Car dealer is not giving me the car title. What can I do?
Posted by jtf0112@reddit | askcarguys | View on Reddit | 97 comments
I'm a new immigrant in the US and I bought my first car here almost 3 months ago. Didn't want to spend a lot of money so I decided to buy a used car from a dealership. I paid for the car fully and also paid around $500 for the car title. They gave me a temporary tag and told me that the title will arrive within a month. It has been almost 3 months now and I'm stuck with the temporary tag. I have replaced it 3 times now as they kept expiring. I don't have a lot of information on how things work here but is this something normal?
Emotional_Park_9697@reddit
.
sryan2k1@reddit
The title and registration are not the same thing. Have you called the dealer and asked? Have you called the Florda DMV and asked?
InsaneGuyReggie@reddit
Wait digital titles are a thing? I have a paper title but I've had my car since 2009
Pete8388@reddit
Yes, in FL you can look up the vin on the DMV website and it will tell you that it’s a digital title and give you the option of paying to convert it to a paper title. You can also look it up from your DL number.
Complex_Solutions_20@reddit
I'm curious how that works like if you need to sell it or its totaled and has to be signed over and mailed to the insurance company?
I've never heard of digital titles until today.
Pete8388@reddit
My understanding is that they are transacted by people in the car business (dealers, insurance companies, scrap yards, etc.) by filling out an affidavit that is signed by the seller/conveyor of the title authorizing the transfer, really no difference from a conventional transfer. But instead of sending a piece of fancy stationary to the new owner there’s just a record in the state database that #person owns #vin
jtf0112@reddit (OP)
It looks like I had to go there and tell them about the law that the customer can't get more than 2 temporary tags for the same vehicle. And guess what, they texted me that they got the license plate and registration now and sent me a picture of it.
SyrupLover25@reddit
Lol what kind of fly by night dealership did you get this from? Why did they charge you $500 extra for the title?
jtf0112@reddit (OP)
I meant for the license plate. Sorry all these new terms are still unfamiliar to me.
leafbaker@reddit
They charged you $500 for the license plate?
RYDSLO@reddit
Not sure on your state, but that's pretty typical around me. 2 year registration fees are around $300, and dealerships/tag and title always add their own "processing" and "convenience" fees. Is $500 a bit high? Maybe, but definitely not unheard of
AyeYoThisIsSoHard@reddit
Okay but normally you register with the state. Not the dealer.
Complex_Solutions_20@reddit
Not in my experience (VA)...the dealers have always handled all the registration as part of the car sale transaction. Only have to deal with DMV if its a private party sale.
Some dealers here even have plates on hand and will pull out a new random issued metal plate and register that to your car with the DMV so no temporary tags at all.
RYDSLO@reddit
As a matter of fact, when you buy a new car from a dealer, at least the few times I've ever done it, they send you off with a temporary tag, and the dealer does all the registration paperwork FOR you so you're not sitting at the DMV trying to get plates for your brand new car. After a couple of weeks, your plates come in and you go back to the dealer to get them, at which point you ditch the paper tag. But yes, the dealer does all of the registration process on your behalf when you buy a new car.
leafbaker@reddit
Oh, ok. Sounds crazy high but makes sense with your added detail. Thank you for replying :)
mikemerriman@reddit
Could be sales tax
BisforBeard@reddit
What state requires you to pay 2 years registration at a time??
RYDSLO@reddit
It's not required, you can buy 1 year or 2, but almost everyone buys 2 years at a time, because even if your car breaks in year one, the state will refund the second year. This is in MD
BisforBeard@reddit
That must only be in your state. I've never heard of that even being an option in any state I have lived in.
uiam_@reddit
No. It's in several states. Every state I've lived in had 1 and 2 year options.
eghost57@reddit
No state I've lived in has had an option.
slash_networkboy@reddit
I wish California did!
talltime@reddit
Michigan just added a 2 year option. They’re trying to cut their workload/burden in half.
StardawggBSS@reddit
We can do 1 or 5 in CO, the 5 year is a collector only plate and won't go on anything newer than 25 years old though lol.
RYDSLO@reddit
Not sure, but its nice to only have to worry about it once every other year. The emissions inspections are also good for 2 years. Safety inspection is only once, at the beginning of ownership.
BisforBeard@reddit
We have smog/emissions here and those only have to be done every 2 years...but registration is annually.
jwalker3181@reddit
Maryland does
WildTomato51@reddit
Maryland, amongst others.
katmndoo@reddit
Oregon.
pengalo827@reddit
Back when ‘Skeletor’ Scott was governor we got fees on vehicles increased. Mostly if you had to get another tag (fortunately I’ve had a couple for several years). OP likely got hit with the big fees (the governor crowed about “no tax increases”, but I guess every other revenue source was fair game).
