Legal problem: Paid 75% of installments, now seller disappeared before transfer of ownership.

[carbuyer]

As per title.

Have a contract saying that ownership would be transferred upon completion of payments. Have email correspondence records with notarised seller ID. Seller is a Korean national, belive they are in Korea now.

Completed 75% of the installments, they were going to be coming to Thailand soon, and we would complete final payment and transfer ownership. Now the seller is not responding to emails and has gone AWOL for a few months.

Would a court transfer ownership? Thoughts? Opinions?

Thanks

Edited September 26, 2022 by carbuyer

[transam]

Is this seller private or a company, do you have the Blue Book..?

[carbuyer]

I have the blue book, everything seems legit. Private individual.

[carbuyer]

I believe they started the transaction with genuine intent, but may now try to pull a fast one of some sort.

 

[transam]

1 minute ago, carbuyer said:

I have the blue book, everything seems legit. Private individual.

Whose name is in the Blue Book...?

[carbuyer]

Just now, transam said:

Whose name is in the Blue Book...?

Theirs, same as passport

[transam]

Just now, carbuyer said:

Theirs, same as passport

Strange, he may have gone to meet his maker....????

[carbuyer]

Yeah certainly a possibility! Would a court transfer ownership in that scenario? I wonder...

[Kwasaki]

I'm confused who is paying instalments, you have blue book,   blue book in their name.

who is the finance company.

 

Edited September 26, 2022 by Kwasaki

[carbuyer]

No finance company, sorry for being unclear.

It was a private arrangement.

I agreed to buy the car in installments. I would pay 25% of the sum and then they would transfer the blue book to me.

I have paid 75%, and they've gone suspiciously quiet. I'm wondering if they could screw me over.
I have the car on my drive. I have the blue book, but it's still in their name.
I have certified copies of their ID and a contract between us, plus email correspondence and record of transfers from my account to theirs.

Edited September 26, 2022 by carbuyer

[scubascuba3]

worse case scenario you just can't sell it

[carbuyer]

10 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

worse case scenario you just can't sell it

I was thinking worse case scenario is they get a replacement blue book and sell it from under me, then the buyer shows up with a tow-truck and brown shirts. ????

Edited September 26, 2022 by carbuyer

[richard_smith237]

6 minutes ago, carbuyer said:

No finance company, sorry for being unclear.

It was a private arrangement.

I agreed to buy the car in installments. I would pay 25% of the sum and then they would transfer the blue book to me.

I have paid 75%, and they've gone suspiciously quiet. I'm wondering if they could screw me over.
I have the car on my drive. I have the blue book, but it's still in their name.
I have certified copies of their ID and a contract between us, plus email correspondence and record of transfers from my account to theirs.

I agree with Scuba’s comment below...  it would seem you have sufficient documentation to prove you have not stolen the vehicle; if it should ever come to that. 

 

But, you are also stuck on a sticky-wicket... The vehicle you are driving is in someone else's name and can’t be sold (transferred on) until its in your name.

 

I guess the only thing you can do is attempt to continue to contact this guy.

Given that you have all the info the blue book etc I don’t see any indication that there was or is any ill intent by the Korean guy... Perhaps as someone else commented, he’s met his maker (how old is he ?).

 

6 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

worse case scenario you just can't sell it

Every cloud has a silver lining - all the speeding tickets will be in the Korean guys name !!!!!

 

 

 

 

[KhunLA]

You can drive it, till current inspection/insurance badge expires, without risk of being cited.

 

Future fines, maybe, depends where you live.  As  stated, only negative, probably wouldn't be able to 'legally' sell it.  If owner did krap out, you'd need a death certificate at least, to try to transfer it.

 

Since you do have blue book, ID, you'd probably be able sell to a not so reputable dealer, not that I would endorse such a thing, for others to do, but I'd definitely consider doing it, before 'badge' expires.

 

Depending on value of said vehicle.  Do you know any Asian who almost looks like the owner????

[Kwasaki]

31 minutes ago, carbuyer said:

No finance company, sorry for being unclear.

It was a private arrangement.

I agreed to buy the car in installments. I would pay 25% of the sum and then they would transfer the blue book to me.

I have paid 75%, and they've gone suspiciously quiet. I'm wondering if they could screw me over.
I have the car on my drive. I have the blue book, but it's still in their name.
I have certified copies of their ID and a contract between us, plus email correspondence and record of transfers from my account to theirs.

OK got it but I don't see how they are screwing you over it's you that can screw them over.

You have there ID and the contract you made with them. 

Do you have a copy of there passport.

If I were you I'd go along to the DLT office and ask if you can transfer the car into your name. 

If no can, don't pay anymore installments that may get there attention, you can still continue to use the vehicle by road taxing and CTPL insuring + voluntary insurance as well. 

 

With no contact just keep the car and use it. 

 

 

[pedro01]

Do you have a contract to cover the arrangement and proof of payments made?

[seedy]

15 hours ago, carbuyer said:

I was thinking worse case scenario is they get a replacement blue book and sell it from under me, then the buyer shows up with a tow-truck and brown shirts. ????

If that happens your only recourse would be to file a claim in civil court to try and settle the matter.

Fact of the matter is the car is his until the name in the book is changed.

DLT most likely would not touch it.

[Ralf001]

Do you have both sets of keys in your possession ?

[digbeth]

if you have copy of their ID, the usual tax/inspection shop runner could make the power of attorney document to 'match' their signature if they had signed on the blue book, plus they'd have the dlt contact that won't look too closely at the documents compared if you were to do it yourself 

[digbeth]

16 hours ago, KhunLA said:

You can drive it, till current inspection/insurance badge expires, without risk of being cited.

 

Future fines, maybe, depends where you live.  As  stated, only negative, probably wouldn't be able to 'legally' sell it.  If owner did krap out, you'd need a death certificate at least, to try to transfer it.

 

Since you do have blue book, ID, you'd probably be able sell to a not so reputable dealer, not that I would endorse such a thing, for others to do, but I'd definitely consider doing it, before 'badge' expires.

 

Depending on value of said vehicle.  Do you know any Asian who almost looks like the owner????

you can keep paying tax on it no problem, you don't need to be the owner to pay taxes and the inspection on the vehicle 

[FriendlyFarang]

17 hours ago, carbuyer said:

I was thinking worse case scenario is they get a replacement blue book and sell it from under me, then the buyer shows up with a tow-truck and brown shirts. ????

They can't change the owner in the blue book unless they have the vehicle. So if a person, other than the owner who you bought it from, shows up with a potential replacement blue book (I'm not sure if it's even possible to get one without presenting the vehicle at the DLT), the vehicle wouldn't be in their name so he couldn't just take it away.