Hi all,

I'm attempting to buy a vehicle from So.Cal that has a lien against it. The owner tells me that he doesn't have a title or copy of the title to send to me prior to sending him $.

I live in Minneapolis and here in MN, even if one has a lien, the individual retains the vehicle title which is branded with the lienholders info.

Is his claim accurate and if so, how does one go about validating ownership for an auto with a lien in California?

I can call the CA.DMV but I thought I'd ask for help here before hours.

TIA

 

you can verify that he owns the car by asking for his registration or ask him to get a copy of the title, which he should be able to get from his bank. His name from driver license should match the registration / title.

you will need a bill of sales, notarized power of attorney, notarized release of interest from the bank / lienholders once you have paid him. this way, you can get the title yourself in case one isn't sent to you.

ultimately, if you dont trust the seller, don't buy. there are a lot of shady people out there. if at doubt, go through a dealer to handle the paperwork.

 

Best thing to do is to find out who the lien holder is and deal directly with the bank. When my cousin sold her BMW, BMW Finance handled the entire sales transaction and any over payment was mailed directly to her and the title was sent to the buyer. The lien holder acted almost like an escrow company.

 

here in california, we dont hold the title until we pay off the car. i would ask the seller for the lien holders info and see if you can get any information from the bank, might be tough due to privacy issues. a copy of the registration should show the owner and lienholder information.