Used Vehicle Bought But Cant Put Title in My name?

Wrx2005

Member
Jul 7, 2014
69
0
16
I need some advice. I purchased a vehicle from a dealer in La Vega. Auto Mayella. I gave a down payment and wired the rest of the money within 2 weeks. I am currently driving the car. I am getting conflicting information from the dealership. My dominican friend stopped by the dealership for me a few times. I had him do that since he lives in La Vega. He was there checking on my title,bill of sale and insurance papers.

His last visit they told him I needed to pay 24000 pesos more to have the title transferred in my name. And then wait 15 more days to get the title in my name. Then I had somebody else call the dealership and the rep says they gave that information to my La Vega friend in error. They supposedly realized after my buddy left the dealership that my vehicle was imported by the previous owner. Now Im told I can get the bill of sale papers, the insurance policy, and maybe the previous owners title. Which should be signed over to the dealership?

But I wont be able to get the title transferred in my name until 3 yrs has elasped of the car being here in the DR. I dont know if that applies only to the previous owner or me? Or a combination of me and the previous owner having the car here for a combined total of 3 yrs? So it looks like I am stuck not having a title in my name for a car I paid for in full. Does any of this make sense or sound familiar? Is anyone here reading this who has gone through something like this? My previous car buying experience in the US is, once I paid for a car, the title was released to me, and then I went to motor vehicles to transfer the title or the dealership did it for me.

It just floors me that the dealership ( Auto Mayella ) did not inform me about the conditions I would face having to get the title for this vehicle that I purchased. In addition with all of this incompetency running rampant within this dealership, I would have wired the 24000 pesos for nothing. Im sure they would have made up some excuse that I needed to pay that. Now my understanding is, I do not have to pay that 24000 pesos. Now it seems my cost for a title transfer will be apparent when I am legally able to transfer the title in my name.

At this point, I dont know when that is? Sounds like I may need an attorney to intervene, and should have had one before I purchased the vehicle. I didnt think this would be an issue with a so called reputable dealership, nor that the dealer would give me a problem since I was accompanied by my friend that knows him. However, the dealer is not who I am dealing with directly. Now, it's the finance and documentation departments at the dealership handling matters.
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
40,964
936
113
No title=no ownership no matter what the dealer tells you.

Take the car back & get your money. If they hesitate, get a good lawyer (if you need one, PM me.)

Some cars imported into the country are done by returning Dominicans under the legal provision the car cannot be sold for 5 years. This sounds like your situation.
 

AlterEgo

Administrator
Staff member
Jan 9, 2009
23,097
6,247
113
South Coast
We imported our own car in January and it says right on the matricula/title that we cannot sell it for three years.

Get lawyer and demand a full refund
 

the gorgon

Platinum
Sep 16, 2010
33,997
83
0
there is no way around this. get your money back, asap. do not allow time to pass. this car was probably brought in by a politico who gets the right to import a car every so often, but has to keep it for a certain amount of time. it happens all the time.
 

sayanora

Silver
Feb 22, 2012
1,621
36
48
If I were you, I would ask my attorney about the situation.. I know the mayella family and they aren't exactly flexible or understanding so be prepared for a fight if you want your money back..
 

bdablack

Member
Jun 30, 2011
133
1
18
If I were you, I would ask my attorney about the situation.. I know the mayella family and they aren't exactly flexible or understanding so be prepared for a fight if you want your money back..

Flexible or understanding??? They sold this car under false pretenses, there is nothing to be flexible or understanding about.
 

monfongo

Bronze
Feb 10, 2005
1,202
145
63
the dealer has to have the title or the car wouldn't be here ,get a reputable lawyer? .
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
5,966
113
I agree you should return the car and get a refund. This sounds like a car that legally could not be sold for the reasons mentioned above regarding how it was imported into the DR. You will not be able to legally have this car on the road in your name if that is the case.
 

Wrx2005

Member
Jul 7, 2014
69
0
16
Ok here is a brief update. I talked to my Universal insurance agent in the DR about my situation. They have a list of general practice lawyers and lawyers that specialize in handling accidents. Everyone has confirmed what has been shared here by the membership here. The dealer apparently took on the job of being an intermediate party in helping sell a vehicle owned by the actual owner.

Auto Mayella never produced a full sales contract or agreement showing full details of the sale of the car. They tried to make it seem all of that will be drawn up later and released to me. Im in the DR so what do I know? Likewise the insurance documents showing the coverages I purchased I would get later. When I finally read the coverages for the insurance I purchased, the coverages were grossly inadequate. There was so Auto Mayella sales contract. Just documents showing them collecting monies and establishing a payment plan.

The real sale was between me and the actual owner. However, I never actually met the owner. All I had were copies of his cedula, a document drawn up by Auto Mayella with the signature of the owner selling the car to me, with Auto Mayellas lawyers signature and his stamp.

I had Universal conduct a little research on my situation. The feedback with the lawyers they use was. It's 3 yrs from the time the car entered the country before it can be sold by the owner. So technically the titled owner was not supposed to sell the car to me. Perhaps doing so probably means he is liable for the import taxes he avoided paying when he 1st brought the car into the DR.

I have decided to keep the car, and gamble a little. By August of 2015 I should be eligible to legally transfer the car into my name. Also I was advised I will need to apply for residency. Because Im supposed to be a resident in the country if I intend to put the vehicle legally in my name.

Even though I have applied for better insurance coverage with the necessary ringo clauses, Im not out of the woods yet until I legally own the car. The current titled owner may be liable for or benefit from anything related to my operation of this vehicle.

Thanks all for your input. And I will provide an update when feasible.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
doesn't that just put us back to where we started?

nothing new that i can see except that the situation has now been verified by a bona fide third party.

did i miss something ?

