It is said that if a deal is too good, you should think twice. But there are, however, life situations where you will be sure that you are engaging in legitimate deals.
As a car enthusiast, your main objective and interest would be to drive the car of your dreams whether new or second hand. But the last thing on your mind would be to find yourself pulled over by the police for driving a stolen car.
Being stuck with a stolen car could mean jail term, hefty fines, or both. But let’s face it, it’s a hot ride that you could not have resisted and secondly, you never knew that the car was stolen in the first place. If this is your current predicament, don’t fret. Below, we’ll provide you with all that you might need to know and do in case you purchased a stolen car.
1. Check the Car’s Driving Records
Now, if you suspect that you bought a stolen car, you must track the car’s driving records. This will help in knowing whether the car was involved in any illegal activities because for starters, you don’t want to take the blame for someone else’s mistakes. In line with the guys at https://www.dmvrecords.us.org/, checking for the stolen car’s driving records will help you in ascertaining whether the car had hit and run records, DUIs, or any other traffic violation records. In addition to this, and by consulting the experts in this field, you’ll be provided with a full background history of the car, the car’s driving information, and insurance records that will be most vital when it comes to making a report with the police. In short, you’ll want to be prepared with the right information before you get caught off-guard.
2. Report the Case to the Police
As earlier mentioned, driving a stolen car could land you into so much trouble. The thing is, as a law-abiding citizen and as innocent as your story is, the last thing you want is to spend a night at the sheriff’s office waiting to be arraigned in court. When you report the case to the police early enough, you’ll avoid the embarrassments that come from being pulled over and the inconveniences that driving a stolen car brings with it. They’ll, of course, want to clarify a few issues with you when making a statement among which might include:
- The date you bought the vehicle
- From whom the vehicle was bought
- Car insurance details
It’s from this point that you’ll always want to hold on to your car purchase receipts and have them well preserved. With it, it will make it easier to track the seller and also help to make tracking the car’s movement and ownership a whole lot easier. You just don’t want to be held liable for the car’s history. Before leaving the police station, ensure to get a copy of the report.
3. Buying a Stolen Car and Insurance
The thing is, buying a used car can present challenges that you’ll want to know beforehand. In most, if not all cases, the owners of stolen vehicles will have to deal with car insurers at some point. It could be that you bought a stolen car before the owner made a report to the police. Come the day of renewing “your” car insurance policy, you’ll not have the right of title for insurance renewal, as you will be deemed an illegal car owner.
In simpler terms, you will not have the protection under the law and most especially, if you didn’t buy the car in good faith. Buying a car in good faith means that you made all the inquiries to ascertain the car’s ownership and records. To prevent this tussle with the insurance company, ensure to inquire about the name under the insurance policy and if it matches that of the seller.
4. Ask for a Refund
If you made a report to the police and had the car impounded for the suspicion that it was stolen, you are well within your rights to contact the seller and ask for a refund. Remember the point of requesting the police report? You’ll need to present the police report to the seller when requesting a refund. It is the only way they’ll be sure of your claims. You’ll need to ask them for a full refund failure to which you can take the necessary measures of contacting your attorney. But if it was a stolen car, they should be behind bars by now.
5. File a Restitution Lawsuit
At this point, you need to contact your attorney to know your options. Whether you are criminally charged with the possession of a stolen car or not, the mere suspicion aspect part of it should be a driving factor for you to contact an attorney pronto. This is among the smartest ways of protecting yourself just in case you suspect you bought a stolen car.
A qualified and experienced attorney in criminal law will help to investigate your case, file reports with the police, and most importantly, help to ease your mind. Additionally, they’ll file your case and help you to get your refund back. Among the qualities to look for when hiring a restitution attorney include:
- Experience in this field of law
- Willingness to work with the victims
- Extensive knowledge of the law
- The attorney’s availability
- Good rapport and track record
- Reasonable fees
The main objective for filing a restitution lawsuit after you have purchased a stolen vehicle is not only to get reimbursed for your financial losses but to also protect you against the consequences of being found driving a stolen car.
As a savvy car enthusiast, you must protect yourself from the vices of driving a stolen car. While it might seem cheap initially, owning a stolen car will be more expensive for you in the long run. The above tips will help to get you out of a seemingly tough situation of driving a stolen car.
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
