California reg / title / transfer / DMV question

[PowerChordHack]

I'm interested in buying a bike but I'm wary of whether the DMV will let me reg it...

Here's the story.

Michigan bike. Clean title. I THINK the tags are still current.
Bought by a guy in CA in April 2011.
He brought it into CA but never reg'ed it.
Now he want's to sell it (says it's too big for him).

Can I buy it from the current (CA) owner and reg it without hassles from the DMV?

Potential problems:
- CA wants vehicles reg'ed w/in 10 days of entry, IIRC. It's been in CA for 4 mos.
- It's reg'ed in MI but the seller is in CA and he's not the one who reg'ed it in MI. Is that OK?

I think the best thing to do is have the seller get off his arse & reg it in CA and sell it w/ a clean reg history and title chain, right?

PS - it's old and has plenty of miles on it - no need to worry about 50-state-legal

 

[Dianoetic]

Potential problems:
- CA wants vehicles reg'ed w/in 10 days of entry, IIRC. It's been in CA for 4 mos.

I wasn't sure I could afford the fees on my bike so I asked the DMV if I could pay for the registration outside of the 10 day window and they told me I'd have to pay more. I believe they said about 10% of the entire purchase price, but a week later is different than 4 months.

I would suggest you call the DMV. They have a really great callback program where you can reserve your place in line on the phone and they'll simply call you back once a representative is available. They usually tell you about how long you'd have to wait.

- It's reg'ed in MI but the seller is in CA and he's not the one who reg'ed it in MI. Is that OK?

So the seller bought the bike from someone in MI but never registered it? Why involve yourself in such shady business; don't reward the lazy/stupid.

 

[Sane_Man]

There's no calendar on the bike that tells DMV when it was brought into the State. Let the guy register it in his name in CA, then have him get back with you when it's done. Don't get involved in this process trying to save time/fees. Otherwise, like everyone says, walk away.

 

[Dianoetic]

There's no calendar on the bike that tells DMV when it was brought into the State. Let the guy register it in his name in CA, then have him get back with you when it's done. Don't get involved in this process trying to save time/fees. Otherwise, like everyone says, walk away.

But if the seller brought it to CA but wasn't the one who registered it in MI, then isn't there a title transfer that was never processed?

 

[LTran125]

he should of registered it once when he brought it to CA.
now since its a couple months and he still hasn't registered it, late fees are piling up.
you're right, it would be better if he registered it, pay off the fees, then sell it to you and you should be able to register it with no problem.

 

[Sane_Man]

But if the seller brought it to CA but wasn't the one who registered it in MI, then isn't there a title transfer that was never processed?

As long as the seller has the signed off title, he normally wouldn't have to worry about that. But knowing DMV as I do, they are going to ask for a signature from whosoever name is actually on the title. That's what's going to hold up things.

 

[WarpSpeed]

this deal stinks

 

[PowerChordHack]

crap.
I want this bike but if it's going to be DMV hell then its not worth it.

OK, if I can't get the seller to reg it in CA and complete the title chain then I think I'm out.

I'll see if I can get answers from the DMV tomorrow. The problem there is sometimes the answer changes depending on whom you talk too...

 

[Dianoetic]

crap.
I want this bike but if it's going to be DMV hell then its not worth it.

OK, if I can't get the seller to reg it in CA and complete the title chain then I think I'm out.

I'll see if I can get answers from the DMV tomorrow. The problem there is sometimes the answer changes depending on whom you talk too...

Don't go through with this deal even if the seller is willing to work with you. If the past laziness is any indication of his character, you'll be waiting some time, so don't get your hopes up/put all of your eggs in one basket. Move on or keep your options open. Who knows, maybe someone interested will tell him they'll deal with all of the DMV crap, so you'll end up waiting even longer, only to realize you've been cut out.

 

[LTran125]

crap.
I want this bike but if it's going to be DMV hell then its not worth it.

OK, if I can't get the seller to reg it in CA and complete the title chain then I think I'm out.

I'll see if I can get answers from the DMV tomorrow. The problem there is sometimes the answer changes depending on whom you talk too...

good luck,
hope you get consistent answers from them as well

 

[Sane_Man]

crap.
I want this bike but if it's going to be DMV hell then its not worth it.

OK, if I can't get the seller to reg it in CA and complete the title chain then I think I'm out.

I'll see if I can get answers from the DMV tomorrow. The problem there is sometimes the answer changes depending on whom you talk too...

Every person you talk to will give you a different answer. The only person who matters is the clerk who gets presented with the paperwork to be processed. That clerk is not going to care what some other clerk told you.

You still seem determined to interject yourself in a mess where your input will have no bearing on the outcome. Until the DMV is satisfied that the seller has legal ownership of a bike whose name is not on the title, you are not going to be able to title it in your name. They may take his word about it, which I doubt, or they will make him jump through a bunch of hoops since this is an important document. He's never taken care of the paperwork within the time requirements in the past, so I wouldn't put much faith he will take care of it in a timely manner now.

You are trying to take on his burden of straightening out paperwork when you don't even know the parties involved and are assuming he is telling you the truth about a fishy story. You aren't the first person who posted a similar story on Barf, and many of them didn't work out. Just a few weeks ago a Barfer was scammed out of $5k for a bike where the seller didn't have a clear title to sell. He now has possession of a bike he paid for, but actually is owned by a bank who wasn't paid.

I hope you won't be the next person ridiculed in a eight page thread where everyone says "I told you so."

 

[Dianoetic]

Just a few weeks ago a Barfer was scammed out of $5k for a bike where the seller didn't have a clear title to sell. He now has possession of a bike he paid for, but actually is owned by a bank who wasn't paid.

I hope you won't be the next person ridiculed in a eight page thread where everyone says "I told you so."

They'd have to put me on suicide watch after that

 

[DannoXYZ]

I went through an ordeal where the bike I bought was legally registered to 2 owners before me. I had to get each and every owner in between to complete the registration and pay the fees due at their stage. Finally got it done, but it look 10x as much time and paperwork. And that's with cooperative people too. Not sure what situation you're facing with out-of-state people, but you may be out enough time where it would've made more sense to spend an extra $5k for a properly-titled CA bike.