VisibleSea4533@reddit
Bought mine in 2022 and registration is good until 2025…I think renews every two after that.
BisforBeard@reddit
That is crazy!
ssbn632@reddit
Not to mention you usually pay sales tax when registering and plating a newly purchased vehicle.
Infamous-Poem-4980@reddit
Some years ago, GA quit charging yearly ad valorem tax and started charging a lump sum at the time of purchase. It is likely this.
Individual_Corner430@reddit
The 500 charge for license plates is because their registration fee is based on year and value of the car it can range from 100 to 500 so yes a dealer will secure the larger amount at time of sale and refund any overage once dmv transaction is complete. In ny where i am its a flat rate based on weight of vehicle
lazarinewyvren@reddit
If it took them this long to get get homie a tag, after giving him 3 temp tags, that $500 went up somebody's nose man there's no refund coming lol
SpicyPossumCosmonaut@reddit
Welcome!
You'll get all the new words with time. Congrats on your first u.s. car AND solving your first mystery with it!
Captain_Bloodlust@reddit
Probably a used car dealership that repairs totalled cars.
Wildflares@reddit
It sounds like some shady place trying to take advantage of illegals. It's very common in KC since we're a sanctuary city. When I lived in Spokane Washington, arrautas automax I worked for, did the same thing a few times. Since it's a few hours from the Canadian border there's tons of illegals. They will just take cash for a car. Give it a few months, then report it stolen. You get it back 100% of the time.
Mh88014232@reddit
It can be digital, it can be paper
Witty_Cobbler_8468@reddit
Maybe it’s because you are not a citizen
SuppliceVI@reddit
Some titles are online only, like AZ
Mindless-Extreme8843@reddit
FU go home!
jtf0112@reddit (OP)
I'll share a short story with you: during summer I went on vacation back in my hometown and when I came back, the border officer after completing all the procedures, said welcome back home. I guess this is my home now buddy, sorry don't want to go back!
fireguzzi@reddit
This happened to me and I made a complaint to the secretary of state in Georgia, where I live. They are the ones that control business licenses and such. They must've contacted the used car dealer and spooked them because I soon got my title and they were not very happy that I had made the complaint. Problem solved :)
ShowUsYourTips@reddit
You mean registration. It might mean the dealer doesn't have the title, so can't transfer ownership to you. Carvana is famous for doing that.
nowhere_near_home@reddit
Used buy here pay here lots are also notorious for selling cars they haven’t received title to yet.
Good_Celery4175@reddit
The seller of the car has to have the title to prove ownership. Never buy a car or motorcycle without getting a title. It is supposed to be signed at the sale of the vehicle. Now in the case of a car bought on a loan the bank technically owns the car until you pay them in full for it. So they will hold the title and mail you the title shortly after it is paid off. I have never heard of a digital title how would the seller sign it over to you?
YouArentReallyThere@reddit
It might also mean they took the car in on trade with an existing lien and didn’t take care of business like they should have.
doc_wuffles@reddit
Ol' Carvana is subject to litigation in multiple states for that.
jrileyy229@reddit
I believe Florida automatically issued a digital online title. You only get a paper title if you specifically request one online after the transfer is completed.
Have you called the dealer and just asked?
krepogregg@reddit
How do you sell a car with no title in hand?
arkiparada@reddit
In FL you go to the dmv and they can transfer it there for you if it’s digital. Or you can get a printed one to sell the car.
atn0716@reddit
I just bought a brand new car at a dealer and got a paper title. Bought a used car a few years ago and it was e title. I guess it depends on the dealer.
Jack3580@reddit
not sure about FL but in OH we don't send out titles anymore. They will get a letter when the lien is paid off saying the title has been transferred into their name. If they want a copy they can go to the title bureau and get a fresh one through them
PeaceThruFirepower@reddit
FL resident here.
The title is your proof of legal ownership. In FL it is issued electronically by default unless you request a paper document or a handful of exceptions apply.
Registration is required to operate the car on public roads. The registration certificate and a validation tab (yellow sticker with expiration date) accompany a new license plate. The registration will include your personal information and the car's identifying information, including the title number.
With your title number you should be able to look up your car's ownership status. Go to www.flhsmv.gov and in the "Motor Vehicles, Tags & Titles" section click on "Motor Vehicle Information Check." Here you can enter either the Title Number or VIN to find out more about your car's legal status.
duane11583@reddit
yea goto the dmv with those pics you want to remove this dealers ability to have and issue temp tags
Professional-Bug2305@reddit
Maybe tell the dmv about how they keep issuing temp tags, I got a motorcycle and was told it takes 9 months to process out of state title transfers (lived right on state line). They kept literally sending me scans of a new in state temp tag to print out and use. I may have talked to their respective dmv about these practices and last I checked the finance guy and GM are no longer there.
