07-17-2016, 05:25 AM
Racer X wrote:
[quote=Filliam H. Muffman]
I wouldn't have considered removing the plates until a down on her luck family friend bought one and got several tickets and hadn't registered it in their name. Kind of a no good deed goes unpunished situation.
That's why here in Washington State, we are required to file a Report Of Sale to the state DMV within 5 days. You can do it on -line. That theoretically get's you off the hook if the buyer never transfer/registers it.
I sold a car, and reported it. The buyer never transferred title, and a collections agency hired by the state tried to come after me for tickets, and the abandoned vehicle. I sent them a copy of the Report of Sale and asked why the state never checked their own database? I told them if they ever contacted me again, it was harassment. Never heard from them again.
California DMV can be worse. My brother reported the sale two days later. The DMV sent him bills for the tickets and he sent them the DMV printout he got. Six months later they sent another bill for more recent tickets, and brother sent them back another copy of their printout that it had been sold. When I moved out of state, the DMV sent a collections notice from the state tax board. I guess they never figured out why I had them fax the a copy of the title to another state to register the car 14 months earlier.
WA isn't much better, they unofficially inform people that they have found their stolen cars by sending them parking tickets. At least paying parking tickets is cheaper than storage at a tow yard.