Bill Stein simply wanted to buy an inexpensive used car for his son to drive to his student-teaching assignments.
The suburban Buffalo, New York, man instead learned a costly and time-consuming lesson in vehicle titles and the importance of a thorough test drive.
Stein’s online search for a used car led him to M&H Auto Sales and Service, 2301 Parade St. He had spotted a 2011 Honda CR-V on the car lot’s Facebook Marketplace ad and drove to Erie on June 3 to check out the vehicle.
Stein and his son met Abdullah Rasheed at the car lot and took the Honda for a test drive, which in retrospect was the first warning sign.
“He only wanted us to drive it around the block, so we didn’t get the car over 30 miles an hour,” Stein said.
Though Stein realized that the vehicle needed new brakes and tires just to pass inspection, he agreed to buy it for $4,800 in cash.
Once Stein paid the money, he said he had to beg for a simple receipt even though Pennsylvania’s Automotive Industry Trade Practices Regulations require sellers to provide a copy of the written contract or agreement of sale, the installment sales contract, an odometer statement and the warranty.
All Stein received was a handwritten receipt signed by Rasheed stating, “2011 Honda CRV sold on 6-3-24 for $4800 cash.”
Later, when Stein saw the title, he noticed that the previous owner hadn’t signed it over to the car lot. Instead, Rasheed had signed it as the previous owner’s power of attorney.
They had to take the title to an Erie notary public to get a temporary license plate. Only then did Stein and his son start their trip back to Buffalo.
Stein was not told he bought the vehicle ‘as is’
Once the vehicle reached highway speeds, it started to shake. Stein pulled over and called the car lot.
“I wanted to bring it back and (Rasheed) said I had bought it ‘as is,'” Stein said. “He had never mentioned that as a condition of the sale.”
Rasheed later told Stein that he sold him the vehicle as an individual, not through the business — despite the fact they met at the car lot, used dealer plates from the lot for the test drive and conducted the transaction at the lot. Police told Stein that since it was a person-to-person sale, he needed to take Rasheed to court in order to get back his money.
The person who answered the phone at M&H Auto Sales and Service identified themselves as Rasheed’s brother and said he was “no longer there.” The person refused to provide a contact number for Rasheed, give him a message or respond to questions about the sale.
Stein was unable to drive the vehicle or sell it
Stein and his son made it home and started repairing the vehicle. The shaking was caused by worn out struts and Stein was about to replace them when he tried to register the vehicle with the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles.
“I couldn’t get the car registered,” Stein said. “They said the title wasn’t clear.”
Unable to drive the vehicle or sell it, Stein tried contacting the previous owner in an attempt to convince her to sign over the title to him.
He was unable to reach her, but his wife contacted the Erie Times-News, and I eventually was able to call the previous owner’s father, Don Richardson.
“My daughter must have signed a form giving Rasheed the power of attorney,” Richardson said. “I’ll call (Stein) and mail him the form.”
Richardson said Rasheed told his daughter to give him power of attorney so he could sell the vehicle more quickly.
Stein should have received the power of attorney form from Rasheed at the time of sale, but Stein said that he did not. Richardson kept his promise and the new form arrived in Stein’s mailbox a few days later on July 29.
Stein took the form to the DMV “and the title was changed over without a glitch,” he said.
Plans for the Honda now include new struts and then selling the vehicle to a friend of the family, Stein said. Stein’s son is getting a different vehicle.
What lessons did Stein learn from all of this?
“Pay close attention during the sale and be very wary,” Stein said.
HERE to HELP: Have a consumer question you’d like us to help you with? Leave a message with David Bruce at 870-1736, send an email to david.bruce@timesnews.com or send mail to 205 W. 12th St., Erie, PA 16534.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Used Honda CR-V causes issues for Buffalo man after buying it in Erie
