Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Anytime you sell a car in your name you run the risk of something happens if it is not reregistered. Even a trade in to a dealer can go to auction and end up with someone else.
But most cars do not end up with fake plates on them and not registered.
We are definitely going to sell it at some point we just want to be careful about to whom.
I do think it's healthy to err on the side of caution about things. It seems the ones who don't give things much thought or question things are the ones who are more likely to become the victims of scams.
People have their heads so filled up with stories about scams, they forget to function.
Sell the car cash, sign the title, make a bill of sale - end of story.
BTW, nobody can export a car without a title, not even to Jamaica. And especially not out of Miami. US Customs will not allow that.
The XJ Cherokee like yours is a favorite in the Jeep community and the values for clean low mileage examples is going higher. A dealer in Maine had one listed recently with 15,000 original miles and a $15,000 price. Do not under estimate the value of the one in your driveway. I do not think it is a scam, I think it's a matter of someone wanting to buy the Jeep. If you are uncomfortable dealing with this maybe you could have a friend, neighbor, relative or co-worker you trust handle the sale for you. You say you need the money, well there is some sitting in your driveway. Best of luck to you.
The story goes that the Chevrolet dealer in a Northwestern Montana town would not deal with a guy who came in wearing torn, dirty bib overalls and boots covered in barnyard muck. The guy said he wanted to buy a new 3/4 ton pickup. The salesman looked him up and down, put his nose in the air, and said "There isn't a pickup on the lot that you could afford!"
So, the guy went across town to the Ford dealer, and said "I want a new 3/4 ton pickup." The salesman said "2 wheel or 4 wheel drive? There are all our 3/4 tons, which do you want?" When the guy chose his new truck, the salesman said "Will you finance through your bank, or do you want us to arrange the financing?" The customer said "Oh, financing won't be necessary" (as he pulled a big roll of bills out of his overall pocket), "I will be paying cash!"
He was the wealthiest landowner in the Valley.
Is the story true? I doubt if there is anybody alive today who can say one way or the other. It could be true.
I have no idea if that story is true, but years ago when I sold Chryslers a guy stopped in driving a Plymouth Prowler to look at a special edition PT Cruiser we had in the showroom. He told me that when he was shopping for the Prowler he first stopped at a dealership that had one parked in front of the showroom on the way home from a cattle sale wearing a flannel shirt, work jeans, and work boots, and driving his older pickup. He walked around looking at it for quite some time expecting someone to come out and talk to him, but nobody ever did.
So he went to a different Plymouth dealership where he was known and had them get one for him (not sure if it was a special order or dealer trade, I just know they didn't have one on the lot). He took it to the first dealership for it's first service and before he left made it a point to let them know that they had lost the sale on it by not taking the time to talk to him because he looked less than prosperous.
Some of the scruffiest guys at the yacht club I used to go to can buy and sell most of us with just their chump change and not even have to break a sweat about it. They drive old Hondas, wear old tee shirts and raggedy looking shorts and are worth mega-millions if not a couple of billion. But this is an island so most folks know them and they don't have to dress up to be waited on.
As for the Jeep in the driveway, it sounds like it's become a collectible of some sort to a certain group of folks so if it were me, I'd do a bit of research and find out what it's actual value might be and then list it on Craig's List or whatever the primary method of car sales is in the area or where ever the group of folks interested in that type of car would hang out. I don't know if Hemmings Motor News covers Jeeps or not, but they are the classifieds for old cars, at least, they used to be.
In our state, the back taxes have to be paid before they will give a current registration so if they didn't turn in the plates when they parked it in the driveway, it could be quite expensive to get it registered again. Car folks, though, can either use it for parts or put a mechanic's lien on it and get title that way, so there's ways to work around lack of title. Having it with a title should increase it's value, though. Ask the Department of Motor Vehicles or whatever the equivalent department would be about what the exact costs are. You can always advertise it for sale and tell the folks you'll get the title to them within a week after they buy it or some such. You can negotiate these sorts of things when it's a sale between two people. The buyer may be wanting to make it into some sort of car that doesn't require a title or use it for parts to fix up a different one so they may not even care about title. If not, a bill of sale that states the buyer's name, address and has their signature and the date of the sale should be the same legal sort of thing. If you're worried, get it notarized.
