by "Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
Published 04/09/2017 at 10:00
by "Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
Published 04/09/2017 at 10:00
Tags: friendship rhymes with endship
STARS: 13
My best friend — MY BEST FRIEND — has spent the last FIFTEEN MONTHS illegally driving around on my wife’s old plates.
He’s the one I sold my wife’s previous car (2001 Mercury Sable LS) for $400, because he was on hard times and whatnot.
In the state of WA, when you buy a new-to-you car, you HAVE to buy new plates. It’s a way for the state to make an additional $70.
Jumping around even more, I received a bill in the mail today for the I-405 Toll Lanes. $55.oo... This was especially alarming because I had already paid two bills this month for my wife for her two super early mandatory staff meetings in March. I texted my wife something on the lines of, “Please stop using the toll lanes.” She called me from work and we talked for a hot minute and said she hadn’t used the toll lanes more than twice, which is consistent with what I had already paid before today. Upon inspection, three of the tolls on the new bill were timestamped on days she didn’t even work. In fact, two of them were taken at times that were home having breakfast together. I told her that it might be that someone had copied her plates. But it got worse from there.
She texted me her plates from her work, saying,
“That’s not even my plate number?”
So I did more digging. I looked at photos of every car I’ve sold over the last five years. I even double-checked the Tercel and longbed. Then I had a moment of horror...
THE SABLE
. Sure enough, I found a photo from four years ago of the Sable, plates identical to the one on our bill from the DOT.
How can this be? My friend told me he had registered the car the first Wednesday after I sold it to him!
Again, in WA, plates CANNOT be transferred between people. The buyer MUST buy new plates when they register the car.
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS? Not only did he not put on new plates when he got a new title, he also did NOT put on new plates when he registered the car TWELVE MONTHS LATER when he renewed the tabs. He TWICE slapped them on my wife’s old plates!
Once I put two and two together, I called him. I called him again. I also left him about a dozen text messages, with photos, asking him in no uncertain terms, “What the fuck dude.” He ignored my texts and calls, even though I knew he was home, but hours later texted me back:
“We did register. Sorry for the inconvenience. I didn’t change the plates because I put the tabs on the old plate. [Gf’s name]’s work will pay for it.”
My friend has never spoken the word “inconvenience” in his life. I got a bullshit answer of bullshit and he wouldn’t even speak to me. His girlfriend has been a total piece of shit from day 1 and I frankly don’t believe that they ever registered the car at all.
Also, according to the DOT (for the toll lanes), the burden is on my wife to prove SHE is not the owner of the plate, and says we have to provide a proof of bill of sale from 16 months ago... So no buddy, you’re not really taking care of it. You’ve had FIFTEEN MONTHS to figure it out. You registered the car TWICE with my wife’s plates.
Are you aware of other ramifications? Imagine if he or his GF had ran a red light. Or been involved in a hit-and-run and a witness got the plate number. Those plates in WA are linked to MY FUCKING WIFE.
Needless to say, it was a rather unpleasant evening. And, long story short, it’s quite possible I may have lost my best friend outright over this.
Thanks for reading :)
EDIT: you bet your ass I took my plates back last night.
"bob and john" (bobandjohn)
04/09/2017 at 10:02, STARS: 9
geez. this is why I personally take the plates off any bike I sell once its at the owners place.
"jimz" (jimz)
04/09/2017 at 10:04, STARS: 11
why didn’t you take the plates off before he went away in the car, if they can’t be transferred? In MI, plates stay with the person. I’ve never let a vehicle I’ve sold/traded out of my sight unless I have the plate in my hand.
"jimz" (jimz)
04/09/2017 at 10:05, STARS: 2
same. Though in MI I don’t even have to do that; you’re legally allowed to drive/ride a newly purchased vehicle directly home w/o a plate so long as you have the assigned title in your possession.
"Alfalfa" (alfalfa-romeo)
04/09/2017 at 10:05, STARS: 4
That’s a felony in some places.
