My wife purchased a car from her sister. Her sister refuses to give her the title now. How can she get it?

Question

Unfortunately my wife made direct deposits into her sister's account who in turn, made the payments to the dealership. The car was paid off several years ago and my wife has absolutely no receipts of the payment deposits that she made.

Answer 1

She will need to gather her records to show that she made direct deposit payments to her sister for a fied amount each month.  Did they enter into a written agreement?  Is there any Proof (i.e who insured the vehicle?  your wife? her sister?) that your wife had an interest in the vehicle? In any case, based on this, the best bet is to discuss with an atty or file small claims.  However, if your wife cannot locate anything showing at least that she was paying her sister a fixed monthy amount, she is out of luck/

Answer 2

Yeah could possibly get the bank notices however how would that really prove the purchase of the car? It would be your word against hers.  You can try small claims, however I would find out from the dealership if she has a lien on that car and that is the real reason why there is not a title.

Answer 3

the bank will beable to pull up any old deposits

Answer 4

Bad deal all around. You will have a hard time proving the money transferred was to pay for the car unless you have a contract signed by both parties. I guess you may need to try small claims court. Make sure you have bank statements and any witnesses that can testify that her sister sold the car to her and details about the payment arrangement.