Consequences of buying a car without documents
What to do if you bought a car without documents
The content of the article
Advertisements for the sale of a good car at an attractive price and with “minor problems”—luck or risk? What to do if you still couldn’t resist the temptation to take good transport cheaply and bought a car without documents, how to restore the documents for the car and register the car for legal use?
How to sell a car without documents
What documents are needed when selling a car, and what can you do without? The standard car owner package includes:
- Insurance not only protects the driver in case of an accident, but also contains a list of persons allowed to drive.
- State registration certificate - allows you to operate the car on public roads.
- The vehicle passport is the main document containing the technical characteristics and history of changes in ownership of the car.
In a normal situation, the buyer is interested in all three papers. PTS and STS must be transferred; the policy is reissued upon sale along with the car to the new owner.
If the car is not used, it may not be registered with the state and, accordingly, may not have the first two documents indicated in the list, but this will not affect the act of purchase and sale. According to Order 605 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, one of the basic documents in the field of state registration of vehicles used in Russia, the owner of the car remains with a title with the appropriate mark if the registration was terminated due to:
You can purchase such a car, including for restoration or as a donor of spare parts, if the vehicle is not running. The presence of a title will protect the buyer from claims from law enforcement agencies and will allow the registration and other documents for the car to be restored if it is repaired.
Note! Selling a car without a title is dangerous for both parties to the transaction. The seller, giving away the car without documents and guarantees of its timely re-registration, in the eyes of the law will remain involved in all offenses that can be committed with the help of the car.
A buyer who bought a car without documents risks losing the car if it is in collateral or wanted, or may not be able to use the car for its intended purpose if, due to problems with papers, it is not possible to go through the state registration procedure.
Consequences of buying or selling a car without documents
A car license may be missing due to:
It is necessary to obtain documents for the car first of all in order to fully use the purchased vehicle. You cannot drive without documents for a car.
Note! But buying a car without a title in itself is possible, since the legislation does not contain a direct requirement to have a car passport.
Purchase and sale agreement without PTS
With the mutual consent of the parties, it is possible to sell a car without a title under a regular civil contract. To have legal force, the DCP must contain:
- information about the parties: full name, passport details of the seller and buyer;
- date and place of imprisonment;
- product description. In the absence of a PTS, you should list the characteristics of the car as accurately as possible: model, make, year of manufacture, color, identification numbers of components and assemblies;
- terms of the transaction: cost, procedure for payment and transfer of the vehicle.
You can specify additional obligations of the parties under the agreement. For example, prescribe the seller’s actions to restore documents, without which the buyer has the right to refuse the transaction.
It is recommended to attach to the contract a separate explanation from the seller about the circumstances that led to the absence of a title at the time of conclusion of the document, as well as the results of checking the car for fines, encumbrances and being on the wanted list. They can be carried out with the involvement of specialized companies or independently, using the services of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate, the Federal Bailiff Service and the Federal Notary Chamber. If the car is after an accident or emergency, a report on its condition is also attached.
Such transactions do not require notarization, but in this case it would be appropriate. It is also advisable to conclude an agreement with a witness who will sign the papers.
What to do if you bought a car without documents
Before registering a car without documents, you will have to start restoring the title. If the car is sold legally, the seller has no malicious intent and is not afraid of contacts with law enforcement agencies, he will not refuse to help the buyer go through the established bureaucratic procedures. Depending on the situation, he may be required to:
- contacting the traffic police for a duplicate of the lost vehicle title;
- registration of inheritance for the car of a deceased relative. It is not necessary to re-register it in your name. Or obtaining a power of attorney with original documents from the absent owner for subsequent sale;
- an agreement with the bank to repay the loan using the proceeds from the sale of the car or transfer the balance of the loan to the buyer.
How to make documents for a car
You can independently restore documents for a car or apply for a new passport if:
- By prior agreement, the owner will issue a power of attorney to the buyer to receive a duplicate of the title. Having settled the formalities, the parties will be able to conclude a full-fledged deal.
- The car was purchased after confiscation. If the PTS was not transferred along with the keys, or was not seized from the old owner, the basis for registration will be documents from the auction.
- Pass a safety assessment of a vehicle assembled using a homemade method.
- Contact the traffic police with the DCP and the above list of attachments, which, in accordance with the requirements of Order No. 496 of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation, confirm the buyer’s legal rights to dispose of the property. In case of refusal, the decision to issue a PTS is made by the court.