Overall horrible experience I dealt with, but all was well in the end.
djluminol@reddit
You should never be pay in the hundreds of dollars for a title. Registration maybe depending on the age and value of the car but not for an actual title. You can go to the DMV and request they provide you with a physical replacement title if you like. Tell them what has happened and ask what you need to do. They will help you. The new title should cost less than 20 dollars for a physical paper title. Make sure you go to the state run DMV not a private DMV if they have those in Florida. Private DMV's are not so good. They make a lot of mistakes and cost much more.
lazarinewyvren@reddit
Idk how it is in other states, but in NJ you're basically buying the title and a VIN plate, not a car. If you pay money for a car and don't get a title, you didn't buy a car you got robbed.
justme7650@reddit
Paper title in Pennsylvania cost me over $250
djluminol@reddit
Damn seriously? That's bonkers. I've never heard of a title cost that high before. Every state I've lived in so far has only been 10 or 20 bucks. Basically just enough to cover labor costs and the printing. You local government must be using title fees to fund something major for the cost to be like that. I guess I stand corrected.
Do people close to the border of other states try and keep their cars registered in the neighboring state to avoid these fees? I know some people do that between California and AZ or CA and NV but the fee schedule is nowhere near as extreme as that even.
Sketch2029@reddit
This is true but in many states including Florida you have to pay the tax along with the initial tag/title fees. OP is probably including the tax it if he's not getting scammed by his dealer.
motorider66@reddit
You may be able to lookup your vehicle info on the FL DHSMV website and if an electronic title is listed, then you can order a paper one, or visit a local county tax collector's office.
If you feel you're being scammed and assuming you are a legal immigrant, you could try escalating to the State Attorneys Office.
Theycallmesupa@reddit
The only time I couldn't get my plates from the dealer, I had just gotten out of the army and had absconded with the vehicle and had made exactly zero payments, and I was just bouncing paper tag to paper tag for months.
My neighbor called the dealership posing as a clerk from the county annex, and absolutely laid into the poor secretary on the other end. Had my plates, same day FedEx priority.
Do not recommend, as data systems are a lot better connected than in 2005, and your mileage may vary pretty drastically.
aereckfe@reddit
"He just sent me photo of registration and license loooool" Immigrant ass behaviour, doesnt understand our system but mocks it when there the complete idiot.
Says a lot about your personality, welcome to America. You fit in with them :)
Sincerely, Canada
Hobywony@reddit
If you purchased the vehicle and paid in full, why are you additionally paying $500 for the title?
VictorMortimer@reddit
Could be sales tax?
I've always dealt with title/tags myself, last time I bought a car it was nearly $1k for the title & sales tax. Only took me about 10 minutes at the county clerk office to get the tags.
The title fee was only $14 of that.
Fail_at_Life04@reddit
How do they do it where your from? Just curious 🤔
jtf0112@reddit (OP)
First of all license plates are not transferable so you buy the car with the license plate or if it's an imported car, they give you a temporary license plate and you go and buy the license plate to the vehicles department and you get it right away.
Fail_at_Life04@reddit
What about a title and registration?
Practical-Bug-9342@reddit
The title comes in the mail 🤔🤨
akiiler@reddit
This happened to me. Just give it time and it should get worked out. If the car is registered to you than you have rights in the court of law.
jtf0112@reddit (OP)
They just texted me that they got the license plate and registration so I'll finally go and pick it up tomorrow.
tidyshark12@reddit
Sane thing happened to me. It took them over a year to get my title and I got a ticket for it. Piece of shit cop and judge didn't care that the dealership didn't even have my title to give to me.
QueenAng429@reddit
Illegal
E90BarberaRed6spdN52@reddit
Sounds like Carvana again. Look to join a class action lawsuit there soon. Contact your state Attorney General's office if it is Carvana and they will assist you without cost.
notarandomuserid@reddit
If, after 3 months, you don’t have a title and can’t get any more temp tags you can’t prove you actually own the vehicle and you can’t drive it either. Find a way to force the dealer to give you back all of your money and then return the vehicle and go buy one from a more competent seller. If after 3 months you don’t have a title, maybe they sold a vehicle that they never had the title for.
Dixon-Cyder_on_elite@reddit
Not usually. But as of recently, titles and tags have been taking forever. So, no it's not normal, but depending where you live. May just be the case right now.
