Cheap Crown Vic, guy won't allow car off property once purchased

Too weird.

If there are any other detractors the whole deal would go straight in the dumper (nightmareland).

A simple car sale should not require gymnastics.

I'm sorry if FL has different ideas about ownership.

John Welsh said:

In reply to Mr_Asa :

A sale is often made up of price and terms.  In this situation, the terms are that he wants it done his way.  This could mean he is unlikely to find a lot of buyers willing to do it on his terms.  This means he's also highly unlikely to sell the car out from under you for a better price (because price is not his main focus.)  

So, give in and meet his terms but also negotiate hard to get a better (great) price.  

Not sure how it works in your state but here, on used car sales we often understate the sale price for a savings on sales tax.  If it is the same there, just realize that this seller is very unlikely to play this game so factor that into your low price offer too.  

Not ignorance, at all. He is attempting to follow the intent of the law (ok he is not quite correct, but close!), and since many do not, it seems weird. 
I agree wholeheartedly with the negotiations tip, but putting a false number, to avoid paying proper taxes, is actually against the law also. Most do it, but I would never recommend breaking the law on the internet. 

In reply to bentwrench :

FL, NY, NJ, PA, VA, TX, NM, and that's just the ones I know have similar laws. That most do not know, cause they go by "I heard" and have not been bit. 

dyintorace said:

If he doesn't go for the meeting at the DMV, you could point him to the top portion of the title, which he retains after you take the bottom part. On the backside of the top, he fills in the sale information, along with your DL number and mails it to Tallahassee. That is the confirmation to the state that the title is no longer in his name. 

the commonwealth I refer to has same thing. Didn't know if FL did, but assumed the did. 

Stampie said:

In reply to Mr_Asa :

 Honestly once you have signed title he can't really do anything. 

By the letter of the law, it has to have actually been to dmv, or courthouse, depending, and be transferred to your name. Not just signed. In AL I can drive it for 20 days without tags, but prolly not FL. 
The guy is not Legally wrong (completely:see other notes) but I'd move on, if anything else didn't feel right. 

My take on this is that the seller has had a bad experience from a past sale. Fair enough. I can see how it can happen.

Assuming that you are not planning to do the same, probably best for you  to just move on and buy a car from a person who is not scared from a previous event. Lot less drama.

I also assume that the seller has had a bad experience or knows of someone who had one as a result of someone not titling a vehicle they sold.

I'm not familiar with your state laws.  Here in MO, we're a title state.  You become the owner when the previous owner and you sign their title and the state issues a new title showing you as the owner. 

I wouldn't sell a vehicle to a buyer who isn't willing to sign the title in front of me (in most cases).  But we also have a "notice of sale" that the seller has to send in upon sale.  This "notice of sale" requirement was put in place specifically to ensure titles get transferred when a vehicle changes hands.  (It had become common practice to pass along "open titles"...signed but not dated by the seller...for sale to another buyer down the line.  The state collects sales tax every time a title officially changes hands.)

Registration is a separate issue here and has no bearing on transfer of ownership.  I buy vehicles and transfer a title to my name all the time without actually registering (licensing) them.  I am required to title a vehicle within 30 days of purchase.  There is no requirement that the vehicle is registered/licensed until I want to drive it on the road (or park it in view of the authorities.)

Your state may or may not have separate title/registration processes.  If your state is like Missouri, the seller is just using the wrong terminology and a friendly conversation of your intentions can probably clear it up.  Many folks misunderstand the state law or are ignorant.  Many folks will swear with their hand on a bible that the (mis)information their cousin told them is 100% accurate because he once worked near the courthouse or some such nonsense.

We also require motor vehicle safety inspections here so his "it has to be registered before it leaves my property" is legally impossible here (the car must go TO an inspection station prior to being licensed/registered).   That's likely not the same wherever you are.

In DE the title has a little perforated coupon on the bottom. Both parties fill and sign, seller tears off the coupon, and sends buyer on the way with the rest of the signed title.

Mail that coupon to the DMV or drop it off at a branch, and it doesn't matter if the seller lights the car on fire and crashes it into a bus load of nuns. It is no longer the seller's problem the moment those perforations are torn.

I think someone was more willing to play ball than I was.  Tried to get ahold of him and got nothing, looked for the ad and it wasn't up.

Good news is that in my searches for this guy I found that apparently Mississippi is the place to get cheap Panther platforms.  Dozens of em under $1000, most needing to be towed.

In reply to Mr_Asa :

I'm still needing a few parts, or maybe a parts car, and am a good rest stop for ya! This winter, I might could make part of the trip for ya, if we find something. 

Duke said:

Mail that coupon to the DMV or drop it off at a branch, and it doesn't matter if the seller lights the car on fire and crashes it into a bus load of nuns. It is no longer the seller's problem the moment those perforations are torn.

Same here in CA.  The "seller portion" of the title is officially called the "Release of Liability", and once you've sent it in you've told them that it's not your car any more and you are no longer responsible for what happens with it.