Note! Having solved the problems with the PTS, you should take out insurance. Its presence is a mandatory requirement for registration actions. If a recycling fee has not previously been paid for the car, it must be paid and a corresponding stamp will be received in the passport.
Registering a car without documents
The final stage of returning a car without documents to the road is a visit to the traffic police. The registration procedure requires:
- come to the MREO with a car;
- provide the inspector with a statement of the established form and originals of personal documents and papers for the car;
- undergo an examination;
- receive STS and numbers, PTS with the entered data of the new owner, if when restoring the documents, the passport was not issued by him.
The procedure will take up to 1 hour. You can register faster if you send an application and copies of documents online through the State Services website. You can also book a convenient time there.
How much it costs to get documents for a car depends on what exactly the owner had to do. State fees for registration, according to Article 333.33 of the Tax Code of the Russian Federation, will be in rubles:
- 800 - new PTS;
- 350 - making an entry in the passport;
- 500-1500 paper or plastic STS, respectively;
- 2000 rubles - for number plates.
The costs of examinations, going to court and other costs depend on the circumstances and reasons for the lack of documents for the car. It will be more difficult to sell a car without a title to the next owner than to the original owner or his family.
ATTENTION! Due to recent changes in legislation, the information in this article may be out of date! Our lawyer will advise you free of charge - write in the form below.
Is it possible to buy a car without a title, is it worth doing so, and what are the risks of transactions of this kind?
Purchasing a motor vehicle usually means that the buyer will receive not only the vehicle itself, but also its documents.
Although the last condition is not always met.
You can often come across offers to sell cars without a registration certificate. How acceptable is such a deal, and what troubles can a buyer expect with such a purchase?
Dear readers! Our articles talk about typical ways to resolve legal issues, but each case is unique.
If you want to find out how to solve your particular problem, please use the online consultant form on the right or call +7 (499) 938-41-74. It's fast and free!
Is it possible to buy a car without a title?
By law, the purchase of cars and other vehicles without a vehicle passport is not allowed. However, there are several types of such transactions that are recognized as legal. We will talk about them later.
Purchasing cars without a title is not recommended for several reasons. One of the main ones in this case is that the buyer will not be able to register the purchased vehicle. A vehicle registration certificate is drawn up and issued upon availability of a vehicle passport.
Is it worth doing this?
Positive aspects of the deal:
- When the car seller does not have documents due to the fact that they were lost, for example, the buyer may not have to deal with the paperwork independently. He has the right to demand that the seller independently carry out the procedure and pay all state fees for issuing a duplicate.
- Some sellers prefer to complete the transaction as soon as possible due to the fact that they do not have documents. This fact can be turned to your advantage if you first check the basic information about the car and make sure that it is not stolen.
Disadvantages of buying a car without a title:
- Since the vehicle must be registered without the main document - a registration certificate, the driver will need to drive the car to the site for inspection. This takes extra time and requires checks. For example, if parts equipped with identification numbers were changed.
- There is a high chance of encountering scammers. As a result, you can waste your money and end up without a vehicle.
Decide for yourself whether it is worth agreeing to the deal if the seller does not have a title.
What are the risks of conducting transactions of this kind?
Buying a car without a vehicle registration certificate can result in major problems for the buyer. With what? Selling vehicles without a title is common among scammers who can use various sales schemes.
-
Selling a credit car. A fairly common practice is when the seller purchased a new car under a car loan agreement, handed over the vehicle’s passport to the bank, since the car is under collateral, and then sells the vehicle at a discount of 5 to 15% compared to the market average.
Moreover, everyone solves the problem with the lack of PTS in their own way. Someone orders a duplicate, someone sells it without documents for the car. It is not always possible to check information on the traffic police databases for collateral.
These are the difficulties that can arise when buying a car without a special document.
Step-by-step instruction
How can you buy a car without a title? The country formally prohibits the purchase and sale of cars that do not have a vehicle passport. However, despite this, there are legal options for how this can be implemented:
- If you are selling a credit car, you should simply transfer the car from the old owner who took out the loan to the new one who will repay the debt. As soon as the debt is repaid, the title is re-registered to the buyer.
- If a car is purchased for further disassembly for spare parts, it can be legally purchased without documents.
