barncobob

bought 17 P from "reputable" high end dealer in Scottsdale..took me just short of 60 days to get the pink(title)next time its I give him the check and HANDS me the pink..no more of this BS its in the mail. being processed.just left my office...its on the way to post office. free $100K loan for 2 months is what it is..

noahabel

Now that is a bunch of BS. No dealer should be allowed to operate this way, but car dealerships really operate almost entirely unregulated. Sure, they have a ton of paperwork to shove in your face, but I'm guessing the industry wrote the rules, not actual consumer advocates.

Doesn't help that all but 4 states collect sales/use tax every time a car changes ownership. Can't imagine legislatures would ever do anything to bring those fees down.

Thanks for all the advice, everyone!

Levy

a sure fire way to not get into the "where is my title" trick bag is to ask the dealer if they have possession of the title before you send the money. contrary to popular belief, title delays seldom/if ever have to do with "cash flow" issues at the dealer or them not caring after getting paid. reputable dealers have nothing to gain from delaying title delivery accept grief and an angry customer. if they have it, they will send it. no doubt some scum bag dealers will slow walk the title but not reputable and/or franchise dealers. vast majority of title delays are due to the dealer NOT having the title to send you. whether it was a recent trade in and requires a payoff or the previous owner lost/does not have the title and a duplicate is required. this applies to units the selling dealer acquired from auctions as well.

pay-offs have gotten better over the years, especially with the major lenders. most of the big guys have e-pay setup so the title can be received within 2 weeks. small/local lenders can take up to 6 weeks once the check is cut/sent. duplicate titles can take 6-12 weeks depending on the state and/or other issues (like covid backups). with dealers listing/selling cars before they ever arrive on the lot, it's very rare to have a title for a fresh unit. very few people trade in a car and hand over a free/clear title when the sale goes down.

ask your salesperson to confirm the dealership has the title in house. if you don't trust them or think they are lying, ask for a copy. if they don't have a title, find out why and what the ETA is (lost? payoff?). if the timeframe is acceptable, then proceed.

barncobob

well put Levy..i learned my lesson