I Am Reporting An Unregisterable Car Sold To My Father By Tom Coleman, Who Works For Long's Mercedes-benz Of Chattanooga This salesman and the general manager mack bridges sold my father a car that could not be registered. Chattanooga Tennessee

Gregory,

You need to file a CLAIM directly with the bonding company who bonds the dealers license. This is your right, do not let them stonewall you. This is the purpose of the bond. I have done this. It works.

Also, stay off the phone! Do EVERYTHING in writing by certified mail, return reciept requested. Put the certified# on the letter itself and keep a copy for your records.

Also, you can file a lawsuit on the dealer for your losses and they will have to take back the car.

You can also initiate criminal charges on the dealer for possessing and selling a STOLEN vehicle.

There are so many ways to go here but you cannot be passive, you need to be aggressive and firm.

You still have not disclosed the specific reason that the car was unregisterable.

In most states you can file for a bond title until title issues are worked out.

I a. not sure if I can or not. If I don't hear anything saying no I will tomorrow. It did go to court b4 my dad died. The judge ruled for Long's. stating they didn't receive any money. However in the file was the cashiers check that was cashed by the general manager Mack Bridges. It even traced the money that came out of the check. The car salesman received his commision, money was sent to M.B. Credit Corp. & Mack Bridges kept the remaining amount.

Some states now have a sytem where you type in the last four of the viin, and the number plate currently on the vehicle. That can yield a lot of information. It sounds like your acting in a void, because you're not able to get needed information. There are a few ways around this problem, but first you must know what and whom you're up against. For that, you need to know exactly who the legal owner is, what bank is involved, any liens, whether the car is wanted, etc. It's frustrating dealing with lazy government clerks because they don't care about helping you at all, so you've got to get around them. I've even resorted to a fifty dollar bill to get their attention on a clouded title. Made my problem disappear, too. Know any cops? Have you consulted an attorney experienced in these matters? Lawyers love suing each other.

The commisioner sent me a form to request the title, i mailed this form to the bonder and insurer. They said they were not resposible for replacing the title or refunding the money. I am back to square one. I can't even have the car hauled to the junk yard without a title. If there is anyone who has any more suggestions. They will be more than welcome.

I called and ended up being transfered to tn's commisioners office. I am waiting on a form to file a complaint against there bondsman. It has been two weeks since I called, so if I don't get the form will try again. thnk u steve for the advise. I think this may work.

Do you know a mechanic or the owner of a tow company? If so, slip him a few dollars and have one of them send in a "request for information," like for a tow or mechanics lien. The state will send them back a form with all the legal information on the vehicle, as they are obligated to do so in some states. That will at least give you some insight as to what's going on. I've done it twice for people, one turned out to be a stolen car that had been dropped from the books after two years, and the other car was wanted in a hit & run homicide. All's I needed to do after that was get a release signed by the cops, and I got title on the spot. You're basically a victim of lazy clerks.

I appreciate both of you for the suggestions. I will call the D.M.V of TN. today.

I will post the results of this as soon as I get a response.

Thank you

Nate,

I never said you don't have to title the vehicle.
Who owns the car has nothing to do with who the registered owner is. I could be the owner and you could hold the registration.

Here's how it works..

It's called a dealer report of sale. That WILL get you your registration, and your APPLICATION for title. Once the problems with the title are worked out, you will get a clean title.

That is the purpose of licensing and bonding a dealer.

Have you ever purchased a car in TN?

I have. I have also been an auction buyer for a dealer and have purchased vehicles all over the country, and have dealt with these issues many times.

You have proven that you know how to find a website, and nothing more.

The website is very generic and does not address every situation.

Obviously your problem here is that you are comparing TN to CA. CA has a system that requires the title to be transferred at time of registration.

Everyone does not do things the way CA does. Get over it.

Wouldn't it be nice if you could register your car with no title and figure out who owns the car later?

In Steve's world it seems completely feasible. Unfortunately, in the real world this is not an option. Steve says that you can get the car legally registered without getting it titled in your name. This is simply not true.

Once again, the Tennessee Dept. of Safety website is very clear: "As a resident of Tennessee and owner of a motor vehicle, you must title and register the vehicle if you wish to operate it upon Tennessee's streets and highways. You will need to visit your local county clerk's office in order to title and register your vehicle(s)."

So you MUST title AND register a vehicle to operate it on streets and highways in TN.

Steve is very correct in saying that you need to contact the DMV regarding making a claim against the dealership's bond. This is your best recourse to get to the bottom of this mess. Good luck.

You ONLY need a title if you wish to " TITLE AND REGISTER a vehicle..."

You CAN do registration only until the title issue is worked out.

The title issue, whatever it is, WILL be worked out as soon as you file on the dealers BOND, and file a complaint with the Motor Vehicle Dept. against the dealers license.

Before you correct someone, have your facts straight.

The only thing we were able to find out was the car still had a lean against it.

I call mercedes credit corp, the lady there told me that. so I asked if I could pay the lean off if it wasn't much.

she told me to call back. I did, was then rold they would not disscuss the matter and gave me another number.

I called the other number and it was for a car repossor. I rufused to give them the car back.

they issued 7 temporary tags. I have all of them and a bill of sale.

Longs claimed the temp tags were stolen. as for the $14,500.00 cashiers check. my attorney traced the deposit of it.

he subpenad the bank where it was deposited and they produced the deposit record.

and the 3 checks issued from it. I do have the copies of those checks.

everything I have stated is true. I would take an oath on it.

how do I find out who bonded them, and how do I go about charging them?

Actually, according to the State of Tennessee, a valid Certificate of Title is required to register a vehicle in TN. This is taken directly from the Tennessee.gov Department of Safety website:
"To title and register a used vehicle, submit to your resident county clerk the following: a valid certificate of title properly assigned along with an Odometer Disclosure Statement, if applicable, and a copy of the current registration if transferring your license plate."

So the statement that title has nothing to do with registration is wrong for this state.

I think that the orginal poster needs to give more information on this matter.

All you need to register a vehicle is a bill of sale. The title has no bearing on registration.

As far as the title goes, if a dealer sells a vehicle without a good tiltle, they are obligated to clear up any problem with the title at their expense.

This should have never gone to court. And as far as you seeing how a cashiers chech is broken up and re distributed is BS. They simply deposit it. You can only verify that it was deposited and paid.

You still have action, you file a formal complaint against the dealers license, then you find out who the bonding company is who bonds the dealers license and you simply file a claim for your losses against the dealers bond.

This is all real simple.

If you are to be given any helpful advice in this matter, we need to know the reason why the title was never given to you and why the car was not able to be registered. If the dealership issued you a temporary tag, that means that they were going to be responsible for registering the vehicle. What reasons were given for the inability to produce registration for the car?