- The buyer receives a general power of attorney to register the car.
What to do if you purchased a car without a special document?
If you nevertheless happen to purchase a car without a title, to register it you will need to have on hand the following package of documents prescribed by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 605 dated 08/07/2013:
- Purchase and sale agreement for a problematic vehicle.
- Certificate of acceptance and transfer of the machine.
- A receipt indicating that the seller has received cash for the vehicle.
- Explanatory, in which you will need to carefully indicate the circumstances due to which the owner does not have a passport for the car. The note is drawn up either by the new owner registering the car with the traffic police, or by the old one.
- An explanatory note may also be necessary regarding the circumstances under which the car was purchased.
- Other documentation, thanks to which you can establish its “purity”.
- STS if available.
- A receipt confirming payment of the state fee for registering the vehicle to the new owner. In addition, you will need to pay for the issuance of a duplicate PTS.
- An application where the new owner asks to restore the vehicle’s passport.
After all the papers have been collected, the car buyer goes to the traffic police MREO office located in his area of residence. The vehicle registration procedure is regulated by Order of the Ministry of Internal Affairs No. 1001 dated November 24, 2008.
Since the car will be registered without a vehicle passport, the car owner will be required to provide the car for inspection by traffic police officers. To do this, the vehicle must first be driven to the site for inspection. First of all, identification numbers are verified.
If all the results of the checks are positive, then taking into account the documents provided by the new owner, a new PTS is issued. In some cases, it may not be issued immediately, but after several additional checks. This reduces the likelihood of a criminal history of the car.
Now you know what to do if you bought a car without a title.
Buying a car, which does not come with the main document - a vehicle passport, in some cases becomes a justified and profitable operation. But if the situation is more likely to turn against the buyer, he should carefully check the information about the car he likes.
In this case, he will take less risk. But you will have to prepare mentally and financially for the preparation of the missing document and the subsequent registration of the movable property.
Didn't find the answer to your question? Find out how to solve exactly your problem - call right now:
Is it possible to buy a car without documents and a title?
The main document for a vehicle is its passport. It displays the parameters of the technical characteristics of the car and information about its owner. When purchasing a car with a title, you can be sure that there are no claims against it from interested parties. An offer to purchase a car without documents should alert a potential buyer, since it may be pawned or stolen. However, some citizens are specifically looking for cars to buy without title papers. What attracts them to a risky deal? What is its nature and is it worth buying a car without documentation? We will try to clarify these points in this article.
Is it possible to buy a car without documents?
The law does not prohibit taking legal actions in relation to a car without a title. Therefore, sales of cars with such parameters on the movable property market are not uncommon. The buyer must understand the consequences of such a transaction. The car may be the subject of criminal stories or pledged to financial institutions. In such a situation, the buyer automatically becomes an accomplice in the crime. Troubles can also be expected for car sellers without a title if they sell their “iron horse” for spare parts. What risks are typical for transactions whose legality is questionable? Let's look further.
Risks for the seller
The seller of a car for which there is no documentation must evaluate his chances of becoming an accomplice to the crime. When installing spare parts registered to him on a car, which can subsequently be used to carry out criminal tasks, the first suspect in the offense will be the owner of the disassembled object, because according to the documents the car is registered in his name. You can also become an accomplice if the buyer interrupts the engine number. Such actions are illegal, and the seller of the car remains its official owner.
Risks for the buyer
When purchasing a car for the purpose of its further operation, before completing the transaction, you should make sure that the documentation regulated by law is available. Without it, it is impossible to register ownership of movable property. Only its owner has the right to restore transport documents. Implementation of an event under a power of attorney or under a purchase and sale agreement is impossible. Since the procedure for obtaining a duplicate is not complicated, the buyer must insist that the seller prepare a package of documents, on the basis of which ownership rights can subsequently be registered. The absence of a title for a car offered for sale should alert the buyer. Having decided to buy such a car, you should find out the reason for the lack of papers on it. The reasons for the lack of documentation may be:
- Loss;
- Theft;
- Damage;
- Illegal use of a vehicle;
- Prohibition on making legal transactions with the car.
When registering a car as collateral to a financial institution, documents confirming the citizen’s ownership of movable property are usually seized and stored with the pledge holder. In such a situation, the car user will not be able to obtain a duplicate document. The absence of title papers may also indicate that the vehicle being sold is stolen or assembled from spare parts.
