leith

Just found that the owner of a truck I sold three years ago never registered it. It turned up either stolen or abandoned in Calgary with no plates. The police tracked me down from the VIN number and I was told I had to pay the bill for the truck being towed to the pound and stowed there since I was the last registered owner. If I refused to pay, I would not be able to renew my driver's licence. The only way out was to sign a Statutory Declaration saying I didn't own the vehicle any more, have it witnessed by a Commissioner of Oaths, and fax it to the pound. What a hassle to avoid the consequences of sombody else's irresponsible behaviour.
Moral: When you sell your vehicle, keep a copy of the bill of sale forever.

Gremmie

The moral should be re-register the vehical in the new owners name at time of sale.....

leith

You can't re-register the vehicle in the new owner's name. In order to register a motor vehicle, you first have to insure it. You then have to present proof of insurance at the Motor Vehicle Registry. Even if the insurance company allowed you to do this, you would be utterly stupid to pay on the new owner's behalf all such costs involved. You comment is simply ridiculous.

Gremmie

why ridiculous, go with the new owner to mpi or what ever you have get you unregisterd as owner then it up to him to do what ever he needs to do... cant see whats silly with that. Selling with out checking now that is redonculus.......

Piff Poff

What number plate did they have on it when they drove it away?

justkidding

Why didn't you cancel your registration?

GavinR

Eh? Don't recall seeing this option anywhere. You can take your plates back in but I don't know if this cancels your registration or not.

leith

(a) I transferred the plate and registration to my own new vehicle immediately. Clearly, neither the purchaser nor anyone else ever registered the truck after it left my possession. The last known record of its registration (traceable only by its VIN) was therefore in my name.
(b) The purchaser used his own plate to drive the vehicle away. Determining whether his plate was legally usable was not my responsibility, any more than it was up to me to ensure that he insured and registered the vehicle subsequently. It had no plate on it when it was found and impounded.
(c) It is not the vendor's responsibility to drag the purchaser into an insurance agent and the Motor Vehicle Registry to ensure that the appropriate legal actions are taken. Such a suggestion is absurd.
(d) Facts are accurate information are helpful and a useful contribution to this board: ill-mannered and ill-informed comments are not.

Gremmie

Hope the tow away was really expensive .You clearly know all the answers, yet still have to pay.

leith

Wrong. I did not have to pay anything. I faxed a Statutory Declaration witnessed by a Commissioner of Oaths stating that I had sold the vehicle three years previously. This did not cost me anything.
I posted a description of this situation as a helpful comment advising others to keep their bill of sale for a long time in order to avoid similar inconvenience.
I have already provided all relevant facts and responded to all sensible replies in kind. I therefore regard this thread as closed and will not be responding to any insults or fatuous remarks.

Piff Poff

Not quite sure why you got so upset (before Gremmies post anyway)

justkidding

Well if you take your plates in they will refund you the money you have paid to register those plates (the part of the year remaining). Isn't this called cancelling your registration?

I think what the OP had to prove was that he was no longer the owner of the vehicle which is a completely different thing. So, what is the solution to this? Keep your bill of sale forever? Or something else?

Gee, I hope this post wasn't insulting or fatuous

iaink

The plate was transfered to another vehicle. Thats pretty conclusive. No point in cancelling and then having to pay for a new plate that I can see.

Personally I am surprised that this came back to haunt the OP, and grateful to them for sharing it. Its a bit odd for the buyer to never register the vehicle though, whats up with that I wonder!

Almost Canadian

They were happy to drive it around unregistered knowing full well that the person they bought it off would, potentially, be on hook.

I am curious to know how their plates continued to be registered each year, unless, of course, they kept an old beat up vehicle in a field and had their plates registered to that vehicle each year.

Piff Poff

Or just drove it on out of date plates hoping they didn't get stopped?