In our state, at the top of the title is a tear off portion which the buyer fills in with their name, address and signature stating they bought it and that releases the seller from responsibility of anything that car does. So, it might be in the seller's best interest to see how expensive and or difficult it would be to get a title.
You are over thinking this. Who else but day laborer working in the neighborhood or young people would want to buy it. I had an old car sitting out and found phone numbers and offers sticking under the wiper all the time. I finally sold it to a bad looking guy that was staining fences in the neighborhood. Make sure you take off the license plate and take it out of your name. The millionaire next door is not going to buy it, but the poor guy living across the tracks is.
More important make sure he registers car in his name. Maybe go to DMV with him.
More important make sure he registers car in his name. Maybe go to DMV with him.
Here, the seller keeps the license plates. The Bill Of Sale acts as Temporary Registration for 40 days.
The seller should make and keep a copy of the fully filled out Bill Of Sale as proof the vehicle was sold.
What the buyer does is not the seller's problem.
I once sold a car to a very nice looking young gentleman. He wanted me to leave the plates on it so he would not have to get it registered immediately. Since I had no use for them, I figured "Why not?", so I did him a favor. A few weeks later, a Sheriff was knocking on my door, wanting to know why I didn't pay for my fill-up at a Kalispell gas station. It seems the "nice young gentleman" drove off without paying! However, since I could prove I wasn't in Kalispell that day, and I had a copy of the Bill Of Sale with the thief's name and address on it, all the officer said was "Thank you. The next time you sell a vehicle, do not leave the plates on it!"
And THAT, boys and girls, is why you should make and keep a copy of the Bill Of Sale!
those guys in Miami actually probably were just sending the vehicles out of the country.
I'm with the people who think the buyers just want your Jeep.
There's not really much of a scam someone can pull on you if you insist on getting paid with cash..
I sold a my 95 YJ a few years back for $1500 as if needed some work and the guy was shipping it to Central America where is would get about $8000 and still make a $2000 profit after all expenses.
We are definitely going to sell it at some point we just want to be careful about to whom.
I do think it's healthy to err on the side of caution about things. It seems the ones who don't give things much thought or question things are the ones who are more likely to become the victims of scams.
Why do you care who buys it. If they have the cash, it's sold. You should be able to get the power of attorney paper work and register the car if you're that sketchy or tell them you will meet at the local DMV. If your state has the requirement to keep the license plates then the new owner will register it because they can't float the title.
The only way you're gonna get scammed is if you
Agree to payments and release the vehicle
Release the vehicle with no payment
Accept a cashiers check or money order and release vehicle
Accept payment of cashier check or mo out of state for more than the value and their "driver" comes to get car
Accept cash only at your bank. Have the bank check it for fake bills deposit it. Sign the paperwork over or meet at DMV/AAA and be on your way.
We have a car that sits in part of our driveway that obviously needs work. We have wanted to sell it but my husband lost the title and hasn't wanted to spend the money to get a new one. We have had about 5 people over the last year either put a note on it saying they want to buy it or knock on the door. Most people have said they would wait until we found the title or got a new one and would inquire back about selling it. The last person though was a "take the bull by the horns" kind of guy and said it wasn't a problem with the title, he knew how to get all that, that he buys cars all the time like that, wanting to check the inside/outside, etc. My husband who had the keys and more knowledge about it than I did was at work and I told the guy my husband would call him about it. He left his contact info which was a flyer.
I really want to get rid of it but I am wondering if these kind of things are scams? I haven't seen the people who left the notes, but the 2 or 3 others that we saw in person looked like...thuggish or something...for lack of a better word. Young guys who look like they could be rappers with chains, backwards hats, fancy-ish cars, etc. I know anyone pulling a scam could look any way but I just find it odd these young guys looking like that are really interested in buying beat up cars.
Are there any known scams going around of people wanting to buy beat up old cars? Could they use the cars to commit a crime and leave the car in our name or something similar? Should we be wary?
if you are ......living paycheck to paycheck ( as you stated) it is time to get that vehicle sold and some money in your pocket.
It has been sitting there for a year .
How many years will it remain parked in your driveway just taking up space ?
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
