Here’s the deal. I had an old car in NH I thought was too rusted to save. My brother wanted it, so he towed it to MA where his mechanic friend worked on it. They put $3k into repairs, but he never transferred the title, and I let the registration expire and canceled the insurance.
Fast forward two months, I get a call saying the mechanic parked the car on the street, and it got hit. It’s probably totaled. I also got a warning for having an unregistered car on the street, and now I’m told I have to file the claim with the other driver’s insurance.
I want to help my brother recover some of the repair money, but I’m worried it might affect my other insurance policies. Any advice? Thanks for your help.
You shouldn’t involve your insurance at all since the car wasn’t insured at the time. Just file the claim with the other driver’s insurance. Your own policy won’t come into play unless the other driver didn’t have insurance, which doesn’t seem to be the case here.
This isn’t about your own insurance since the car wasn’t covered. You’ll be dealing directly with the other driver’s insurance. As for your rates, it’s unlikely this will affect them, but maybe someone familiar with NH laws can confirm.
Your insurance isn’t involved because the car wasn’t insured. You’ll need to file with the at-fault driver’s insurance and hope they accept liability. Don’t expect to get the full $3k back, though; it’s unlikely they’ll value the car that high, even with the repairs.
Honestly, just tell them you sold the car months ago and let your brother handle it. It’s not fair for you to keep cleaning up after his messes. He needs to step up.
This is your brother’s issue now. He didn’t transfer the title, register the car, or insure it, and now you’re stuck dealing with this. Either transfer the title to him immediately or scrap the car and be done. It’s time for him to take responsibility.
Cameron said: @Keegan
You’re not wrong. I appreciate you putting it that way. Thanks.
If you’re still the legal owner, you might as well file the claim with the other driver’s insurance. Just make sure your brother gives you all the receipts for the repair costs. And hey, you could always keep the payout for yourself. (Kidding… sort of.)
Be careful; some states penalize you for not having insurance on a vehicle registered in your name, even if it’s not being driven. Make sure you’re clear on the rules before proceeding, or you could face a license suspension.
Since the car is still legally yours, it’s up to you to handle the claim. This might show up in future insurance quotes under your name, but no one can say for sure if it will affect your rates.
Also, was the mechanic running a legitimate shop or just working out of a garage? If it’s the latter, that could complicate things. You might want to look into whether the mechanic has any liability for the car being parked on the street.
@Bao
This helps a lot, thanks. I’d prefer to just sell the car for scrap and move on, but my brother might lose it if I do that. Is scrapping it my best option here?
Cameron said: @Bao
This helps a lot, thanks. I’d prefer to just sell the car for scrap and move on, but my brother might lose it if I do that. Is scrapping it my best option here?
Why would your brother be mad? You did him a favor by giving him the car, and now you’re stuck dealing with fines because he didn’t handle the paperwork. Honestly, the mechanic should refund some of the repair costs since they didn’t deliver a roadworthy car.
Cameron said: @Bao
This helps a lot, thanks. I’d prefer to just sell the car for scrap and move on, but my brother might lose it if I do that. Is scrapping it my best option here?
If you file the claim, the insurance company will determine whether the car is repairable or totaled. You might get an offer for the car’s value, minus the cost to keep it. If you want to keep the car, just make sure you understand how to handle a salvage title in MA or wherever it ends up.
Also, since the car isn’t insured or registered, file the claim quickly before you run into more trouble with the state. Maybe ask the mechanic to store it indoors for now.