About two years ago I sold my 74 914-2.0 to a guy in Oregon. Apparently life got in the way and he sold the car without ever registering it in his name. (I do know that the car was legitimately for sale about a year ago as I was contacted by some potential buyers from the Forum looking for background info and I talked to the consignment shop that was selling the car).

Fast forward to last week when I received a letter from a guy in France that says he bought the car and needs my help so he can register it over there. Because the car was never registered by the the guy who bought it from me, the French authorities need a letter from me verifying that I sold the car and a copy of my drivers license for proof of identification. The new owner sent me copies of the bill of sale and registration that I signed over to the buyer in Oregon. Seems legit.

I'm inclined to write the letter and copy my license for the new owner but wanted to bounce by the community to make sure that this isn't an elaborate scam that I am not picking up on. So, what do you think?

if you notified WA that you sold it ..legally its not yours...The Oregon person should ne jumping through hoops not you..

You should file within 21 days. There’s no late fee for filing after 21 days, but you may be held liable for any financial, criminal or civil liabilities that the new owner may incur. It’s in your best interest to file as soon as possible.

http://www.dol.wa.gov/vehicleregistration/transfertitle.html



I had this happen to a 911 I sold and changed hands never transferred..ended up in CA and the CHP detective came to my house in WA. to verify I had indeed sold the 911 2 years ago..

I for one would be a little suspicious just because I would be very surprised that the car would clear French customs with questionable paperwork…

I'm surprised that he didn't include of photo of the car showing the vin to verify. I would probably write a letter to document that you sold it, include a copy of your license but with your number either completely or partially blocked out and I would have the letter notarized. Whatever you do is for his benefit so I would give him limited info to see if it's enough. You can always provide more info if you determine that its legit and if you want to help him out.

In UK, which is part of the EU, all you need is the shipping paperwork and a bill of sale to register a vehicle.
A COA helps but only to clarify date of manufacture.
The base for this reasoning is that the responsibility of ownership/authenticity and legitimacy is up to the exporting country, their customs (in your case USA) and the shipping agent. By the time it left the US and arrived in France there should be NO question of the vehicle identity & ownership.

I would advise against sending this guy any paperwork ESPECIALLY anything with your id on it!!!

This is certainly NOT a requirement to register a car.

It sounds like a scam to me, or at best a very, very naive new owner. Besides as said before it's nothing to do with you now as you didn't sell him the car directly.

You do not need the US title document to register the car (it only helps with clarifying year of manufacture and confirms the car was first used/registered in another country) so if he has a bill of sale (as you say) and some shipping paperwork I fail to see why he needs your input or details here?

In Europe, each country has his own rule for registering cars.
Ask for pictures of the car and VIN.
Sounds legit. In France you need a bill of sale and registration papers from the last owner who had the car registerd.

According to this guide and if the car has cleared Customs in France and been released to the new owner, there is nothing to say you need to give the guy any information (especially anything with your id on it)

http://ambafrance-us.org/spip.php?article782

This is for customs... I told about registration. A lots of cars are imported thru Netherland or Belgium because of lower fees.

...

You all are letting the Oregon seller out of the deal he made ..he should fix it..period

I would be very apprehensive about sending a copy of your ID.

Did you sign the release interest in vehicle form on the pink slip and date it ?

NO WAY would I send a copy of my ID. That is absolutely not necessary. What good is a US issued ID in France? It's worthless there. He has the title and a bill of sale. Done. That's all he would get if you sold it to him yourself.

Ditto. It's his problem, not yours.

I'd go with Johannes on what is needed over there. Hey this guy must be your neighbor right ? Maybe he can bring it by to verify it's legit.

If the guy is legit I'd help him out. Is it your responsibility? Absolutely not. Still he's a fellow 914 owner. If I could help him get it squared away I would. So if you can verify it's legit. Send him what he needs

You can ask him to contact the 914 club of France with his request. We can check if it's legit and try to find a way to solve this issue.