Despite the well-known risk factors, some citizens specifically buy cars without documents in order to make a profit. The cost of vehicles without a title is usually 30-40% lower than similar sales items with documents. The purpose of their acquisition is to disassemble them into their component elements and then sell them. The feasibility of the purchase is determined by the parameters and condition of the case, components and spare parts.
Conclusion
Selling a car without documents is a profitable deal for citizens involved in dismantling a car and selling its components. However, when planning a purchase, the object of which is intended for personal use, you should think about whether it is worth purchasing a car without a title or whether it is better to refrain from the transaction and protect yourself from lengthy visits to authorities to restore identifying documentation. When selling a car at a favorable price, the buyer can take a risk only with documentary evidence of the fact that the seller is the owner of the object of sale, which is not listed as stolen and is not pledged. The buyer is recommended to require notarization of the seller's promise to provide assistance necessary to obtain the title.
Features of selling and buying a car without documents
The main document for a car is the title. It reflects technical characteristics and information about the owner. Purchasing a vehicle with a full package of documentation allows you to protect yourself from claims on the car of other persons. However, papers for a car may not always be on hand. Their absence complicates transactions and increases risks. An offer to purchase a car without documents should raise red flags. When deciding on manipulation, a citizen must be aware of the dangers it may pose.
Is it possible to buy or sell a car without documents?
There are no rules prohibiting the purchase and sale of a car without documentation in the current legislation. Therefore, you can periodically find similar offers on the market. By becoming the owner of a car without documents, a citizen is at risk. The car may appear in criminal stories or be encumbered. By purchasing a vehicle, a person becomes a participant in a crime.
In practice, selling a car without documents can be carried out due to their loss. In this case, the car is not involved in the crime and is not encumbered. In this situation, it is recommended to restore the documents for the car. Often the procedure takes only a day. Its duration depends on the speed of checking the car and the details of its owner.
Options for selling a car without documents
There are still options to sell a car without documents. A citizen can:
Selling a car without documents is a risky undertaking. By selling a car, the seller may become an unwitting participant in a crime. Violators of the law may install spare parts on a vehicle from a car sold for parts. The seller will be considered the first suspect in the offense. The car continues to be registered with him. You can become an accomplice in a crime if the buyer tries to change the engine numbers. The actions are considered illegal. At the same time, the person who sold the car a long time ago continues to be considered its owner.
The purchase and sale of a car without documents is risky for the buyer. Documents are required to register ownership. Only the owner of the car can restore the papers. It will not be possible to carry out the procedure on the basis of a purchase and sale agreement or a power of attorney. It is not difficult to obtain a duplicate PTS. Therefore, when buying a car, you should insist on completing the procedure. If there is no PTS, this should alert you. It is important to find out why there was no passport. The reason for the lack of documentation may be:
- loss or damage to PTS;
- the presence of a ban on transactions with a car;
- the machine is being used illegally;
- the car was stolen.
Attention
If the vehicle is encumbered by the bank, the title is usually confiscated. The documents are kept by the mortgagee. But in this situation, a duplicate paper is not provided. The lack of necessary documentation may also indicate that the car was stolen or assembled from spare parts.
In practice, some citizens specifically purchase cars without documents, despite the risk. This is due to the price of such cars. It is 30-40% below the market price. Subsequently, such cars are dismantled and the components are sold. The feasibility of the purchase depends on the condition of the body, spare parts and components.
A car without a title is often purchased for driving outside the city. So, such cars are often used for fishing or hunting. It is almost impossible to meet traffic police officers outside the city limits. Therefore, it is considered that there is no need to register the car. However, if a meeting with a representative of the traffic police does occur, you will need to pay a fine. The car will be sent to the impound lot.
The procedure for buying a car without documents
Initially, you need to find out why the car is being sold without documents. If the car is stolen or sold without notifying the real owner, you should not count on receiving truthful information from the seller. It is usually said that the papers were damaged or lost. It is better to refuse such a purchase. The recovery process is not difficult. Therefore, if the seller has nothing to hide, he will agree to carry out the actions.
It may turn out that a car purchased without documents is pledged to the bank. In this case, the buyer may lose both money and the vehicle. If the seller immediately informs that the car is encumbered, you need to insist on involving the bank in the transaction.
