Auto registration issues, anyone know?

[SilverSleeper]

I know, I know, dont do business with family. I learned the hard way.
Onto my problem....

My friend bought a car, that didnt run right, and needed some work. He fixed it up with the intention of selling it, not keeping it. It was never registered.
So, through me, he found a buyer in a family member of mine.
Now, from here, Im not sure where things went wrong, but they apparently went really wrong.
I havent gotten the complete story yet, because now both parties are peeved at me.
What I can figure out, its that at some point, the previous owner of the car let her insurance lapse at some point. Well, apparently, my sister was driving, and ended up getting ticketed and issued a court appearance, which she says has something to do with the insurance lapse.
What is going on here? The title was "apparently" free and clear. Can back fines from the previous owner catch up to the new owner somehow? Im still trying to figure this out myself, since both parties are too mad at me, and at each other to talk sensibly.
Anyone have some thoughts? Did DMV somehow flag this VIN because of the insurance lapse, and if so, how is it the new owners fault?

 

[John Larkin]

Cars don't get moving violations, drivers do. However if the car was parked illegally, then the car might be ticketed referencing the VIN or license plate. If the latter is the case, then without being registered to the current owner the previous owner would be referenced. I cannot see any other way would happen.

 

[Jbenn911]

Yep....If your friend never re-registered or re-titled the car to his name, then it can come back on him(or your sister in this case). The original owner probably let his insurance lapse(or cancelled it) since the car was sold. The registration was probably what was "flagged". Here in NJ, if DMV gets wind that your insurance is cancelled and you dont turn the registration in you will get your registration "priviledges" suspended, followed by your license. So most likely, your buddy had the original owners plates on there, which were suspended for lack of insurance, and your sister paid the price for him not doing the right thing...

 

[SilverSleeper]

Nah, it didnt have plates on it. The only thing it had on it at the time of sale was the inspection sticker and previous registration on the windshield. The car had been off the road for awhile at the time it was sold, so the plates were already surrendered to DMV.
As far as I can tell in this case, everything was done the way it should have been. He bought the car with a clean title, just never registered it in his name. It wasnt on the road, it was taken off the road by the previous owner since it needed a lot of work done to make it safe.
He gave my sister the title and bill of sale. No plates involved. She went to DMV and I guess was told she had to pay some $500 in fines or tickets or something by DMV.
Like I said before, Im not even getting the whole story here, Im trying to mend fences here, which is tough being in the middle.
I would think that the previous owner would be responsible for any fines imposed if they let the insurance lapse. Insurance in NY follows the driver, not the car. If I dont pay my insurance, they would revoke MY license. If I sold the car, they would still come after me and my license, not the new owner.
I cant understand how the new owner bears any responsibility. If the title had a lien on it, thats one thing. But aside from a lien on a title, or if it turns up stolen, then the new owner starts from scratch on their own insurances and their own registration.
Im hoping she calms down enough sometime to actually explain what happened and not scream at me. She is actually refusing to pay my friend the rest of what she owes on the car because of this at the moment.

 

[turbojimmy]

Nah, it didnt have plates on it. The only thing it had on it at the time of sale was the inspection sticker and previous registration on the windshield. The car had been off the road for awhile at the time it was sold, so the plates were already surrendered to DMV.
As far as I can tell in this case, everything was done the way it should have been. He bought the car with a clean title, just never registered it in his name. It wasnt on the road, it was taken off the road by the previous owner since it needed a lot of work done to make it safe.
He gave my sister the title and bill of sale. No plates involved. She went to DMV and I guess was told she had to pay some $500 in fines or tickets or something by DMV.
Like I said before, Im not even getting the whole story here, Im trying to mend fences here, which is tough being in the middle.
I would think that the previous owner would be responsible for any fines imposed if they let the insurance lapse. Insurance in NY follows the driver, not the car. If I dont pay my insurance, they would revoke MY license. If I sold the car, they would still come after me and my license, not the new owner.
I cant understand how the new owner bears any responsibility. If the title had a lien on it, thats one thing. But aside from a lien on a title, or if it turns up stolen, then the new owner starts from scratch on their own insurances and their own registration.
Im hoping she calms down enough sometime to actually explain what happened and not scream at me. She is actually refusing to pay my friend the rest of what she owes on the car because of this at the moment.

NY is a b*tch to deal with in general, but all of the above makes sense. Fines shouldn't follow the car around, they follow the people around. The sheriff in NY come after my uncle for parking fines and storage for a car that I bought from him, titled and resold years prior. It had changed hands and had been titled at least 3 times since my uncle bought it. The last owner in the chain had abandoned it in NYC. They auctioned it off since none of us came to get it.

Something similar happened to my sister, but the scumbag that bought her car never titled it and put ficticious plates on it. She had to hire a lawyer to get the state of NY off her back for parking fines.

It sounds like you need to get details around the fees from your sister. Find out specifically what they are for. Here in NJ there are additional fees if you don't title the car in your name within a certain amount of time after you buy it (20 days? - I don't remember). It's not a lot of money, but it is more than if you title it right away. Here in NJ you also pay sales tax at time of registration which is something people don't often expect. The fees might not be for past sins at all.

Jim