I'm going to sort of disagree with some of you guys. When my dad died in 2007, the auction company he frequented helped me sell all of his stuff and clear out his house. In the process, we sold his 1968 Roadrunner on Ebay. The guy that bought it somehow never registered and then resold it (I think after he redid the transmission). The new buyer couldn't register and contacted me through my work (with a public website) and asked for help, which I gave him. NO ID COPY NEEDED. . . but it would be in the best interest of the car and hobby to send the other documentation, as long as there was no TRULY personal info. (Yes, I had to notarize etc, but this made the guy the second owner, complete with all documentation from the first owner).

Yes. . I ramble

No problem, no problem.

I have a vast amount of experience in these matters. All I need form you is:

- a copy of your ID
- a sample of your signature
- your social
- your main bank account number.

just PM me, perfectly safe

.. id theft should be on the top of your list here and while it seems simple once it happens to you the money you are going to spend to correct (if possible) the damage done will be tremendous. have him go through the French or EU equivalent of our PCA.

we are a community and there are multiple ways to use a known third party for this info.

Wow, lots of great input. Thank you.


Yes, WA DOT was notified, so I think I'm in the clear as far as responsibility.



Good recommendations about verifying he is legit. He sent a contact e-mail and phone number so I'm going to reach out to him for more information before sending him anything. He did include in his letter to me a letter from the French administration stating that he needs to show a chain of ownership before he can register it. At least that what he said it translated to. Might be that it says "please provide name and identification then deposit all of your money here."



Jeff, of course you are right, but as Mr. Holland pointed out, for the development of the hobby and the 914 community, this is the right thing to do if the person is legit.



If this doesn't work out I may reach out to you for some help.

Ownership is assigned by title, registration is just for your license plate and state regulations.

When you signed the Title, you sold it........ There is no need for you to provide ANY personal information.

the only thing I would do would be to contact the DMV and ask for a replacement Title. If the guy you sold it to didn't title it it is still in your name. You could request a duplicate title sign and send as a fresh title, but even that has legal ramifications for you. I wouldn't do a thing that would divulge ANY personal information.

+1 on the advice for this guy to prove he has the car, pics of the car and VIN. Are you sure this e-mail diddnt come from Nigeria?

No issue with a bill or sale, or even the previous registration.
France would not require a copy of your ID , so I call foul.

Sold more than a few overseas, it's not smelling right to me.

take Johannes up on his offer, he can settle it locally.

Rich

If the guy has your address (you say he sent a letter to you) and you send him a copy of your driving license, whats to stop him hiring a car in your name as a tourist, filling it with explosives and driving it into the centre of Paris?

That's how simple it can be.

Your kind excepting generosity needs to be questioned here. The second he asked for your id, you should have politely declined and walked away. There is nothing to debate here, you have no responsibility in this situation so please don't feel you have.

Hmmm, a letter and ID for the French officials. They have no forms such occasions? And there are other ways to prove your identity such as with a notarized signature - surely that would carry more weight than a photocopy of a driver's license that could be doctored...

I understand the desire to help out, but I'd proceed with caution.

So you can hire a car in France with a copy of a US driving licence ?

once you have a copy with all the correct info, making the reproduction is very simple and yes that would be how you rent the car.

So you can also make a reproduction of a fake driving license ... why bother ? No french employee of a hiring company will be able to tell if your licence is a fake...

Mark, I agree, but the Oregon person sold it across the pond ....very different in my mind.. It left US soil..that's where I would draw the line..IMHO

The new owner has been on our french 914 Club forum for a few years and bought the car recently. We try to resolve this issue with the help of Mark.

that's a positive note,, moving forward ..

Based on Johannes' info I don't see why not to help him get it registered.

SOT & this ? may be directed @ Johannes',
If I do a private party sale of a car to a buyer in France how are the duty/tax/VAT handled (IE who is responsible for what)?

I love happy endings