I think its a chain of ownership thing. if the middle man never had the title transfered to him you have to go to the previous owner and get him to go in to dmv with you around here
The DMV would not transfer title UNLESS the car passes smog (in CA). If you were able to have the car in your name/titled to you, and you fail emissions. BAR has a program that they pay you some money (I believe $1.5K) to junk it and get the polluter off the road. This is done because many have cheated on the smog and still drive gross polluters all over the place.
I still think you might be able to find the seller or the original owner on the title and then through authorities the seller.
Even as a parts car, if the transmission is fine, I think you should be able to re-coupe your money.
@ok4450
The release signatures are there. The guy I bought it from didn’t even ask ME to sign anything in front of him. He was just like “ok, man. Thousand bucks, as is, its just a point A to point B car. Ok with you? ok then, thanks bye.”
@Barkydog
Its a 1992. No codes from the little machine unless you know how and i dont.
Really not much else to do if you can’t get the money back except take the loss and junk it, or fix it.
The places I have lived, you can’t even junk it without clear title. The title has to be transferred to your name or they won’t even consider buying it or even taking it for free. Parts car? You’re still left with the chassis that has the VIN tag.
I’d either fix it or sell it to someone who doesn’t care about smogging it or perhaps even titling/registering it (similar advice already given).
*** OKAY , ALL THAT OTHER STUFF ASIDE ***
- I can’t transfer the title because it needs the smog check.
- I can’t junk it because the title needs to be in my name, F M L.
- I can’t register it because the car needs the smog check.
So… just leave it unlocked at a local park and expect it to be gone by tomorrow?
A few points...
a) Yes, a 1992 Honda is plenty new to have codes. The plug and etc. was standardized in 1996 but they've had codes since the (early to mid) 1980s.
b) It's a long shot, but a possible treatment to help the compression; some people recommend running carb cleaner (or fuel injection cleaner) or Seafoam into the engine (you put it in the air intake or a vaccum line with the engine running); this is supposed to clean off carbon buildup, which could prevent the valves from sealing. The Seafoam in particular can cause big ol' rolls of smoke to roll out the exhaust pipe while it's running through so you might not be able to do it depending on your neighborhood. They then put Marvel Mystery Oil in the gas tank and Restore in the oil. All 3 are probably under $20 total more or less. The Mystery Oil is supposed to also clean up carbon I thnk; the Restore is supposed to seal up leaks. If you were going to pick just two, I'd pick the Marvel Mystery Oil and Restore (since you don't have to fiddle with spraying anything under the hood that way). If you were going to pick just one, the Restore. If there's engine *damage* this is unlikely to help enough if at all.. if there's engine *wear* it might seal it right up.
c) I'm not going to suggest what you do with this info but... how did the previous owner get a smog certificate on a car that almost certainly didn't pass smog? I've seen a "smog test station" in Pennsylvania that was just an empty building (no equipment whatsoever), they *gauranteed* your car would pass smog. Just saying.
d) The "Mexican" suggestion was not some slur! Mexico does not have smog tests, and (AFAIK) niether do Airzona or Nevada. I know here (Iowa City, IA), Honda prices are downright inflated; a Honda that barely runs goes for close to $1000 here (like you can hear it's not running properly, without having to have a mechanic say the compression's low... a $200-$400 car if it was any other make.) You could get your money back this way. You can go ahead and be honest and tell them it doesn't pass California smog, they probably already would suspect that's why your trying to sell it out-of-state.
Best of luck! And thank goodness there's no smog tests here 8-)The mechanic guy next door told me the car needed something done to the engine because most likely the rings had worn out, or something like that. I do remember he said that compression was low on a cylinder and he did some
shitwith a gauge and turning over the engine without spark plugs
So, you’ve apparently had someone give it a cursory look. If this next door mechanic was smart enough to do a compression test, perhaps you can ask him if he bothered to follow up with a wet test. Injecting some oil into the cylinder and repeating the same test can often distinguish between bad valves and bad rings. Bad rings, I might opt for getting rid of it. Bad valve(s) I would check valve clearance and then pull the head for a look see before throwing in the towel. Unless you’ve left something out, you haven’t exhausted the easy stuff yet…
…and speaking of possessing cars w/o a legal title, here is an explanation of what happens with the high-end ones if the crooks aren’t apprehended:
In this instance, luckily they were apprehended.
if you scrap it pc by piece, metal by metal you can re-coup much of your loss and get more money than by taking it in whole. you really only need a sawzall a cutting torch and a pickup to haul the pieces.