"bob and john" (bobandjohn)
04/09/2017 at 10:07, STARS: 0
so, lemme just get it straight. I need the title in my name, or just the old title signed by the previous owner?
in canada, when a vehicle changes ownership, it has to be plated to drive home. cant be plated without a: proof of insurance (a policy number is all thats needed) and a safety certificate.
"pip bip - choose Corrour" (hhgttg69)
04/09/2017 at 10:09, STARS: 1
fuck... that sucks
simple, cast him adrift!
"dogisbadob" (dogisbadob)
04/09/2017 at 10:10, STARS: 0
Washington plates in Florida? :p
"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike)
04/09/2017 at 10:17, STARS: 1
So sorry to hear mate....sucks when you lose a friend, but if he was doing something like this, I say good riddance! WTF man...not cool at all...
"fhrblig" (fhrblig)
04/09/2017 at 10:21, STARS: 4
Seriously, WTF? “We put the tabs on the old plate.” THEN GO BACK AND GET REPLACEMENT TABS, LOSER.
I hate to repeat what everyone else is saying, but ALWAYS take the plates off when you sell.
"Slant6" (slant-6)
04/09/2017 at 10:22, STARS: 2
We’re you required to get new plates for the Vibe? Here in NC we can either get new plates for a new car or keep the old ones and transfer them to a new car.
That really sucks, hope he sees the error of his ways and makes it right. You could go physically remove the plates from the vehicle as they are technically your property.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
04/09/2017 at 10:26, STARS: 1
In Illinois you can drive for up to 30 days with the old title signed over to you.
"Dusty Ventures" (dustyventures)
04/09/2017 at 10:27, STARS: 13
If it were me I’d already be there with a screwdriver
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
04/09/2017 at 10:27, STARS: 17
If you know where he lives, go over there and take the plates off.
"McMike" (mcmike)
04/09/2017 at 10:30, STARS: 8
Trying hard not to reply to the wrong fucking thread, so I hope this is in the tool/licence plate discussion.
Get the money from him NOW. Do not wait for “her work to pay for it” If he is sure her work will pay for it, he can get the money from them. No reason for you to have to wait for it.
Ask him to bring the plates and the money to you ASAP (set a deadline). If he does not - report the plates stolen.
....and his GF gets pulled over/car towed charged a fine for impound/violation, be sure you apologize for the inconvenience .
"Orange Exige" (OrangeExige)
04/09/2017 at 10:31, STARS: 0
Hmmm questionable...
If I recall, I’ve borrowed another car’s plates before to transport a newly purchased (private sale) car home and I recognize that that was certainly a risk (I.e. Not legal...) in itself, but driving without plates just screams pull me over.
Does MI not require all vehicles on the road to be insured?? Because if they do, I can’t see how they’d allow unregistered cars to drive on the road - even for a short drive. The danger of personal property damage and injuries is - in the eyes of the law - the same for every vehicle on the road, doesn’t matter how much they get driven on the road.
"Twingo Tamer - About to descend into project car hell." (oppisitelock)
04/09/2017 at 10:35, STARS: 1
Shit man I cant believe someone would do that to a friend...
"Maxima Speed" (maximaspeed)
04/09/2017 at 10:37, STARS: 2
I agree with the others, I would go over there and take them off. Just don’t talk to the dude, if your heated, that way there isn’t any conflict that might escalate.
"Dusty Ventures" (dustyventures)
04/09/2017 at 10:46, STARS: 1
Set a deadline for the money maybe, but he should get those plates right now IMO, even if that means going to the guy’s house and doing it himself. No chance for the (ex)friend to disappear or more charges to be accrued
"My X-type is too a real Jaguar" (TomSlick)
04/09/2017 at 10:49, STARS: 2
Same thing happened to a friend of mine he sold a car to a coworker before he was sent overseas for a year. The coworker drove on his played, never insured the car then got in a wreck. My friend got a call from the other cars insurance agency looking for money. He had to prove the sale all while in Dubai. I did the running for him. It was a pain in the ass.