Car purchase and sale agreement without documents
If a citizen nevertheless decides to purchase a vehicle without documents, the procedure for drawing up a contract must be approached as carefully as possible. The paper must contain all the seller’s data, the price of the car and other important information. It is important to check the VIN number. It is located under the hood, on the glass or other accessible places for viewing. It is also recommended to include the number in the contract. Other information is entered from the words of the seller.
Download a sample contract for the sale and purchase of a car without documents.
Restoring documents for a car
If documents are lost, they can be restored. First of all, you will need to take care of the PTS (vehicle passport). This is the main paper for the car. Thus, the PTS is provided complete with STS and new numbers. The main goal is to achieve a positive decision from the MREO.
The list of actions depends on the current situation. So, if the car belongs to a citizen, you will simply need to restore the title and related documentation. Often a person simultaneously loses his Russian civil passport, driver’s license and insurance. All these papers are included in the so-called travel package. Loss of STS often occurs. Sometimes the purchase and sale agreement may be lost at the same time. A citizen can restore from scratch:
- civil passport by contacting the passport office;
- car purchase and sale agreement by contacting the former owner or submitting an application to the MREO;
- insurance policy by contacting the insurer;
- diagnostic card by visiting a service station.
The above documents are necessary to apply to the traffic police with a request to restore the PTS and STS. You have to pay a state fee. Refusal is usually granted only in exceptional cases until the circumstances are clarified.
A citizen who bought a car without documents for it may face the need to restore documents. Legally, the car does not belong to the person. However, he knows the owner of the car. The situation is getting more complicated. Contact with the former owner is important. If he agrees to the trouble, all the papers will be restored. In this situation, you need to act according to the above scheme. The purchase and sale transaction will be concluded in accordance with all the rules. If the DCP has been lost, it can also be restored. To simplify the search for the former owner of the car, you can contact the traffic police. Upon application of the citizen, the latest information on the owner of the car will be retrieved. However, no one guarantees that they will correspond to reality.
A situation may arise when there are no documents, the owner is known, but he does not want to perform any actions. Then you will have to carry out restoration based on the car purchase and sale agreement. However, you will first need to agree that all the troubles fall on the buyer, and the owner will need to sign and draw up a notarized power of attorney for the restoration of documents. Initially, ownership of the car will be established, and then the car’s access to road movement will be restored. But this option is very risky, so you should check the legal purity of the car as thoroughly as possible.
How can a car be scrapped without documents?
Recycling is the process of recycling unwanted cars into scrap metal. The need to perform the procedure may arise for various reasons. However, recycling can be carried out even after the car is deregistered. The citizen is obliged to confirm the existence of ownership rights. If there are no papers, but the car was previously registered to a person who wants to scrap it, you will need to contact the traffic police. You will have to write a statement at the institution. It is required in order to obtain a certificate to complete the recycling procedure. The application is submitted on the basis of a passport and driver's license. The presence of a certificate allows you to scrap the car.
If the car was purchased without documents and a power of attorney to restore registration papers, it will not be possible to register the car with the traffic police. You should not believe the seller who claims that you will be able to obtain a title on the basis of a purchase and sale agreement and passport data. Only the old owner has the right to perform the procedure.
Participation in a transaction is risky. A citizen may encounter an honest seller who has actually lost his documents. In this situation, the car can be used at your own risk for traveling outside the city or disassembled in parts. However, the likelihood that the car has a dark past is much higher. The car can be stolen, assembled from parts of several cars, be encumbered, or sold without the knowledge of the owner. In this case, you may be left without a vehicle and money.
The nuances of buying and selling a car without documents
The main document for a car is the title. Without it, you cannot drive the car or register it with the traffic police. There can be many reasons for its absence, as well as problems associated with selling or buying a car without documents.
How is a car sold without documents?
It is worth mentioning right away that selling a vehicle without a title is illegal . Therefore, you need to remember that if for some reason you decide on such a complex transaction, the consequences may not be the most pleasant. If you are the real owner of a vehicle that is not mortgaged to the bank and has not been involved in any criminal cases, then the best option would be to restore your passport. In addition, it is possible to sell the car without documents for spare parts. But don't completely sell your vehicle for parts. There is a high probability that it will be purchased for some fraudulent schemes and actions, for example, to change the body or engine numbers for a “designer” assembly.
