Buying a car not currently registered or insured

Rloop19

Looking to buy a vehicle from Facebook marketplace. The seller has the title, but the car isn't currently registered or insured. He says he is selling it for an older friend. Carfax report came back clean.

Is this something I should avoid? What would be the best way forward?

stickguy

state rules vary and it is always a good idea to check with the DMV. But in my experience, only the title matters. Just make sure that is valid and signed by the actual owner.

NJ or NY DMV has only ever asked for the title. Being currently registered should not matter (or if they have insurance) for buying it. maybe taking a test drive it would!

Trying to transfer a car without a title, now that can be a nightmare.

kyfdx

Seems this is exactly what you would say, if you were running a scam.

Are you going to meet the owner to complete the transaction? If not, then just say no

qbrozen

As stick said, being registered or insured doesn't matter. You'd buy a car from a dealer under the same circumstances, after all. What does worry me a little, however, is the friend story. Did this friend sign the title already? Will you get to meet the friend and watch him sign the title? How much money are we talking about?

oldfarmer50

Registering a car with an expired registration shouldn’t be a problem if you have a valid title.

That description screams of being a car flipper. They buy a marginal car that needs a lot of work and never register it themselves but use the original owner’s signature on the title to sell it to someone else. Once you buy it and find serious problems the flipper is in the wind. The fact of being out of registration is often used as an excuse for denying you a test drive or taking it to a mechanic for inspection.

I’d contact the “older friend” to see if he knows the current seller. It could be that the story is completely true but I’d be suspicious.

stickguy

Farmer, you can buy from the actual owner and once the money changes hands they are in the wind anyway. As is, where is.

only real risk is if it was somehow stolen and the real owner would come back after it. not real likely I imagine but could happen. I know it is common for family to forge a title signature when someone dies, to avoid all the delays and costs of probate.

oldfarmer50

stickguy said:

Farmer, you can buy from the actual owner and once the money changes hands they are in the wind anyway. As is, where is.

only real risk is if it was somehow stolen and the real owner would come back after it. not real likely I imagine but could happen. I know it is common for family to forge a title signature when someone dies, to avoid all the delays and costs of probate.

All the more reason to do a good PPI. Most actual owners don’t misrepresent cars like flippers. It may be the difference between not knowing or not revealing a minor defect and actively concealing a serious one. I’ve heard all sorts of flipper shenanigans like cutting the wire to the CEL or other classic tricks. Real sellers might not want angry people coming back at them but a flipper wouldn’t care, particularly if he used the old “selling for a friend” hoax. Ignore the red flags at your peril.

I’ve run into the dead relative situation and walked away rather than commit fraud.

kyfdx

stickguy said:

Farmer, you can buy from the actual owner and once the money changes hands they are in the wind anyway. As is, where is.

only real risk is if it was somehow stolen and the real owner would come back after it. not real likely I imagine but could happen. I know it is common for family to forge a title signature when someone dies, to avoid all the delays and costs of probate.

I would never buy a car from a person who's name is not on the title, unless they have a valid power of attorney. That would make it likely that the car was not being legitimately sold.