Surprise! $1600 towing bill and storage fee

[prcrstn8]

I sold 2 scooters ... both private buyers wanted me to leave the title name blank and not complete a bill of sale.

There's something funny, and NOT haha, about scooter people (yes, I am). The message boards, yikes.

[boots2000]

A few years ago my wife's Subaru blew the head gasket.
It was an old car so we put it on Craigslist for Blue Book less what a head gasket job would cost.
A guy immediately emailed her to buy it- did not even ask for a better price.
He came over with a flat bed, said he was getting it for his wife, blah, blah, blah.
In California you fill out a DMV release when you sell the vehicle- it is basically like a bill of sale and release of ownership.
2 days later my wife gets an email from some woman- the woman must have done some detective work to find my wife.
The buyer had just flipped it without registering the car- did nothing to address the head gasket. Just sold it to an unwitting buyer.

[Jonathan]

I seriously dislike tow yards and pawn shops. Shady people and shady businesses.

[j44ke]

Drifting the thread, but there is a 2014 Argentinian movie called Wild Tales related to tow trucks. Wild Tales is a collection of 6 short films all loosely about some form of revenge. One of these shorts is about a man who gets his car towed unjustly and gets his revenge by...Watch the movie. It's alternatively funny, sad, bizarre, gross and endearing. Perfect for this place.

I saw this movie with no expectations and it was one of the best movies I saw during our annual binge watch in December. That last scene with the wedding is perfect.

[alexstar]

I saw this movie with no expectations and it was one of the best movies I saw during our annual binge watch in December. That last scene with the wedding is perfect.

Oh yeah. LOVED that movie. Watched it figuring anything Almodóvar had a hand in would be great, and boy, was it ever. Five stars.

[EricKeller]

I gave ("sold") one of my mother's vehicle to her next door neighbor, who I knew was a crook. I went to the DMV with him to transfer the title and get new plates. There was a reason for me to be there, but really I could have just trusted him to transfer the title on his own. However, I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have ever done it. I've heard too many horror stories to trust someone to transfer the title. We also did it with one of our cars that I gave to someone. The more distressed the vehicle, the more reason to do this. You'd think that people would want to establish ownership, but in a lot of cases it's better just to drive the car. For one thing, in most states there is a sales tax even on a free car, that is true in Virginia, don't remember in PA

[David Tollefson]

For one thing, in most states there is a sales tax even on a free car...

In Washington, as in many other states, I'm sure, that tax is based on the "fair market value" or actual purchase price, which ever is higher. What other private sale requires the remittance of sales tax? Money grabbers...

[EricKeller]

in Virginia, there is still property tax paid on a car. So there is very good reason to make sure the title is properly transferred. But liability is a pretty good reason to make sure the title is properly transferred. Cars are heavily subsidized by the state, a sales tax is perfectly justified, and in Virginia the tax is on $500. Not like the roads pave themselves.

[Saab2000]

Not like the roads pave themselves.

You're wrong. Roads paved themselves during the Eisenhower era. Bridges appeared overnight and never ever require maintenance. Schools built themselves too. And that clean water that comes out of your tap? Same story. Fairies and unicorns and pixie dust! That's what these dreams are made of!

[Dallas Tex]

No, the tax was paid on that car when it was purchased new. When you gift your old beater to that single mom down the street why should she have to pay tax again for the same damn car you already paid tax on when you bought it at the dealership?

[Loki]

No, the tax was paid on that car when it was purchased new. When you gift your old beater to that single mom down the street why should she have to pay tax again for the same damn car you already paid tax on when you bought it at the dealership?

Don't get me started on inheritance tax....

[prcrstn8]

Bridges appeared overnight and never ever require maintenance.

That I-35W though. And the Tappan Zee that's still standing, but...

[Saab2000]

Don't get me started on inheritance tax....

I've heard valid arguments on this one from both sides of the issue but I think I agree with you on this.

