Sold a car, buyer abandoned it in another state

My wife sold her car via local online classifeds (ksl.com) for $500. The guy drove the car to Washington state and abandoned it. Months later we received a collection notice from a towing company in Washinton for the tow and vehicle abandonment fees.

We have a valid UT bill of sale for this transaction, what can we do to get these collectors off our backs?

Send them a copy of the Bill of Sale and any contact information for the individual.

They probably not on your backs, but they are probably doing a mechanics lein and will sell the car. They are just doing legal work to notify you that they have the car.

That is my guess.

GreenSLC said:

My wife sold her car via local online classifeds (ksl.com) for $500. The guy drove the car to Washington state and abandoned it. Months later we received a collection notice from a towing company in Washinton for the tow and vehicle abandonment fees.

We have a valid UT bill of sale for this transaction, what can we do to get these collectors off our backs?

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Depending on which state the vehicle was originally registered and sold in, your wife may have been required to file a release of liability within a certain period of time after the sale... And without that, she can indeed be held liable for any citations/impound fees/accidents... etc.

Assuming that by "UT", you mean Utah, here's an excerpt from the Utah DMV website (Scroll down to the bottom of this page: http://dmv.utah.gov/buyingresponsibilities.html ):

When you sell your vehicle:

* Remove your license plates from the vehicle. If you do not, you may be liable for any parking or traffic violations occurring while your plates remain on the car.
* Give the new owner the signed title, current registration certificate, and current safety and emission certificates. The new owner may obtain a temporary permit from any Motor Vehicle office by presenting the signed title, proof of insurance, and picture identification and paying all applicable fees
* Notify the Division of Motor Vehicles in writing that your vehicle has been sold. The notification must include the vehicle year, make, plate or vehicle identification number and the owner's signature. This notification can be sent by fax or mail to:

Division of Motor Vehicles
Suspended Transaction Unit
210 N 1950 W
Salt Lake City, UT 84134

Fax: (801) 297-3570

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If your wife did not follow all the steps the DMV listed, she could be liable.

BUT even if she was remiss in some steps... like the worst being to have not removed the plates (I hope she did that.), this is not the end of the world.

HOWEVER, having had something very similar happen before to myself, I suspect very strongly that what another poster says is the truth, and that the tow place is following the laws to give you a chance to claim property so that they can seize it legally and sell it.

Just ignore the calls, as there is nothing you can do.

Just because a creditor is calling you does not mean you you credit or life is ruined or even damaged.

This is some tow guy in another non-adjacent state...

Raise you threshold for things on your back because this is NOT a big problem.

Tow guys make money by seizing and selling unclaimed junky cars. Not by suing people from 4 states away who have a strong defense.

This would be totally different if you were like "My car, my baby, they found you..." Then the tow guy would have the upper hand.

Yes, the car was sold in Utah.

Unfortunately, she did not remove the plates.

We have received two written notices regarding the amount, but no harassing calls, so I apologize for saying they were on our backs.

I called them directly today to see what could be done about this debt. They claimed they had received our bill of sale and spoken to the tow company in Washington. The response from the towing company stated (according to the collection company) that the bill of sale changes nothing and that my wife is still liable for the debt because she was the registered owner of the vehicle at the time.

GreenSLC said:

The response from the towing company stated (according to the collection company) that the bill of sale changes nothing and that my wife is still liable for the debt because she was the registered owner of the vehicle at the time.

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Did you expect the tow guy to give you the full up and up?

That the moral portrayal of tow operators in film tv and literarture was incorrect in its baseness?

He's right, sort of. But you are going to stiff him because it isn't your car and you could prove that... but you aren't going to need to, and he's going to keep your car and sell it or part it out.

You need to go to the DMV and report car sold and the circumstance of the plate. All of which would have been much easier if done at the time of sale and the plate returned.

xylene said:

Did you expect the tow guy to give you the full up and up?

That the moral portrayal of tow operators in film tv and literarture was incorrect in its baseness?

He's right, sort of. But you are going to stiff him because it isn't your car and you could prove that... but you aren't going to need to, and he's going to keep your car and sell it or part it out.

You need to go to the DMV and report car sold and the circumstance of the plate. All of which would have been much easier if done at the time of sale and the plate returned.

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Of course there is the slight chance that the proceeds from the sale (whether at auction or by parting-out) may not cover the full amount for towing and storage fees.

So the tow yard owner/operator can sue "the registered owner" and/or submit the matter through a collections agency... etc.

Why not go & get it? Who has the title? If not transferred then get a duplicate title & you have your car back.

If the buyer wants it back, he can pay for the towing fees.

davidmcbeth3 said:

Why not go & get it? Who has the title? If not transferred then get a duplicate title & you have your car back.

If the buyer wants it back, he can pay for the towing fees.

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OP doesn't go to get it because it's not his/her car
This forum generally frowns on advising people to commit crimes.

I_Got_Banned said:

So the tow yard owner/operator can sue "the registered owner" and/or submit the matter through a collections agency... etc.

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They can sue, and they will lose.

A collection agent saying 'sorry, you are the registered owner' vs an actual out of state judge enforcing penalties on a vehicle's former owner that can be proved to be sold...