Dealer never put TITLE in my name, am I stuck??

[TL_Wanderer]

In 2015, after years of health problems, I bought a used motor home in the hopes of traveling while I still had time. I cashed in my retirement account to do it. No sooner had the ink dried then I was sick again. Bought online (never again, lesson learned) paid in full. The title, after being delayed all summer, was supposed to be given to the driver - it wasn’t. The dealer stopped returning my calls.
The motor home sat in a rented site since then and I spent most of my time too sick to care. In fall ‘18 a mechanic picked it up to give it a full checkup and inspection so it would be ready to travel at last.
Then I found out I was stuck. I have insurance on it, but no inspection without a Registration and I can’t get that without the Title.
I am in Pennsylvania, I bought the vehicle from a dealer in Florida, and the motor home may (or may not ) have been owned by someone in Georgia, but I don’t have their name.
PA told me to talk to Florida DMV- FLDMV said there was a temporary registration in 8/15 but no Title was ever created, so I should go back to the dealer. Dealer said the salesman doesn’t work here anymore and stopped returning my calls.
Now what? I’m feeling rather hopeless. I don’t know if my health will hold out for a legal battle, but I’m disabled and every penny I had is in that used motor home.
Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks, Tracey

[schlep1967]

You should be able to take your out of state bill of sale to the PA DMV and get it taken care of.

[MRUSA]

The FL DMV is very strict. If the dealer did not act properly he could lose his license and his livelihood. I would contact FL DMV

[valhalla360]

dodge guy wrote:
Since you have the bill of sale, file for a lost title. The DMV will do a search and if it comes back free and clear they can issue a new title.

Probably your best bet...3-4 years later, the dealer may not even have access to the info and doesn't see much value in spending hours tracking it down.

I don't see this as much an issue of buying out of state as not following up during the purchase. Even though your illness takes precedence, if you came back to me 4 yr later, I can see the appeal of just not calling back and hoping you don't follow up for another 4 yr.

[mobilefleet]

Somebody mentioned the police. The police won't do anything as this is a civil matter and they will direct you to hire a lawyer and/or file a claim with the court. Problem is, you generally have to file in the county where the defendant does business. Not feasible. Instead just get a bonded title through a local insurance agency or suretybondsdirect.com where you can get an online quote. The cost will be based on book value and how good your credit is, but will usually be anywhere from $100 to $500. This process is easy and much less hassle than court.

[lap527]

mikim wrote:
Since the dealer is located in Florida, I would contact the DMV in the state of Florida and file a complaint against them.

https://www.flhsmv.gov/safety-center/consumer-education/fraud/motor-vehicle-fraud/

I had the same problem here in Fl and went to the DMV. It wasn't long before the dealership was contacting me to straighten things out.

[JaxDad]

Cut to the chase!

If you bought in ‘15 you’ve had it legally in your possession for 4’ish years.

File a storage lien and take title for unpaid storage fees. Dozens of company’s will do it for you, should be $200 to $300 Done.

No use making it more complicated than it needs to be.

[mikim]

Since the dealer is located in Florida, I would contact the DMV in the state of Florida and file a complaint against them.

https://www.flhsmv.gov/safety-center/consumer-education/fraud/motor-vehicle-fraud/

[westernrvparkow]

Time is of the essence in most transactions. The OP bought the vehicle 4 years ago and is just now attempting to track down the title. The dealer will likely claim they sent the title years ago. I agree with several of the previous posters to run a title search using the VIN and find out where and how the vehicle is currently titled. The next step should become apparent once that information is known.

[doxiemom11]

We were going to purchase a car in another state. The dealer in that state did not have a reciprocal agreement with our home state, so we would have been given a temporary registration to drive the vehicle to our home state. We would then have paid sales tax and done the paperwork for registration in our home state. I'm thinking maybe you were supposed to go to your DMV in PA when you got there and do the registration yourself for a title in your home state. If they collected tax from you in FL, you would then show proof of that and only pay the difference if your home state is higher. Have you checked with them?

[tropical36]

cudntherd wrote:
I do not say this very often....Time to hire a lawyer.

In FL, it's Morgan and Morgan for getting their attention and pronto.
Hopefully the OP has a cancelled check of some sort, for them to work with.
Sorry for his woes, but one does have to be a little more cautious, when conducting business in such a manner.

[tderonne]

dodge guy wrote:
Since you have the bill of sale, file for a lost title. The DMV will do a search and if it comes back free and clear they can issue a new title.

This is what I'd do in Michigan. And if it doesn't come back free and clear, at least they did the legwork for you.

[Airdaile]

I was going to ask "Who takes possession of a vehicle without getting a title" when I remembered that I did. We bought a car that was on a dealer's lot but actually owned by a leasing company (it was leased to the Secret Service for a presidential visit). I went to pick up the vehicle and they said the title would be in the next day. I left the vehicle at the dealer and went back the next day - no title. I said I would be canceling the deal and taking back the trade in. The trouble was, they had sold the trade in.

So I said "give me a dealer plate or I'm calling the AG". It took a month to get the title and they kept calling me asking for their dealer plate back. No title, no plate. Basically, they sold a car they didn't own. I probably could have owned the dealership if I pushed it.

[dave17352]

AllegroD wrote:
Another option might be contacting the state AG. Thy often help with consumer protection issues and might be able to apply pressure to the dealer if they want to keep doing business.

I agree with this. If you are strapped for cash and let them know your story they might very well step in. They like going after creeps. I would be calling them constantly in the meantime. I think they will get tired of this and get it taken care of. Unless they are bonified crooks they took your money, they should have the goods. JMHO

[John_Joey]

They committed fraud. Call your local police

[AllegroD]

Another option might be contacting the state AG. Thy often help with consumer protection issues and might be able to apply pressure to the dealer if they want to keep doing business.