Car Buying Help

So, a bit of an oddball that I'm not 100% certain on how to handle...

In November I bought a car from a used lot, from a guy my father has purchased multiple vehicles from with great success/ease/etc.

Anyhow, the car is great, runs fine, got a solid warranty, low interest rate, payments are only $266/month, all is fantastic and I couldn't be happier with the car..

Well, at the beginning of February I get a letter in the mail from the lien holder that they've noticed during a recent audit of my account(mind you this is a full 2 months after buying the car)that they still need the title to the car and if I don't have it mailed to them within 30 days, they may possibly turn my account over to collections(United Federal Credit Union, btw). So, I call the credit union a week later(work has been slammed and I honestly spaced it)and ask them if they've received the title in the meantime. They tell me that they haven't and that they put out a call to the dealer, who said he'd look into it.

So, I go ahead and give the dealer/the guy I bought the car from a call and he tells me that the credit union should've received the title from the DMV, it sounds like the bank fucked up, and he'd try to reach out to DMV, but there isn't much else he can do on his end.

My question is, what is my next course of action here? It really sounds to me like the credit union fucked up, lost the title, and is trying to claim they just now noticed it during an "audit". Shouldn't they have noticed it right away? Not some two months after purchase? Secondly, technically the credit union are the owners of said vehicle(until I pay off the loan), so why the fuck am I being expected to do the legwork of tracking down the title? If I had the title, why the fuck would I be paying them monthly?

Now, I guess there is also the possibility that the guy who sold me the car is up to some sort of fuckery, but being as my father has purchased 3 vehicles through him with no issues whatsoever, I find that somewhat difficult to believe.

Any advice?

Fiance rear ended someone hard enough that the driver's airbag deployed but the car was still drive-able. The front grill and bumper were smashed and it was leaking radiator fluid but I thought it was likely fixable but the insurance adjuster has totaled the car.

Any advice on what to do now? I'm hoping their offer at least covers what is owed on the loan (it was a 2015).

What kind of car and how much is outstanding? I guess you could argue the ACV if you feel it isn't fair.

Qhue said:

Fiance rear ended someone hard enough that the driver's airbag deployed but the car was still drive-able. The front grill and bumper were smashed and it was leaking radiator fluid but I thought it was likely fixable but the insurance adjuster has totaled the car.

Any advice on what to do now? I'm hoping their offer at least covers what is owed on the loan (it was a 2015).

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Always get gap coverage, if you aren't leasing or didn't buy a car outright. Then, you don't have to worry about this.

If the adjuster "totaled" the car, you might have a tough uphill battle. They know the calculations based on paying for a fix or paying for the car then auctioning or scrapping.

BrutulTM said:

I think it's pretty standard to total out the car if the airbag went off. If it got hit that hard the frame is likely bent and who knows what else.

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Yep. Also modern cars are built with a few VERY large pieces. So if one area of the frame is busted you are looking at a large amount of work to rebuild it.

My brother's wife has the Crosstrek (I think that's the Subaru right?) And it's incredible. They hike every weekend (new Hampshire white mountains mostly, but also katahdin in Maine) and are very outdoorsy. It's very nice for that. He drives a flashy $40k wrx so can't take it anywhere. They swear by Subaru

Any recommendations on best full size suvs? Was looking at pilots but willing to branch out. Trying to stay Japanese if possible.

Noodleface said:

My brother's wife has the Crosstrek (I think that's the Subaru right?) And it's incredible. They hike every weekend (new Hampshire white mountains mostly, but also katahdin in Maine) and are very outdoorsy. It's very nice for that. He drives a flashy $40k wrx so can't take it anywhere. They swear by Subaru

Any recommendations on best full size suvs? Was looking at pilots but willing to branch out. Trying to stay Japanese if possible.

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LachiusTZ said:

Sold my zj Jeep a few years ago. Regret the hell out of it.

Need something similar. Don't want to get another zj because I'd always wish it was my old one.

Something that can do off-road stuff. Old enough it's cheap, popular enough parts are common, and upgradeable to do ignorant shit in the mud.

Thinking the really 2000s line of GMC SUVs?

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low mileage FJ Cruiser?

TrollfaceDeux said:

Toyota Highlander better for full size SUV. Kia coming out with 2020 Telluride in a couple month (it's epic) and Hyundai coming out with presade or something but that's into Q4. Obviously Chevrolet has some full size SUV like traverse or Acadia but it's domestic so it's probably not as good.

Still Chevrolet has some nice interior and exterior designs and feels pretty good. Odd thing about domestic is that some parts are from cheaper version of smaller or lower trim car so it feels disjointed sometimes.

Nissan offers a full size SUV called armada but you might as well as buy a Infiniti qx80 at that price tag...

I wouldn't want to buy a Honda pilot mainly because prices are higher and their reliability aren't as good as it used to be. Toyota parts are getting cheaper and less valuable but still astonishing in resale and reliability.

Fiat dodge ram offers er...Durango....and it's Durango ...and they fucking blow in every way possible and I don't know why people buy this shit truck...

Other option is looking at midsize-full size like pathfinder, Sorento, santa fe xl which offers 7 passenger V6 options and probably 10000-20000 cheaper than pilot or highlander.

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The lease on the pilots were nice. Like 199/month with 5k down. My wife barely drives but she has 2 kids (and a 3rd soon) so she needs something big. She will not drive a minivan even though it's realistically the best choice. Thanks for the info though I'll look these up.