Buying a car on Craig's List—a cautionary tale

Posted: Wed, Mar 27, 2019 3:02 PM

A Winneshiek County resident recently contacted decorahnews.com about two vehicles he had purchased last December—one in Waterloo and another in Des Moines. He took the signed and dated titles along with the Craig's List ads to the Winneshiek County Treasurer's office to transfer them into his name.

That's when he was told that he should have gotten additional paperwork from the owners of the vehicles. Winneshiek County Treasurer Wayne Walter says he's seeing a similar story much more often in recent years.

Walter says it's always a good idea to contact the Winneshiek County Treasurer's Office before buying a vehicle—especially from a private individual, especially on Craig's List. That way, people can make sure they have everything needed to make the vehicle title transfer go through smoothly.

The Winneshiek County resident has made multiple phone calls and messages to the previous owners of the two vehicles—but the previous owners won't call him back. That has left him in limbo at this time, although county officials say they will work with the man to straighten out the situation.