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Can a title owner's son sign the bill of sales?
Hi everyone.
I'm about to purchase a car from a private owner but the title belongs to his father. The title is already signed by the father but the bill of sales isn't. He is not available because he is out of the country. Can the son sign his own signature on the bill of sales?
Will that cause any problems when I give it to the DMV to register the car? How should I approach this situation?
I'm about to purchase a car from a private owner but the title belongs to his father. The title is already signed by the father but the bill of sales isn't. He is not available because he is out of the country. Can the son sign his own signature on the bill of sales?
Will that cause any problems when I give it to the DMV to register the car? How should I approach this situation?
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Best Answer
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stever
Guest Posts: 52,454
Easiest thing to do is just wait for the owner to return and the heck with the deposit. Someone else may want the car but they'll run into the same hassle as you have. If the owner really wanted it sold, he should have lined up all the paperwork before putting it on the market and leaving the country, especially if the trip wasn't unplanned.
Tell 'em to meet you at DMV when the father gets back and you'll hand over the money as the documents are completed.
And sure, keep shopping until then. If the seller is this wishy-washy now, he may be trying to get someone to pay more behind your back as we speak.
Otherwise, talk to DMV yourself first thing on Tuesday.5
Answers
The times I've called DMVs with questions like this, I've always gotten helpful answers.
On the website, it says that if I want to register the car, it says
If you bought your vehicle through a private sale (not from a dealer), you may be able to complete your registration application online and print a barcoded form we can quickly process at the DMV.
What do I need to bring to the DMV?
Here's what you need to bring:
a completed Vehicle Registration / Title Application (MV-82 or MV-82EZ)
the bill of sale 4
proof of ownership 5
proof of New York State automobile liability insurance 6
proof of identity (name) and age 7
payment for fees, use taxes and sales tax, or proof of an exemption 8
proof of incorporation (if you register for a business or organization)
Hypothetically, what would happen if the son signs the bill of sales and then I bring it to the DMV to get the car registered under my name. Can there be problems that arise after I get the registration? Since the title is signed already by the owner, I'm assuming that the vehicle belongs to me(?) Unless I'm wrong about that.