Is this really stupid? As a non-mechanic, if you have one bad cylinder, can you just shut the injector off and run on three OK cylinders to get past the smog? Oh wait, this is a carb? Can you pull the rockers for that cylinder? No gas, no smog. Might run rough. Run it over the boarder and trade for something? I dunno, geeze, gotta be careful not to throw good money after bad I guess. My thought too was to park it somewhere dark and let 'em have at it. In Minneapolis it would be easy, especially after a snow. The city would come get it and it would be their problem. Of course in Minnesota, we don’t have smog checks so drive it to another state and sell it.
Did you receive that information from the CA DMV?
You should be able to apply for “Title only” if you file a Planned non operation. However you won’t be able to drive it to a salvage yard, it must be trailered/towed.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/dmv/?1dmy&urile=wcm:path:/dmv_content_en/dmv/pubs/reg_hdbk/ch6/ch6_12
If a California vehicle can’t be sold without a smog certificate then no one can sell a disabled car due to collision or a failed engine. They would have to repair the car or keep it forever, I don’t believe that to be true.
I don’t know how you would sell a disabled car in California, but you aren’t stuck with a piece of junk forever. There is a special title for non-repairable vehicles that you can apply for before having it hauled to the scrapper. Once one is granted the car cannot be repaired. In general, smog certificates are good for 90 days from time of passed inspection. The seller must either provide the inspection certificate or another form declaring they have already submitted a smog certificate in the last 90 days as part of a registration renewal.
As for OP, you really do need to get the DMV involved. You may feel helpless, but they deal with problems like this all the time. They have ways of accepting complaints, and you certainly have a legitimate one as it is required that the seller provide a smog certificate. His just saying that it recently passed is meaningless. The only serious screw up on your part was throwing away the invoice or receipt or whatever you had. However, you still possess both the car and the pink slip, so there is hope. Really, you need the help of the DMV. You may not be able to figure out a way out of this tangle, but there is one and someone at the DMV will know what it is. Be patient. The first person, or maybe the first five, may not be helpful, but keep at it until you find someone (maybe on the phone) who knows the process. Yes, it will be frustrating. It’s the DMV.
Hey peeps. Thanks for all the helpful replies.
A mechanic confirmed it IS indeed a bad ring PLUS some “warping” PLUS damaged valves PLUS “just a worn out engine” =/ /cry /angry /livid. He gave me the “Sorry for your loss” doctor look and told me to just ask the DMV for a non-op tittle and junk it for as much as I can get. OR pay around $800 for a junkyard engine and install.
/Sigh. Merry f’ing Xmas to me.
But Merry Xmas to the helpful poster. Thank you.
Put it for sale as a parts car. There are lots of Hondas out there, someone may have a good engine looking for a decent car to put it in.
Put it on craigslist as a running driving car with no title and see if you can get a couple hundred bucks for it.
If you’re unable to transfer the title your name isn’t associated with the car anyway, right? Once you get some money you’ve washed your hands of the situation.
Wow, you bought it off the street? Were you hit with a stupid stick at some point? Have I got a deal for you as I just happen to have the Brooklyn Bridge for sale at a very good price.
C’mon, let’s not make fun of the guy
he already said he’s kind of upset about the whole thing
I think we’ve all been in a similar position at one time or another. We live through it and move on.
Its not how you handle success but failure that builds character.
I agree; this is no joking matter and nothing to make fun of. I already posted my own experience on how I was tricked once but was able to get my money back. Buying used cars is always tricky, add a limited budget and not having a ride to go see umpteen cars adds to the grief.