Progress of the purchase procedure
First of all, it is worth finding out why there is no title for the car being sold. The reasons can be very different, here are the most popular ones:
- documents were lost by the previous owner;
- The vehicle is pledged to the bank as it was purchased on credit;
- The vehicle has been cleared through customs illegally;
- The vehicle is stolen or sold in secret from the real owner.
Of course, the seller is unlikely to admit to you that the vehicle has been stolen or is trying to sell it secretly from the real owner. Therefore, the most common excuse is that the documents are lost, stolen or simply damaged, for example, flooded with water. Don't agree to such a deal, even if you really like the car and the price is very tempting. Restoring a title is not that difficult, so if the seller has nothing to hide, then he will be able to do it and sell it. If it turns out that the car you are selling without documents is pledged to the bank, then you will lose both the purchased car and the money. Therefore, if the seller honestly says that the car is mortgaged, then it is necessary to carry out the transaction only with the participation of the borrowing bank.
Purchase and sale agreement for a car without a title
As mentioned earlier, selling a vehicle without a title is illegal. Therefore, you should not agree to such a deal if you are not ready to lose your newly acquired car, money, time and nerves.
If you still want to purchase such a car, then draw up a purchase and sale agreement in as much detail as possible. Indicate there all the seller’s data, the exact cost of the vehicle, and all possible data. The vehicle's VIN number can be found on the windshield, under the hood, or in other accessible places. It is worth first studying where the VIN is located on the vehicle you are purchasing and entering it into the contract. You can enter the remaining data (year of manufacture, color) from the seller’s words.
What are the risks of buying and selling a car without documents?
If you have a car without documents that you want to sell, we strongly advise you to restore the title and then put the car up for sale. The restoration procedure is not so complicated, but will significantly increase the cost of the vehicle. Of course, this option is not suitable for those sellers who hide the true reason for the lack of a title from the buyer. If you are selling a car that is pledged to a bank, assembled from several, or involved in some kind of criminal history, then it is worth remembering that such a transaction is illegal. If it turns out that the sale of a loaned car was hidden from the bank, then you will face criminal penalties for fraud.
The only legal way is to sell for spare parts. But remember that if you are selling a complete car, and the buyer claims that the vehicle will be used for spare parts, this is fraught with consequences. You will remain the last registered owner, and the new owner will not be able to register. This means that if the new owner decides, for example, to change the engine numbers or commit another crime involving the vehicle, then you will be an accomplice, because it will still belong to you.
If you are attracted by the reduced price of a vehicle without documents, then it is worth remembering that after purchasing such a vehicle you may encounter the following troubles:
- Impossibility of registering the vehicle. There is no guarantee that the car is not stolen, is not pawned or is not a “designer”. In this case, when you contact the traffic police, it will simply be confiscated, and you will be left without money and without the purchased vehicle.
- Illegality of management. Sometimes people buy cars without a title for driving in the countryside, or, for example, for hunting or fishing. The logic is simple - it is almost impossible to meet a traffic police officer outside the countryside and it is not necessary to register the car. But it is worth remembering that if you are stopped by a traffic police officer, you will be issued a fine and the vehicle will be sent to the impound lot.
How to scrap a vehicle without documents?
Recycling is the process of recycling an unwanted vehicle into scrap metal. Disposal may be required for various reasons, but it is not possible to simply scrap a vehicle. Two conditions must be met:
- deregister the vehicle with the traffic police;
- have proof of ownership.
If it is impossible to confirm the fact of ownership, but the car was previously registered (or is now registered) in your name without documents, then you need to go to the traffic police. An application is written there to obtain a certificate to undergo the disposal procedure. To apply, you must have your passport and driver's license with you. With the issued certificate, you can hand over the vehicle for recycling.
How to register a car without a title?
So, if for some reason you purchased a car without documents, then you will not be able to register it with the traffic police. Do not believe the seller who claims that you can go to the traffic police and your passport will be restored. Only the old owner who was last included in the vehicle passport can carry out restoration.
Features of the procedure
So, it’s worth remembering that buying a car without documents is a lottery. You may come across an honest, inconsiderate seller who actually lost it. In this case, you can drive the car somewhere out of town at your own risk or disassemble it for parts. But there is a much greater chance that the car is not completely “clean”. It could be stolen, pawned in a bank, assembled from several parts, or sold without the knowledge of the real owner. Then there is a high probability of being left without purchased transport and without money.