Date: Thu, 16 Sep 1999 22:25:34 -0500
Reply-To: al brase <braseelec@FORBIN.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: al brase <braseelec@FORBIN.COM>
Organization: al brase electric
Subject: Re: A Cautionary Tale on Titles
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii
DAVIDTHEKM@aol.com wrote:
<snip>
> The moral of the story - don't ever buy a vehicle without seeing the title
> with your own eyes. You must be sure the person who's selling it is actually
> the owner. You know what they say about assumptions. It's TRUE. I'm proof.
> I guess the other moral is if you begin to get bad vibes about a seller, run
> - don't walk - away, no matter how attractive the vehicle appears to be. I
> still love the A'wagen. Sometimes I just go out and sit in it and make
> engine sounds out loud. Vroom, Vroom!! However, I don't know if it's going
> to be worth the aggravation by the time this is over.
>
> David Hunt '68 Crewcab '74 Thing '82 Vanagon yard ornament
David:
I once bought a burned 911 Porsche from an attorney in Arkansas and he
showed me a procedure for making sure you get the title:
Pay for the vehicle with a check and in the memo section write "title
attached- 1974 Porsche serial number 911xxxxxxxx". Then alert your bank
that you have written such a check (They'd probably catch it anyway, but
better safe than sorry!) Apparently the check is not a valid instrument
without the attachment. The really important thing is that the payee
believes this!
This works really well in the case of where the seller has money
borrowed against the vehicle, the seller has to settle up with the bank
to make the check valid.
The seller never has as much incentive to dig thru his papers or get a
duplicate as when he's got his hand out for the money.
Another way would be to get a third party that you both trust to hold
the money. Attorneys are a good idea here, but I imagine it would cost
you $50-$100 just for such a service.
Most people want to do the right thing and probably will with a little
nudge.
Probably B****'s biggest motivation was to make the thing physically go
away and not the $600 so much. So, hauling it away before he found the
title was maybe your second mistake!
Best to never impugn this B****'s character (don't call his friends
goobers) till after you have the title in hand, if he does have it
anyway! You can go to small claims court (if you live in the same
state!), but that's always a hassle and an expense if you get a lawyer.
Al Brase
69 double cab
(I always learn more from my mistakes than my successes!)
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