I’m selling my first car,it has a few tickets that total to about $350.00, can the new owner register the car without any hassles from dmv about the tickets ? and do the tickets follow mem ?
In general, the owner of record (that’s you) is entirely responsible for those tickets, not the succeeding owner. Of course, laws vary from state to state. In some states the authorities can impound a scofflaw’s car if they can find it. What a surprise for a new owner, y’think?!
Just give a call to your state’s DMV. That’s what they’re there for.
I don’t know what state you’re in, but as SteveF said, I think you’re the one with the tickets. Unless you used the car in a drug deal or something, I think the car is good to go.
Depends. The other posters are right that legally the tickets are yours, but your local government usually keeps track of your parking tickets based on your license plate number, so if you’re in a “plates belong to your car” state, it’s very possible that the new owner will inherit the tickets. When the purchaser gets the boot, they’ll probably make him snitch on you. If you’re in a “your plates belong to you” state where you have to get new plates when you sell a car, chances are it’s the last anyone will hear about your tickets.
Now, if the tickets are from a private parking company or in a city that’s unusually aggressive about collecting their tickets, maybe they’ll look up who owns the car. If you haven’t recieved any threatening letters about them, they probably don’t bother.
The only way the new owner gets stuck with the tickets is if they cross-check the VIN with your old plate number and discover the outstanding parking tickets. Simple to do in the computerized world. Remember, it’s the Department of REVENUE and they leave no stone unturned.
Sorry but why don’t you be a man and step up to the plate and pay your tickets. Some years ago in DesMoines my BIL was visited by the police one morning, hand cuffed, and taken to the judge for an unpaid parking ticket. Luckily he had the ticket ready to mail in his suit pocket to show the judge that he had just forgot to mail it. They do issue arrest warrants for unpaid tickets.
Isn’t this sort of why when selling a car you are supposed to remove the registration sticker and plates? Tell the new owner to get new ones and there’s no chance of a problem (unless there’s some sort of lien or impound order on the car).
Why not pay the tickets? Failure to pay them will eventually lead to a bench warrant for your arrest. In some places they may not devote the time to come and get you but during the next traffic stop or roadside inspection they will haul you in on the spot and it will cost you a lot more.
If the tickets are for speeding and recorded by a speed camera, the car will first be identified, then the owner through the registration. Car rental companies are usually billed when their vehcles are caught speeding, since the camera can usually not get a good picture of the driver. Pay the tickets and you will be able to sleep peacefully.
In N.Y. some violations are held against the cars registration and it cannot be registered by no one until they are taken care of.
Different states have different policies. For example, in WA, the license plates belong to the vehicle, so when you sell it you just send in a card and the new owner doesn’t have to do anything until the current registration period is over. MT, where I live now, is a “plates belong to the person” state-- when you sell a car, you take your plates and the buyer has to go get new plates and pay for a year of registration. You can even take those plates and put them on a different car so you the money you paid for the balance of the registration doesn’t just go down the tube, although they make this very difficult to do.
My brother once bought a used car that ended up “having a record” from a private parking lot company in Seattle.