Is The Car Dealership Responsible For Letting Me Drive Off, Uninsured

**Stillvip187** · 12-08-2007, 08:54 PM

I live in California I went to Arizona to purchase my vehicle because that’s where the better deal was. While going through all the contract and paper work signing I asked about the 30 day insurance provided by the car dealer and the car sales person told me “Oh! We don’t offer the insurance because of all the old people here. If we give them insurance what they will do is, as soon as they leave the lot they will cancel it then add their own insurance for the car then we the dealership loose money so we just don’t offer insurance." I reiterated that I didn’t have any insurance under my name; he then proceeded to ask my girl friend if she had insurance she said “yes; but it doesn’t have his name on it or the car.” he asked her for her info and said that it would be fine. He then took her info and made copies. I financed the car through Capitol one not the dealer.
When I left the lot I was hit by a guy who backed into my car “just my luck”. The guy that hit me gave the police officer a phone # that was disconnected and his supposed name, but because the police are taking their sweet time with the police reports its making the process longer. I tried getting it covered through my girls insurance but since the car hadn’t been added and the car was under my name only the insurance refused to help because my girls name was not on the car title and the insurance policy belongs to her and her only. When I called the dealership to let them know they said that there is nothing that they can do. Then 2 days later I got a call from Capitol One they told me that they were going to cancel my loan because they found out that the car had been in an accident and they weren’t going to finance a damaged car. When I called the dealer again to forewarn them about the check from capitol one being canceled, they stated that if that’s the case then their lawyers were going to come after me to get payment for the car. Then the next day the dealer called me and told me that they were going to overnight me the 30 day insurance paper work and I needed to sign it and send it back ASAP then the accident would be covered. But when I ask for advice everyone tells me that this can be insurance fraud and I can get in trouble for this so I shouldn’t sign it. Everyone is telling me that the dealership is now responsible for the car and getting it fixed because they let me drive off the lot with out insurance under my name. Now I have chiropractor bills adding up because we were both injured in the accident should they be responsible for all this
I need more opinions. I need help with this issue. Can some one help me?

**Mr. Knowitall** · 12-10-2007, 07:29 AM

I can't find any provision in Arizona law which would require the dealership to offer you insurance - are you aware of any? You would also be free to get insurance for the vehicle through your own insurance company before leaving the lot.

**Stillvip187** · 12-10-2007, 09:24 AM

Quoting Mr. Knowitall

I can't find any provision in Arizona law which would require the dealership to offer you insurance - are you aware of any? You would also be free to get insurance for the vehicle through your own insurance company before leaving the lot.

I have not had insurence since march and i told the sales man that exactly, and he told me it was ok they can use my girlfriends insurence and it would be covered under her insurence because we are adding the policy info to the paper work, my girlfriend is not on the title of the car or on the loan so her insurence will not help us even though she was in the car at the time. I Called a couple dealers there next to where i purchased the car and gave them the scenerio and or stated that i wanted to go in there and purchase a car but i dont have insurence , asked if they can still help me. What they all told me was " No im sorry sir but its against the law to let you drive off our lot with out proper insurence, i cannot sell you a car". these dealerships all work toghther.

**Stillvip187** · 12-10-2007, 10:31 PM

to add to all of this............. today I received the paper work from the dealership regarding the 30 day Insurance that they should have issued me before i left the dealership. They are asking that I sign this paper work and mail it back but after carefully looking at all the paper work there is a lot of incorrect information on the piece of paper for example the full name of the dealership is not on there, just he 1st word and even that is misspelled, some of my info is incorrect as well.

Does anyone know of someone that would be willing to help me out with my situation?

**Stillvip187** · 12-10-2007, 11:12 PM

to add to all of this............. today I received the paper work from the dealership regarding the 30 day Insurance that they should have issued me before i left the dealership. They are asking that I sign this paper work and mail it back but after carefully looking at all the paper work there is a lot of incorrect information on the piece of paper for example the full name of the dealership is not on there, just he 1st word and even that is misspelled, some of my info is incorrect as well.

Does anyone know of someone that would be willing to help me out with my situation?

**Mr. Knowitall** · 12-11-2007, 06:37 AM

Apparently you don't know of any law the dealership violated, so that makes it tough to identify a cause of action against them. Perhaps a lawyer in Arizona can identify a law which would support a claim. I suspect there's something, because I suspect that otherwise the dealership wouldn't be trying to get you covered.

If there are errors in documentation that the dealership wants you to sign, ask them to correct it.