"Turbineguy: Nom de Zoom" (will-alib)
04/09/2017 at 10:51, STARS: 1
You need to go ninja mode and get those plates back.
"WilliamsSW" (williamssw)
04/09/2017 at 10:52, STARS: 1
What a shitty way to learn that someone isn’t much of a friend - although it’s possible he’s under the spell of the gf, that’s terrible.
I’m with the others— go get the plates asap, yourself if need be. And don’t cut him slack on repaying you.
Sorry. This sucks.
"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
04/09/2017 at 10:53, STARS: 1
Ive been there. The car i drove in hs was in my name but i didnt pay for anything but gas and annual fees, so when my dad sold it to my college bound cousin i just said “sure thing!” And signed the paperwork and went on my merry way, 8 months later weve got more than $100 in fines from the university for parking illegally...alot. she never changed the plates (which like wa is required in utah). Best part? If i didnt take care of it they would without any transcripts from me (my name, not hers) which would have sucked since i ended up going to this school.
"McMike" (mcmike)
04/09/2017 at 10:53, STARS: 5
I agree. Plates before $$$.
I just really like the idea of Zoidberg delivering the “sorry for the inconvience” line when the car is impounded. :)
"McMike" (mcmike)
04/09/2017 at 10:56, STARS: 0
*toll. I meant toll, not tool.
It kinda works the way it is, tho.
"Little Black Coupe Turned Silver" (littleblackcoupe)
04/09/2017 at 10:56, STARS: 2
Usually if you have insurance, a signed over title and a bill of sale you’re ok to at least drive a new unplated car for a few days until you can get plates. When I sold the LBC I sent it off like that to Texas (from Nebraska) and the new owner didn’t have any trouble on the drive down.
"Long Live the Longdoor" (victoryred08)
04/09/2017 at 10:59, STARS: 1
Hmm, that sucks. In my province we actually legally have to take the plates off the car when we sell it.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
04/09/2017 at 11:06, STARS: 9
Yep, did it last night.
"Spaceball-Two" (spaceball-two)
04/09/2017 at 11:06, STARS: 0
That is some buuuuulllll shit!
"Dusty Ventures" (dustyventures)
04/09/2017 at 11:07, STARS: 2
Could still pull that off if it’s street parked or in a public parking lot.
1. Remove plates
2. Call city to report unlicensed, abandoned vehicle
3. Sorry for the inconvenience
"TheHondaBro" (wwaveform)
04/09/2017 at 11:13, STARS: 3
Ninja lobster.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
04/09/2017 at 11:15, STARS: 1
I’ve never had a problem with the buyer doing the legal stuff. I assumed my friend would be no different.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
04/09/2017 at 11:16, STARS: 0
Si, si.
"littleBenny" (zsssssssssssa)
04/09/2017 at 11:18, STARS: 1
Pay for a carfax or similar report to see if it’s ever been registered in his name. It probably hasn’t been. Go pick up your Mercury Sable.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
04/09/2017 at 11:19, STARS: 2
Never fuck with a man that rides around in tin cans.
"AdverseMartyr" (ewilliamson)
04/09/2017 at 11:29, STARS: 0
That sucks.
"TheHondaBro" (wwaveform)
04/09/2017 at 11:30, STARS: 0
No sir!
"gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee" (gogmorgo)
04/09/2017 at 11:43, STARS: 0
You’re doing that thing where you act as if Ontario is all of Canada. I thought you were better than that.
It varies from province to province. In ‘Toba you can legally pull the plates off a registered vehicle and stick them on another for a week or so provides you’re carrying proof of disposal of the first vehicle (like a bill of sale or whatever). You can also get temporary registration on anything with a clean title and proof of ownership from anywhere in the world via fax (provided you’re a resident, they fax back a bit of paper to stick in the window) for up to 30 days, so long as you have a legitimate reason such as bringing it into or out of the province, taking it for inspection, taking it to an event, etc.
