Is It Advisable to Buy a Used Car Without Transferring Ownership?
2 Answers
Yes, you can buy it. Below is an introduction to the related impacts of purchasing a car without transferring ownership: 1. Impact on the seller: a. If you sell your car but do not transfer ownership, you remain the legal owner of the vehicle. In the event of a traffic accident, you, as the legal owner, bear certain responsibilities. b. Without ownership transfer, the buyer only has the right to use the car, while ownership still belongs to you. Therefore, if the new owner fails to pay various fees associated with the car, the authorities will ultimately hold you accountable when enforcing payment. c. If the car is sold but ownership is not transferred, and the new owner fails to conduct annual inspections for many years or accumulates numerous traffic violations, the original owner may face difficulties when handling other business matters. 2. Impact on the buyer: a. Without ownership transfer, the car does not legally belong to you. If the original owner has significant debts and needs to use assets to repay them, the car, still registered under the original owner's name, may be affected. b. Without ownership transfer, the car is not considered a used car. The transfer process essentially moves the car's registration to your name. If the car is stolen, it would be extremely difficult to recover. In severe cases, if accidents occur or the car is stopped by traffic police, it may be deemed an unregistered vehicle.
To be honest, buying a second-hand car without transferring ownership carries significant risks. Last time when I helped a friend check out a car, we encountered this exact situation. The seller claimed we could save 20,000 yuan by skipping the transfer fee, but later we discovered the car still had outstanding loans and was a mortgaged vehicle. Without ownership transfer, you only have usage rights while the vehicle registration certificate remains under the original owner's name. If the original owner reports the documents lost for replacement or uses the car as collateral for loans, you're the one who'll suffer the loss. Moreover, if police find abnormal VIN records during inspections, they'll impound the vehicle directly, making annual inspections and insurance impossible. Trying to save this small amount might cost you much more to resolve the troubles later.
