in your old plates/cancel registration. Keep receipt.
Send the car on it's way.

Although technically PA DMV will still think you own the vehicle until the buyer registers it, you have proof in the form of the above documents that the car was sold and is no longer owned by you. This will prevent you from being liable for anything the car does after it leaves your possession. You are worrying about something that is not really an issue.


+1

Make sure the Bill of Sales has all the pertinent information. You can get a sample by doing a basic web search.

 

[PhillyJoe]

I did something similar a couple years ago.

I live in the Philadelphia area and wife and I drove to Hartford, CT to buy a car I found. Seller and I were both members of a online forum for that model and we felt a little safer than CL. I paid him cash and he signed the title over. We both gave each other a copy of our driver's license as proof of ID and I provided him with proof of insurance. I drove the car home with his plates & registration, went to a tag place the next day, received my temporary registration/plate and mailed his plates back overnight mail.
Smooth transaction as we tried to cover all the bases.

 

[Kira]

Hello, To GGorman04, Drive the car to MD. Take his money. Sign the registration over to him-before a notary if necessary. Remove the plates and have him give you a ride home in his daughter's, son's or wife's car or take the bus home. All this angst seems to be caused by you not wanting or being able to procure transportation. Kira

 

[berninicaco3]

I lived in MD, and bought both of my cars from PA.
Oddly, they weren't that rusty, they were cheaper, and sad to say, better maintained than most options in MD for my very low budget.
Neither car had a lien or loan attached. cash=car.

MD does NOT require a notary and therefore, does not require that you notarize it in PA either.

To safely and legally drive it in my name, what I had to do was get temporary tags, both times.
I called the seller, got the VIN #, ordered insurance for that vin #, took proof of insurance to the DMV, and was issued temporary tags.

Drove to PA, met the seller, he signed over the title, removed his tags, and off I drove: legal temp tags, insured.

I only had to pass MD state inspection and register the title later: within 30 days.


So yeah, maybe you're right: I guess I could have failed to re-register the car in my own name-- but why would I leave it in the sellers name? I already had to have insurance in my name, on that car; I already had 30 day tags, and when those ran out, then I was forced to transfer the title to get my full 2 year tags if I wanted to keep driving it!


Dunno if your situation involves a lien, debt transfer, whatever; and I don't know how that might complicate things.
But if he drives up with proof of insurance and temp tags registered for that car in his name, you ought to be safe.

 

[GGorman04]

Finally got a good answer. Another auto tag place in Pa. said they would give him a transit tag that, once we signed the title, would alleviate me of any liability in case he decides to use the car for an illegal purpose.