private car sales

[kyritcat555]

I sold my car as is through facebook. I met the person and he checked the car. He liked it and bought it. I gave him my papers (the title and a paper from my dealer that said the car was fully paid). It has been three weeks since I sold the car, and the new owner is now calling me saying that the car has a lien and that he wants to return it and get his money back, otherwise he will sue me. I spoke to the someone at the dmv by my house and my dealer and they tell me that there's no lien in the car so I don't know what to do at this point. The person keeps asking me for my address and I don't think it would be safe for me to give him my address. So I guess some of my questions would be, what should I do in case he sue me? What documentation should I have ready? Does he need my address? Do I need a lawyer? Should I just stop answering his calls? I don't know what I should do so any information on the matter would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advanced.

 

[LdiJ]

I sold my car as is through facebook. I met the person and he checked the car. He liked it and bought it. I gave him my papers (the title and a paper from my dealer that said the car was fully paid). It has been three weeks since I sold the car, and the new owner is now calling me saying that the car has a lien and that he wants to return it and get his money back, otherwise he will sue me. I spoke to the someone at the dmv by my house and my dealer and they tell me that there's no lien in the car so I don't know what to do at this point. The person keeps asking me for my address and I don't think it would be safe for me to give him my address. So I guess some of my questions would be, what should I do in case he sue me? What documentation should I have ready? Does he need my address? Do I need a lawyer? Should I just stop answering his calls? I don't know what I should do so any information on the matter would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advanced.

If there is no lien on the car, then stop answering his calls and certainly do NOT give him your address.

 

[PayrollHRGuy]

What state are you in?

But if the DMV doesn't show a lien you should be fine. You won't need a lawyer until you are sued. I'm surprised the title didn't have your address.

 

[Zigner]

First: What US State?
Second: Did you give the buyer a lien release or a title that had the lien portion signed off?

 

[kyritcat555]

I live in NY state. I was renting a house and the landlord decided he wanted to sell the house and since I was not going to buy it I had move out. I needed money to move so I decided to sell one of my cars since it was fully paid. That is the reason why the title has a different address to my current address. I gave him all the papers I had and I even recorded my last call to the dmv, where the person I spoke to said there was no lien on the car, just to show the guy I was not lying to him. But he keeps saying there is a lien in the car.

 

[adjusterjack]

I gave him all the papers I had

Did you keep copies of everything?

 

[Zigner]

I live in NY state. I was renting a house and the landlord decided he wanted to sell the house and since I was not going to buy it I had move out. I needed money to move so I decided to sell one of my cars since it was fully paid. That is the reason why the title has a different address to my current address. I gave him all the papers I had and I even recorded my last call to the dmv, where the person I spoke to said there was no lien on the car, just to show the guy I was not lying to him. But he keeps saying there is a lien in the car.

Go with him to the DMV so he can get it transferred to his name.

 

[LdiJ]

Go with him to the DMV so he can get it transferred to his name.

I wouldn't even do that. I had someone try to pull the same stunt on me a couple of years ago. I knew that they were lying because I had to get a replacement title for the car (I had lost the original) and you cannot get a replacement title if there is a lien on it. The title goes to the lienholder in Indiana. Anyway, the guy showed up at my house a few months later demanding his money back because there was an alleged lien on the car, and I told him to pound sand.

 

[Zigner]

I wouldn't even do that. I had someone try to pull the same stunt on me a couple of years ago. I knew that they were lying because I had to get a replacement title for the car (I had lost the original) and you cannot get a replacement title if there is a lien on it. The title goes to the lienholder in Indiana. Anyway, the guy showed up at my house a few months later demanding his money back because there was an alleged lien on the car, and I told him to pound sand.

Your situation is different from the OP.

 

[HighwayMan]

...a paper from my dealer that said the car was fully paid

Was this "paper" a MV-901 form?

You can check for yourself here:

https://dmv.ny.gov/registration/check-title-or-lien-status

 

[LdiJ]

Your situation is different from the OP.

What do you see as different between my situation and theirs? Both of us had someone try to scam us by saying that there was a lien on a vehicle, when there was not. The scam is that they use the vehicle for as long as they want to use it, and then they play the scam to try to get their money back, so that they don't actually have to register it and resell it themselves.

 

[NeilTheCop]

As there appears to be no lien I wonder the true reason the buyer wants his money back.

 

[LdiJ]

As there appears to be no lien I wonder the true reason the buyer wants his money back.

He got the use he wanted out of the vehicle. Its a lot easier for him to get his money back than to register the car in his name and sell it again, particularly if he has any impediments to doing that.

 

[HighwayMan]

He got the use he wanted out of the vehicle. Its a lot easier for him to get his money back than to register the car in his name and sell it again, particularly if he has any impediments to doing that.

How would one use a vehicle after acquiring it and avoid registering and insuring it?

 

[LdiJ]

How would one use a vehicle after acquiring it and avoid registering and insuring it?

Slap another plate on it and hope for the best. I know you know about all of the tricks and things those people pull.