The Car I've drove and paid for isn't in my name and the person it is passed away

[Mitchellb]

I need a legal opinion. I purchased a used car about 4 years ago. My credit had issues to the point where I couldn't be on the car at all. I got a friend of the family to put the car completely in his name. I found out yesterday from my mother that he passed away almost a year ago. What should I do with the car? I worry that there would be issues if I was to get pulled over. Should I just turn it back in and get a new vehicle? Is there any way to get the car in my name? I have made every payment, renewed the registration, paid to have the car serviced, and have the insurance in my name. Thank you for your time.

Mitchell

 

[adjusterjack]

Sorry, but you didn't "purchase" the car, you rented it.

Now it belongs to the estate of the deceased.

Find out who the executor or representative of the estate is and talk to him or her about getting the ownership of the vehicle signed over to you.

Be advised that there is absolutely no legal obligation for heirs to do that and you might be SOL.

However, if there is a loan balance they might not want take the car back if they have to make payments so you might have a little bit of leverage.

Still, there might just be problems.

The lender might not allow the transfer of ownership or might activate the due on sale clause if the title is successfully transferred to you and you could lose the car anyway if you can't afford to pay the balance.

If you hit any snags along the way, it's probably best to cut your losses and return the car to the heirs and buy another car to replace it.