[EricKeller]

the single mom is paying tax on her car because most states don't have inheritance tax. Didn't have to pay a dime on my mom's estate, Virginia doesn't charge any and the feds only charge on over $5 mil. Low tax states need to get the money from somewhere. Just because it's called a sales tax doesn't really mean much. People refuse to elect politicians that will raise taxes on the people with money, so they nickel and dime us.

[BShow]

No, the tax was paid on that car when it was purchased new. When you gift your old beater to that single mom down the street why should she have to pay tax again for the same damn car you already paid tax on when you bought it at the dealership?

Not true in PA. Well, it is true that the sales tax is paid when the care is bought new, but sales tax is also paid each time the car is sold used, whether through a dealer or private party. The tax is based upon fair market value. If you dont pay enough sales tax on a used car (as decided by the state) they will invoice you for it.

I went through this a few years ago. A friend was moving out west abruptly and offered my wife a great deal on his car. The car was worth about 10k and he sold it for 5k (maybe less). We transferred the title and paid the check at a notary and did everything by the book. Fast forward a year or so, the state of Pennsylvania sends me a letter saying I owe a several hundred dollars in back sales tax, late fees, interest and whatever else. We contacted the former owner who furnished a (new) notarized memo stating the terms of the sale from a year or two prior, which I provided to the state at their request. I figured that would be case closed. A couple years later we're contacted by a lawyer who is attempting to collect the debt on behalf of the state of Pennsylvania. I went back and forth with that law office for months. They finally stopped bugging me, but it was never resolved. Oddly, its not on my credit report. I fully expect somebody to contact me again someday to resolve it, until then, i'm not losing sleep over it.

So the moral of my story is to do everything by the book, keep records of everything, get everything notarized. Wait... no, that didnt work. I have no idea what to do next time I buy or sell a used car. I guess I have everything in place to show a judge whenever I get a summons.

[Dallas Tex]

Not true in PA. Well, it is true that the sales tax is paid when the care is bought new, but sales tax is also paid each time the car is sold used, whether through a dealer or private party.......

I believe that's true in most places. You may have missed my point.

[Dallas Tex]

Low tax states need to get the money from somewhere. Just because it's called a sales tax doesn't really mean much. People refuse to elect politicians that will raise taxes on the people with money, so they nickel and dime us.

Or the state could simply spend less money. And not force a single mom to pony up money she doesn't have for the 'privilege' of receiving a car as a gift.

A car is often a necessity for basic survival in our society. Taxing that same car 3,4, 5 or more times is the government double dipping. And is hurting the folks who can least afford it the most. IMHO.

[EricKeller]

most people like the benefits of a healthy state budget. The states that have totally tax-averse populations are places most of us wouldn't want to live. And I would note that these so-called low-tax states are the ones that lead in tax unfairness. There are places that live off of asset forfeiture and bogus traffic tickets. Just paying taxes is far more economically sound.

The trump supporting tow truck driver has a "towing and used cars" business -- this thread makes me wonder how much of his stock comes from scams like the one in the OP. Tow a car, hide it for a month, rack up big fees, get the title in lieu of fees.
Trump-loving tow truck driver says God told him to leave disabled Bernie Sanders supporter stranded

[Dallas Tex]

The most insidious tow truck scams are the ones that involve the parking lot owners too. For example a local bar will enter into an agreement with a tow truck company. The bar posts 'no parking after 2:30am' in the parking lot. Bar closes at 2:00am. At 2:31am the tow truck starts towing cars away. No reason to tow the cars other than $. The bar & tow truck operator split the tow fees, storage fees, processing fees, etc. I hate when necessary evil (like tow trucks) evolve into a profit center for a business.

[davids]

I, too, was contacted about damages caused by a car I'd long since sold. I guess this kind of thing is more common than I'd've thought!

I forget the details, but I do remember that I was able to quickly prove the car wasn't mine. It had been crashed into a median guardrail on 128 and then abandoned. Kinda made me sad that its life had ended there...

And I, too, loved "Wild Tales". Dark, dark, dark.