It is! Thanks BB...

 

sounds like you'll be ok then. did you get any bank info just in case. You probably won't need it since someone called you back, but just in case..

 

I didn't.... That's the next move. If this starts to look that way, I'll start to ask questions like that.
Thanks froggy.

 

Best practices would be to make the check out jointly to the seller and the lien holder or if the lien holder has a branch close the transaction there.

Hope it works out for you.

 

Thanks Spuds!

 

Glad to hear this working out man , seen a couple guys over the years do something similar and ended up losing their butts over it . Sellers took the money and run . Needed a feel good story today , thanks .

 

Well.... We(I) may not be outta the woods yet. Seems like it might be all good. I've settled down a bit thanks to the call and in large part due to the majority of this thread! Definitely gonna take these lessons forward with me, not make them again....
I'll make sure to update the thread as things materialize.
Thanks TwiZted...

 

So....

Turns out I may be ok.... Received the 'affidavit in lieu of title' in the mail yesterday took it to the courthouse and was given my registration, titles on the way. Funny side note, upon arrival at licensing, I pulled the number 88.... I knew then that it'd be fine.

THE BIKE IS MINE!

Thanks to everyone who responded positively.

BTW, changed my handle. Decided using my real name might not be super appropriate.

Jeff

 

How did this turn out for you? Looks like you changed your screen name, and moved? Or maybe just a little more precautious now, good for you. Anyways, I hope all is well. Please understand that it's not about trusting someone you don't know, and it doesn't make you untrustworthy if you suspect you may be getting scammed. It's a reality you sound like you have realized, and maybe now you're a tad bit wiser from the experience.

I recently saw a news program about something similar, but on a much larger scale. It involved a very large, well-rooted home builder in the Ohio/Kentucky area. He came from a long family history of trustworthy, and influential builders. But he ggot greedy, and began frauding dozens of home buyers, and he drug bank officials and others down with him. You'd like to think that upstanding members of your community, respected local businessmen were not capable of such evil things. But many innocent, law-abiding, working class families, who bought new homes, soon started receiving foreclosure notices from lending institutions that they had not dealt with on their new home purchases. And we're not talking about four, six, or ten thousand dollars. These homes were over a hundred thousand dollars. And some families stood to lose EVERYTHING, due to a smooth-talking crook, who at one time was an honest businessman, from a good family.

Google "Bill Erpenbeck". In fact... just google "home builder fraud". There's THOUSANDS of national cases of fraud on this massive financial level... so take a guess at how many people are out there that will fraud you out of just a few thousand bucks. I know, I know... it makes you feel horrible to know that you have to be so cautious and you WANT people to be good and honest. But the fact of the matter is... you simply just can't afford to be that trusting.

I truly hope everything turned out for the best with your bike purchase. And post some pics of that ride, we'd love to see it.

 

Well, what you are saying may be true, but......

I never hadda sit around for a month worrying about whether or not I got hosed. Now, when you buy a bike from a dealership, or even a house, of course you don't get the title right away--but you are buying from legitimate brick & mortar selling institutions, not a private guy you don't know from Adam. Big difference. When I buy a vehicle privately, I insist on clear title in hand just to avoid any snafus. Might even be legitimate delays, but the point is...I don't wanna sit around worrying about it. I have enough things to worry about.

OR..

Like I did with my very first RoadKing--the title was held locally in Tampa;met the seller at the credit union,paid off the loan, and they signed the title over to me, and seller got the rest. Everything done on the spot in the office, in cash. It's better to be suspicious than sorry. I've heard too many horror stories. I follow this simple rule & never have a problem:

I give cash--I get title
I give title--I get cash. No exceptions.

The only problem with my method is that I have passed up some really good deals 'cause the seller didn't have title in hand, or held locally. But I've never been screwed or hadda worry, either.