"bhtooefr" (bhtooefr)
04/09/2017 at 11:44, STARS: 0
In Ohio, the rule is that if you have plates that you can legally transfer, you must put them on the car, and use them instead of temp tags. Otherwise, you get temp tags or real plates before moving the car.
"bob and john" (bobandjohn)
04/09/2017 at 11:47, STARS: 0
exam times, I’m slipping. hell, did you see the last post where I was considering an ADV bike?!
normal service will resume in about 3 weeks, after exams are done and i finish having a sort of early life crisis.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
04/09/2017 at 11:50, STARS: 0
Good!
"wafflesnfalafel" (wafflesnfalafel1)
04/09/2017 at 12:07, STARS: 0
what was he thinking.. he had to have known you’d find out. And you need to buy your wife flowers.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
04/09/2017 at 12:14, STARS: 1
Even better - she bought us Taco Bell after we took off the plates!
"TheHondaBro" (wwaveform)
04/09/2017 at 12:55, STARS: 1
By the way we’re now expecting follow-ups in the form of angry text messages.
"SpeedSix" (speedsix)
04/09/2017 at 13:08, STARS: 0
He seems like the kind of person to not keep track of a bill of sale, and if he didn’t register the car and doesn’t have the bill of sale, it’s legally still yours . Treat it like you own it (i.e. drive it), since you technically do own it.
:)
I wouldn’t risk it though.
"Frenchlicker" (frenchlicker)
04/09/2017 at 13:20, STARS: 0
Reasons like this is why I make sure the DMV knows that I am no longer connected in any way to a plate or a car. My brother did this to an ex of his: he bought a car and for some reason they put it in her name, they broke up and she signed the car over to him, he tells her he registered it and put his plates on it, 18 months later I buy it and find out she trusted this asshole to sign everything but her name. Luckily I was on good terms with her so she signed an affidavit from the DMV to save me some time and money, she was not happy with him.
"wiffleballtony" (wiffleballtony)
04/09/2017 at 14:16, STARS: 1
Some of my in laws are driving around on some other relatives plates that they got with the car. They’re not even in state plates.
"Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo" (thetomselleck)
04/09/2017 at 14:17, STARS: 1
I hope not. I am an angry person. Anger only makes me stronger (and balder)
"TheD0k_2many toys 2little time" (thed0ck)
04/09/2017 at 15:11, STARS: 0
but you cant even hold a gun at a gun store there without a licence...
nice one Illinois
"jimz" (jimz)
04/09/2017 at 17:00, STARS: 0
Michigan law . Of course, other states are different.
The seller gives you the title. Making changes on a title, such as crossing out a name, invalidates it. Copies are also not acceptable. The seller must complete the seller’s portion of the title assignment, including the odometer disclosure statement, and sign it.
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
You do not need a license plate to drive a newly purchased vehicle directly home within Michigan within three days of purchase. Carry the assigned title and proof of insurance with you. Never use a plate from another vehicle as a substitute.
"Shamoononon drives like a farmer" (shamoononon)
04/09/2017 at 20:00, STARS: 0
What an asshole.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
04/09/2017 at 23:23, STARS: 1
I’ve had my Foid for 11 years now ... still haven’t bought a gun.
"shop-teacher" (shop-teacher)
04/09/2017 at 23:27, STARS: 1
It’s way better to drive with the proper paper work and no plates. You may get pulled over, but if you’ve got the papers in order you’ll be sent on your merry way. Get caught with the plates from another car, and you’ll receive a nice fat ticket.
My last car I drove for a month with no plates, and never got pulled over anyways.
"ateamfan42" (ateamfan42)
04/10/2017 at 11:46, STARS: 0
And, long story short, it’s quite possible I may have lost my best friend outright over this.
This is precisely what I thought after reading only the first sentence of the post.
That person is NOT your friend. Friends don’t intentionally put friends at massive legal risk. If this car had been in an accident where someone was injured or killed, the police would be pounding on your door and hauling your ass to jail, and you’d be spending weeks or months trying to straighten out the mess.
You cannot cut this asshole out of your life fast enough.