Most people know that when they’re buying a car they need to check the title for liens. What they don’t know is that not all liens are listed on the title.<\/p>\n
Check out this nightmare that I wrote about in The Arizona Republic:<\/p>\n
Kathi Halvorsen is stuck in car title purgatory. And it\u2019s going to take someone in the court system who believes in fairness to rescue her. <\/em><\/p>\n It all started when Kathi bought a 2000 Pontiac for $1,800. It\u2019s not much of a car, but it\u2019s all the single mother of two could afford. When she went to register the car she found a major problem. Two years ago, the person who owned the car at the time had a DUI. Apparently he never paid his court fees, so the court placed a restitution lien on the car. The $1,500 lien has to be paid off before the car can be retitled. <\/em><\/p>\n But Kathi didn\u2019t buy the car from that person. In fact, it\u2019s possible the car has gone through several owners. Each one bought it, realized there was a problem, and then dumped it on someone else. <\/em><\/p>\n Why didn\u2019t they know there was a lien? Turns out that restitution liens are not listed on the title. The only way to know it\u2019s there is to call MVD before you buy and ask if there\u2019s a problem with the title. Kathi also made a mistake by not noticing the name on the title was different from the seller. <\/em><\/p>\n Kathi appealed to the court system but has been told tough luck. Until the lien is paid, the car is in limbo. That means she owns a car that she can\u2019t drive and she can\u2019t sell. <\/em> This story does have a happy ending. Kathi found a sympathetic employee at MVD who worked long and hard to help resolve her problem. But the lesson here is simple. Make that phone call and ask whether the car has a restitution lien. It’s the only to way to know for sure you’re truly being a car with a clear title.<\/p>\n
\nIt\u2019s not right that the original owner skipped on his debt, but keeping Kathi in purgatory isn\u2019t right either.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n