Responsible costs for a re-registered car?

Questioner

I have a question: I traded in my car at a garage and now they called me yesterday that the car is otherwise completely fine but the number does not match the license plate. I did not know that either. To what extent am I guilty of this? I have all the papers from the company where I bought the car (receipts) so I do not want to be saddled with extra costs now.

Lawyer

It appears that you may have purchased a car that has been 're-registered', meaning that the identity of a legal car with similar characteristics (model, colour, year of manufacture, etc.) has been transferred to an illegal car. In principle, you are not liable for the mistakes of another. However, in these types of cases, things may be a bit more complex. The jurisdiction in fraudulent cases may differ per situation, depending on the details that I do not know at this time. For example, the question could be whether you were in good faith when purchasing the car. This means that you had no knowledge of - nor were you involved in - the fraudulent process. In the event that you were acting in good faith, that is, you did not know/did not know that the car had been overturned, then in principle the garage where you bought the car could be liable for the costs. The burden of proof then lies with the garage to show that you were aware of the fraud. The fact that you have receipts and other documents could work to your advantage. In any case, it is wise to seek legal advice from a professional as soon as possible, as these situations can be complex and the outcome will depend largely on the specific circumstances of your case. ---------------- Stichting Rechtswinkel.nl is a national organization with students and volunteers. The above advice is based on limited information and may be incomplete or even incorrect for your situation. Always consult a lawyer or attorney for your further steps. Read disclaimer: https://rechtswinkel.nl/disclaimer I would like to invite you to rate the above answer so that we can learn from your response.