FrostyMission@reddit
You ask for your money back or you report them to the state. You don't legally own the car and it sounds like neither do they
Ch33na_@reddit
Florida titles can be digital, or electronically held. Might just have to go to the tax office and see if you hold the title now
Rlchv70@reddit
Not normal after 3 months. Go to the dealer and ask for your money back. Go buy a car from a different dealer.
AKADriver@reddit
That's an overreaction. Could be a simple mistake (paperwork didn't get submitted) or even something the dealership didn't do (DMV snafu).
A few years ago I bought a car, plates arrived quickly, paper title didn't. Calling my DMV, the dealer accidentally submitted my paperwork with a lien attached. One more phone call to the bank listed on the lien sorted it out. No need to bang on doors or try to return the car.
Hurdling_Thru_Time@reddit
There are no "accidental" lien attached. You got lucky, but the dealer was either incredibly sloppy or trying to pull a fast one.
ThirdSunRising@reddit
There are accidental failures to release a lien when a loan is paid off. Happens often enough; I had it happen to me on a house! And yes it’s normally sorted easily enough with a call to the bank but it absolutely does happen
AKADriver@reddit
Yes, they were just sloppy. The lien was in the name of SunTrust Bank, the dealer would have had no leverage over the car; there was clearly no "scam". I spent like 5 minutes on the phone with SunTrust and they released it. Sometimes paperwork gets mixed up.
easterracing@reddit
Reading your update…. You may want to reach out to the BMV and ask them to investigate that dealer for fraud. Keep that photo of your plate for proof, especially if you get any surprise tolls or speeding tickets associated with the plate, but before you got it. I’m highly suspicious the dealer has been running that plate on a different car(s) and would’ve kept doing so for as long as he could get away with.
LatterDayDuranie@reddit
In some states the plates go to the dealership and sit there until you pick them up. Have you physically gone to the dealer to ask about them?
Young_Bu11@reddit
From the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles government website:
"A licensed dealer is required to apply for a tag and title within 30 days, during which the buyer will be issued a temporary paper tag. Consumers should report issues receiving their tag and title immediately by faxing or mailing form HSMV 84901 to your nearest regional Division of Motorist Services’ office, found on page 2 of the form."
https://www.flhsmv.gov/safety-center/consumer-education/buying-vehicle-florida/buying-licensed-dealer/#:~:text=Tax%2C%20Tag%20and%20Title,issued%20a%20temporary%20paper%20tag.
pyscle@reddit
Paper title is not the normal. Electronic is.
You can go to a tax collectors office, and they should be able to sort you out. If you want a paper title, they can mail you one, or you can have one printed. All depends on what you want to pay.
js_408@reddit
You mean license plate
TigerDude33@reddit
In Georgia you can call one of the state agencies, don't remember which one, if you never get your metal tag.
If you financed the car you'll never get a title. If you paid cash they should've handed it to you.
pavegene@reddit
You stated you are on your 3rd temporary tag. According to the Florida Motor Vehicle Department: "We will not allow the same customer to get more than 2 temporary plates for the same vehicle".
https://www.flhsmv.gov/motor-vehicles-tags-titles/dealers-installers-manufacturers-distributors-importers/authorized-service-providers/frequently-asked-questions/#:\~:text=We%20will%20not%20allow%20the,plates%20for%20the%20same%20vehicle.
Mysterious_Night_278@reddit
Yes in Florida it goes into an electronic database owned by the state. You don’t receive a paper copy
FapDonkey@reddit
the license plate is part of the vehicle "registration". This is something you ahve to do every eyar with the state. That is a different thing than the "title" (piece of paper that says you are the owner of the car). In Florida, most car titles these days are electronic, so you might not ever recieve a physical paper title. The FL DMV can look up your car based on the VINand confirm if the title is in your name, if its electronic etc. This is different from the vehicle registration/license plate/"tag" (all different names for the same thing). Is is very common when buying from a car dealer that you leave with a "temporary tag" (a cardboard or paper license plate). They have a system with the state DMV and will submit your paperwork to register your car in your name (i.e. they will do the work to get you your license plate and register for the first year). While they do this, and while you wait or the state to mail you your metal license palte and sticker, they dealer is allwoed to issue you a temporary tag. That is all pretty common. It taking over 3 months for them to sort out your tag is NOT normal, and suggests there ws a mistake somewhere (they forgot to submit some paperwork?). I would deifnitely call the dealer and ask if they submitted registration for your car, and when you can expect the tag.
BigGingerBoy@reddit
I might start with knocking on the dealers door and asking politely what the problem seems to be.
If the answer is less than satisfactory, ask less politely. If the answer is still unsatisfactory, ask with a lawyer, then you become a used car salesman with the dealership you just won in court.
Slayerofgrundles@reddit
I think you're confusing the title (that blue and white paper that proves ownership) with a tag (your license plate).