[amiculus]

Hello,

I purchased a car online (never doing that again) and have run into countless issues with it.

I've lived in Massachusetts all my life, but have moved to CT recently on my own, so I now live over 2 hours away from my parents. The car that I had been using (which was under my mother's name) essentially blew up as a result of an issue that had not been recognized in time. I'm 23 years old and work 3 jobs, aside from 2 other per-diem jobs, so time to do anything that's not work and sleep is limited.

As an emergency, I bought a car on craigslist for a price I could work with. This was meant to be temporary so I can make it to work and save money to buy a car from a dealership. We met at a public place and the seller ran through a list of issues to be aware of. I have owned this exact same model before and know the problems it can have over time. He handed me the title and I was off in my new vehicle.

My initial idea was to take the title to my parents in MA, where they can claim ownership of the vehicle, get it registered and insured under their name and just have me use the vehicle until I have enough saved up for a new one. The insurance went off without a hitch but unfortunately, the registration wasn't so simple. Due to a small error my parents made when reading the odometer, there was a marking on the title that the RMV would not accept. Therefore, they informed me that a Notarized Affidavit of Correction was necessary to proceed and that the previous owner would need to be present as well. The previous owner had left his license plate and some belongings in the car, so I had collateral in case he wanted to disappear when I needed him. We had set a day up to meet to give him his license plate, which he agreed to, but when I mentioned that he would have to come with me to get a paper signed, he hesitated to respond.

On the day before we were to meet, a family emergency comes to my attention, and I am required to take 5 days off to be in New Jersey to help my grandmother get better. Upon returning, it only took two days until I got a call at work with the news that my grandmother had passed away. This meant I would be going right back to deal with the funeral arrangements and sadness that followed (I was very close to her).

Upon coming back, I realize that my apartment contract needs to be updated because my roommates had moved out and found other places to live, leaving me with close to a grand down from rent and bills, which I managed to pay just last week (in time, luckily).

This past weekend, with $4 left to my name, I am confronted by police at one of my jobs, who took me outside and made me aware of my mistake. There were a few break-ins and stolen vehicles reported to have happened at my place of business two weeks ago. Because of this, the cops were extra suspicious about my MA plates and the fact that my car was unlocked (along with the previous owner's CT plate in the back seat). It looked awfully suspicious even to me, but I had explained to the officers that my plates were under my mother's name, which is why they were MA plates, and was able to provide them with my MA ID. In lieu of everything that had happened to me over the past few weeks, it never even crossed my mind that taking my mother's plates from my old car to this new one would be illegal. I've never been in trouble with the law before; I'm a college-educated Hispanic male and it seemed like, after initially profiling me, the officers understood that I'm just a kid that made a stupid mistake.

The officers took all 3 plates (2 of my mother's and the one of the previous owner). They were very polite and helpful in what the charge was for, basically telling me that the whole thing can be forgotten if I manage to get the car registered before the court date (the 22nd). I understand that part, but it's the actual process of getting it registered that has me confused.

My Questions Are:

- Is my car not allowed to be registered and insured under my mother's name because I now live in CT?
- Will I have to get the title, registration and insurance to be under my own name?
- The title, as I mentioned, was already filled out by my parents, so if it must be under my own name, what does this mean for correcting the title in CT?
- I'm sure that my MA ID will not work for when I go to register the car if it should be in my name, so I'm assuming I will have to change my ID to a CT ID (which I had intended to do before my grandmother's passing) but how long will that take and does that seem like enough time to get this done before the court date?

My next paycheck comes this Friday, with the court date the following Monday.