I found an ATV on craigslist, made an offer made arrangements to go look at it. Make it to the guys house and gave me a bill of sale and everything filled out on DMV paperwork. He tells me he doesn't have a title but has a bill of sale from the last person from 3 years ago(I will get back to this). I had no clue where the VIN is on an ATV, I have never owned one. Both my dirtbikes are on the head unit just like my Harley so I am think I will have to cooberate this later when I take it to the dealership for a complete once-over. I purchase the bike, take it straight to the Dealership and right off the bat they can't read the VIN(has been scratch out). We clean it off the best we can and piece the number together ran it by Yamaha website and it came up as with a different owner. I started questioning everything at that point. Get homecall the police, BOOM STOLEN!!!! Police come out, I give them everything I have on the guy and all the information I have and then the ATV. Guy that sold it to me is now sweating saying he and his friend has had it for 3 years, however, the bike was reported stolen 2 years ago yesterday.

The guy I bought it from tells the police he has only had it for 1 month, story already changing. He says his best friend has had it for 3 years and has maintenance records to prove he has had it since Feb 2006 yet it was reported stolen by the owner 11 months later. The policeman let me look at the report when he was in my driveway last night and the guy that reported it stoloen says he last saw it 2 days before he reported it. AGAIN, someone is lying.

The police informs me the guy that sold it to me, by law, owes me a return of my money. If he does not pay me, he said by law I can civil sue him and he will be liable to me for three times the amount I paid plus fees. It iwll be made public record on his credit report and a lien will be placed on everything he owns till it is paid. He has a $400,000 house, $80,000 fountain boat and many other items. This is where I am at this point.

I contact the owner that reported is stolen last night and told him it has been found. After talking to him for a while, he tells me the bike isn't in the same shape as he remembers, doesn't want to take the 12 hour round trip to pick it up. He said because I was a nice guy and did the right thing, if the police tell him he gets it back he will send me the title and I can have the ATV. I AM COMPLETLY CONFUSED ABOUT THIS WHOLE THING!!!!!!!!

Why would he just give me the bike unless this is an insurance scam?!

The guy that sold it to me asked where the guy owns it lived so I tell him and he goes, "I know where that is, I have family there"! This seems really strange, 1.) what are the odds his family lives there 6 hours away 2) it is in a town not one person I have talked to has even heard of! Even the detective didn't have a clue this extremely small town was in the state. The detective even thought, as I, that he has family in that town.

GET A TITLE, CALL THE POLICE VERIFY THE ITEM ISN'T STOLEN BEFORE YOU BUY!!! I HAVE LEARNED!!!!!!!!!!!

 

wow, that sounds really messed up. what a messed up story! sounds like an insurance scam so the origional owner could get some $'s! but if the dude you bought it from has lots of expensive things then i would take him to court! if he has a cell in his brain he would admit to selling you stolen property, pay you the $12,000+(as i understand it) and not admit to insurance freud.

if he dose admit to insurance freud hes in for an *ss-rapeing from the insurance company that shelled out the money! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] and owe you the $12,000 or what ever money you are talking about! ether way i would wait and see if you get the title from the origional owner

 

Most likely he has already colected the insurance and doesn't want it parked in the driveway.
Being you went to all the trouble, get you money back and keep the bike, as it was given to you by the owner, would be a good lesson to a thief.

 

What is sad, I have only given you guys the major points, I have already come up with 15 pages of information since last night and sent it to the detective today. He told me I just cut about a month or two off his investigation.

I am thinking all of these people are involved with each other, even the original owner. This is just an assumption of mine but not one thing adds up from any of these peoples stories, including the original owner.

 

Wow!

If it were me, I'd just get my money back. Too much baggage going along with that atv as it is.

BTW, I hope they don't have your address, just in case they decide the want to "sell" it again, if you do keep it.

 

They have my address from the bill of sale we made out. I am not worried about this, I carry and my house is well secured. I have alarms outside, inside, security cameras, alarms on all the windows, garage door and motion sensors in every room, even the garage.

I don't even want the thing around me, it is tainted!!!

 

Sounds hauntingly familiar to the ATV I bought in 99 that also turned out to be stolen. The guy you bought it from wasn't named Brady, was he? A little tip - odds are that 100% of the words out of the mouth of the guy that sold the ATV to you are lies - everything.

I've never heard about the 3x money back rule but you can go after the seller in civil court. Be prepaired for a long haul though. I'm a bulldog on crap like this and it took three years for me to get my money back. if I hadn't found a cop with a real attitide and a DA who was willing to work to see the right thing done, I never would have gotten my money back at all. Stuff like this is a low level crime so there is not too much interest in pursuing it.

Jaybee

 

No, but one of he guy's name is Brad...

Why did it take so long? You have a receipt, the guy sold it to you that didn't legally own it... easy case I would think?

 

If the original owner filed a claim and was paid by the insurance company, the insurance company becomes the legal owner of the quad. So, even if the original owner sent you a title, you would not have legal ownership.

The insurance company will sell the quad at a salvage auction, or might cut a deal with you. Make them an offer--they will want to recover as much of their original payout as they can, but selling the quad at an auction means fees-storage, transport, sales, etc--so they might agree to a low ball price.

 

Well, he filed it on his home insurance and they just gave him a check and he sent that to the bank(lien holder) and they sent him a free and clear title so I am not sure what is going on.