One new thing, residency to have a vehicle in your name - never heard that one.
need it for a licence to drive .... but ownership too ? hmmm
 
Jan 9, 2004
10,898
2,226
113
Ok here is a brief update. I talked to my Universal insurance agent in the DR about my situation. They have a list of general practice lawyers and lawyers that specialize in handling accidents. Everyone has confirmed what has been shared here by the membership here. The dealer apparently took on the job of being an intermediate party in helping sell a vehicle owned by the actual owner.

Auto Mayella never produced a full sales contract or agreement showing full details of the sale of the car. They tried to make it seem all of that will be drawn up later and released to me. Im in the DR so what do I know? Likewise the insurance documents showing the coverages I purchased I would get later. When I finally read the coverages for the insurance I purchased, the coverages were grossly inadequate. There was so Auto Mayella sales contract. Just documents showing them collecting monies and establishing a payment plan.

The real sale was between me and the actual owner. However, I never actually met the owner. All I had were copies of his cedula, a document drawn up by Auto Mayella with the signature of the owner selling the car to me, with Auto Mayellas lawyers signature and his stamp.

I had Universal conduct a little research on my situation. The feedback with the lawyers they use was. It's 3 yrs from the time the car entered the country before it can be sold by the owner. So technically the titled owner was not supposed to sell the car to me. Perhaps doing so probably means he is liable for the import taxes he avoided paying when he 1st brought the car into the DR.

I have decided to keep the car, and gamble a little. By August of 2015 I should be eligible to legally transfer the car into my name. Also I was advised I will need to apply for residency. Because Im supposed to be a resident in the country if I intend to put the vehicle legally in my name.

Even though I have applied for better insurance coverage with the necessary ringo clauses, Im not out of the woods yet until I legally own the car. The current titled owner may be liable for or benefit from anything related to my operation of this vehicle.

Thanks all for your input. And I will provide an update when feasible.

To confirm, you do not need to be a resident to have the car in your name. I have had, and continue to have, vehicles here in my name....and I am not a resident.

Life is about chances....and you have decided to take one......I accept that.

Just remember you do not own the car....and maybe the guy selling it does not either.....you need to see a copy of the matricula to verify that.

And you are correct the current owner gets the benefits and the liabilities of whatever you may do. Just remember when you need any documents for the vehicle you will have to track down the owner......my final piece of advice since you are going to go through with this in spite of information indicating that this is a risky move...do NOT make the final payment to the dealer....UNTIL he transfers title in your name simultaneously.....or you just might find your seller hard to find.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
 

Wrx2005

Member
Jul 7, 2014
69
0
16
doesn't that just put us back to where we started?

nothing new that i can see except that the situation has now been verified by a bona fide third party.

did i miss something ?

One new thing, residency to have a vehicle in your name - never heard that one.
need it for a licence to drive .... but ownership too ? hmmm
If residency is not required that will be fine. I guess now I need to research that since that is what the insurance rep said the lawyer told her. If there is any validity to this residency thing, maybe it has something to do with this particular situation in regards to an exonerated vehicle??? I dont know? But I will look into it.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
I would look into it.... and I would take PC2's advice about escrowing/withholding some of the payment until title transfer.

it seems a paradox that people are to find in a small country - but its true !!!
they sell invisible suits in Sto Domingo.........:alien:
 

Wrx2005

Member
Jul 7, 2014
69
0
16
To confirm, you do not need to be a resident to have the car in your name. I have had, and continue to have, vehicles here in my name....and I am not a resident.

Life is about chances....and you have decided to take one......I accept that.

Just remember you do not own the car....and maybe the guy selling it does not either.....you need to see a copy of the matricula to verify that.

And you are correct the current owner gets the benefits and the liabilities of whatever you may do. Just remember when you need any documents for the vehicle you will have to track down the owner......my final piece of advice since you are going to go through with this in spite of information indicating that this is a risky move...do NOT make the final payment to the dealer....UNTIL he transfers title in your name simultaneously.....or you just might find your seller hard to find.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2
Thanks for your reply. Yes I have decided to gamble and ride this thing out. Apparently you missed the detail in my 1st post? I paid the car off already. At the dealership I made a down payment initially, and within a few weeks wired the balance to pay it off. What I thought was to happen next was for me to get the title of the vehicle.

This is how I found out the situation I was in with an exonerated vehicle owned by a private owner, and not owned by the dealership or a bank. So unfortunately it's a little too late holding back funds.

Again, if it is true I do not need residency to facilitate having the title in my name, that will be fine with me. But here's a question. Dont I require having a DR drivers license? I thought I read somewhere, that after being here 90 days one is supposed to have a DR license. I suspect many expats that live in the DR dont have a DR license. They drive freely here and carry their driver license from their home country.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
4,329
113
to get a licence you need residency.

there is lively debate about whether insurance co.'s will honor foreign licences..... its going right now that debate... in the Insurance thread....

safe route is to have a DR permit - ends the debate for you then & there

or , roll those dice again - while you're hot.

tough call - not for me... you'll see my post there
 

zoomzx11

Gold
Jan 21, 2006
8,367
842
113
One solution I found is get a Domincan driver. I married mine. The last thing on earth you want is to find yourself in a Dominican court enmeshed in the corrupt and insane Domincan legal systm. When it comes to the Dominican injustice system you are a second class citizen and in most cases you will lose in the end after spending a ton of money and two tons of heartbreak. No amount of driving experience in a civilized country will prepare you for the Dominican driving experience. In the DR it is not IF you are involved in a wreck its WHEN. As far as the car you have no other viable choice but keep it. Who knows it may turn out to be a good car. Good luck and thanks for the post as it may save some other gringo from the same sort of scam.