Not to spoil the ending, but I didn't really buy a stolen car. For a day or so I was led to believe this, however.
From the beginning: As many of you know, I recently purchased a 2002 Honda S2000. The seller had a lien on the car, so I paid this off in cashier check to her bank and was told I would need to wait the requisite 10 day period for the title to be released by the bank and transferred to the seller, who would sign it to me. I was concerned about paying for something and having nothing but a bill of sale to show for it. The seller, upon no influence from me, volunteered the keys and let me drive off with her plates and registration still on/in the vehicle. Note: I did have a notarized power of attorney over the vehicle at this time. So, while I waited I enjoyed the S2000 for a little over a week. Of course, I fell in love with it and was eagerly awaiting putting my own tags on the car and being free and clear a new owner.
Last week, the seller contacted me to arrange for exchange of her tags with the title. I was able to get over on Friday night to perform this. As I expected, the title matched the registration, her ID, and the VINs all matched the car. I planned to go to DMV in the morning and sit for several hours in order to get this done.
As scheduled, last Saturday I stood in line outside the DMV for an hour in the cold and then for another hour inside. I finally got my name called and went to the window. Everything proceeded as swimmingly as is possible for DMV until the agent told me that she could not title this vehicle in my name because it had a "stolen stop" on the record. I tried to get more information, but they told me "We cannot help you today because it is the weekend. Call again on Monday. It probably was a clerical error." Feigning surprise that the DMV could possibly commit an error of any sort, I turned tail and went home.
On Monday I called the DMV and after a half hour or so of waiting was informed to speak with the state police. Three phone calls and several redirects later, I got to the desk of a special agent who took my information and did research. He said the stolen claim was recorded in Maryland in 2009, but said there was an error somehow because the record shows the vehicle registered in VA and NY simultaneously. The seller had purchased it in 2009 just a few days prior to this claim, so my attention was raised. The agent gave me the number in Maryland to call for the local precinct of the state police. So, I called. The agent up there repeatedly refused to give me information over the phone despite me having the information on the Virginia registration, the previous registration and plates from other states, the VIN and the title in my hand. Eventually she conceded and said she would speak with the special agent in the VA State Police.
An hour or so later the Maryland State Police called me back and said that "indeed the vehicle is stolen, it will need to be impounded." I told her to calm the hell down, as this problem has festered for years now and I need some time to sort this out. Immediately I ran for help at the bank who gave me my loan and told the loan officer the entire situation. After listening to the story, which apparently was a first for him, he called the corporate office for help. In the meantime he tried to sell me CD's and an IRA, which I felt was good salesmanship but a bit inappropriate in that I may have a loan placed on stolen property and would be on the hook for it. Eventually he got the information he needed and recommended I contact the seller and tell her I want to reverse the sale, and to let her deal with this. I called back the VA State Police agent and he agreed with this, saying that if the seller had been duped she has the real rights for a case. I called her and she said she is already taking action into getting this investigated and would call me later. At this point I could do no more until the next morning as offices were closing.
About this time, I had to leave work to go on a first date. In hindsight, I don't think the scheduling could have been better as it was a total blast and a great way to forget about the fact that I might have to deal with returning a sold car and give up something I had fallen in love with. More about the date later, but just know that it was excellent.
After I got home, I called back the seller and she had a dearth of information. Her mother (who was a cosigner on the title) had contacted the police and DMV and the dealership she had purchased the car from. All parties were investigating because something was awry. I confirmed all of the VINs on the body panels for her and sent her a copy of the most recent CARFAX report. She has been very cooperative and helpful the entire time, so discussing this with her I knew she was just as confused and feeling just as helpless as myself. Another interesting thing to note: not only did she register the vehicle, the state passed her title back and forth from her bank when she originated and ended her lien; but she also said she had been pulled over several times and no police had ever mentioned that it was reported stolen. Odd, you might say, and odd it was. The plot thickens..
I start my day today (Tuesday) wondering what sort of interesting events may occur, and in the midst of dealing with the worst customer we probably have ever had and ever will have, I missed a call from DMV. The voicemail stated: "Mr. Carpenter, this is Mr. Grant at the Chesapeake DMV. We have resolved all of the issues with your car and you may register the title at any time. If you have any questions, please call me back." Yeah, I may have some questions... but the number you called me from is not a direct line! After an hour or so of holding I decided I would see him in person after work.
During the day I called the seller and she explained that apparently a repossession was listed as a theft. Clearly it is not so in real life. I got a similar story after waiting my requisite hour in DMV this afternoon, but at the end of it all- I got tags and a registration! This blog post will stand as a partial testimony to the events that occurred. Although in retrospect this seems relatively straightforward, I honestly spent hours dreading that I would have to take someone to court over selling me stolen property and fight just to get the money I paid back. In retrospect, I am glad that I took out a loan with Wells Fargo and paid everything in cashiers checks of exact amounts to the bank and seller. I am glad I stored every shred of information about the vehicle, and am most of all glad that the seller was helpful and motivated to solve this problem. At the end of 36 hours from Monday morning, I had a car that I couldn't register, then was considered stolen and likely to be impounded, then needed to possibly seek legal help to undo an auto sale, then it was back to a clerical error, and finally solved. Along the way I lost all patience for our worst customer and had a great time with a really fun girl who maybe one day I could take out in my NOT stolen car!
