“I was driving a car that I didn’t own the rights to.”
A Maryland man says he spent nearly two months driving a brand-new car without ever owning it. It may be the longest test drive ever.
TikTok user Kobe (@product1k) explained what happened in a recent video.
“Six months ago, I drove a brand-new car,” he says. He drove it for 50 days without technically owning it.
Kobe said he had been shopping for a vehicle when he found one he loved and bought it “not knowing what the heck I got myself into.”
According to Kobe, the dealership did not have all the paperwork ready at the time of sale, so it issued him temporary tags and registration.
“I didn’t own the car,” he writes in the video’s text overlay.
Kobe says the vehicle still had a lien from its previous owner and that the dealership had not paid it off before selling him the car. He said the dealership didn’t disclose the lien, which delayed their ability to transfer the title and registration into his name.
“I was driving a car that I didn’t own the rights to,” Kobe says.
After researching consumer protection and vehicle registration rules, Kobe says he learned that dealerships have a limited window to submit a buyer’s paperwork to the Maryland Motor Vehicle Administration (MVA).
“Now this is for Maryland,” Kobe says. “I don’t know about other states.”
He claims the dealership had 30 days after the sale to submit the paperwork. Although temporary tags may remain valid longer, Kobe says the dealership did not send his documents to the MVA until around the 60-day mark.
“Two months I could’ve returned the car to the dealership and got my check back,” he says.
Kobe says he ultimately filed a complaint with the MVA. He also suggests the dealership’s general manager could lose his job over the situation and notes that he could have put thousands of miles on the car before returning it.
“When you buy a car from these sleazy salesmen, make sure you are getting a good deal. Make sure you are getting all of your paperwork,” Kobe says.
As of this writing, his clip has over 10,000 views.
Kobe’s explanation lines up with Maryland’s rules. When a dealership in the state sells a vehicle, it generally handles the title application for the buyer. The Maryland MVA says that process requires proof of ownership from the dealer and any applicable lien information, among various other things. Missing or incomplete documents can delay the title transfer.
A lingering lien can create that kind of problem. The MVA advises buyers to confirm that a title is free of liens unless one will be released as part of the sale. Its vehicle buying guidance also warns that title errors or unresolved liens can prevent the agency from processing the transfer.
Kobe is also right about the deadline to complete a sale as well.
Maryland dealers generally have 30 days after a sale to finish the transaction and send the title paperwork to the MVA. Dealers can face penalties when those documents arrive late.
His description of temporary tags is a little less precise. Under Maryland law, temporary registration typically expires when permanent plates arrive, the sale is canceled, or 60 days have passed. The MVA may approve an extension of up to 30 days.
That would suggest that Kobe could still have been driving on valid temporary tags even if the dealership had already missed its 30-day paperwork deadline.
The video alone does not establish that the dealership violated Maryland’s consumer protection laws. It also does not prove Kobe had an automatic right to return the vehicle and receive a refund after two months.
But it definitely raised some questions in viewers’ minds.
Several commenters said Kobe’s story sounded familiar. Multiple viewers said delayed or invalid paperwork had caused similar problems for them.
“They said the paperwork they sent me out the door with was INVALID … and if I didn’t return the car it would be reported stolen! I got my check back tho .. had they car a whole 30 days,” one viewer wrote.
“Shi sickening bra,” Kobe replied.
Another person asked whether he could sue. Kobe said the situation was still unresolved.
“Not as easy as it looks. Still waiting for the investigation paperwork,” he wrote.
Others suggested dealership paperwork problems are more common than buyers realize.
“That happens more often than people know,” one person wrote.
“And people don’t know!” Kobe responded.
Not everyone agreed with his account. One commenter wrote, “Not true,” without explaining which claims they disputed.
Another blamed customers with poor credit, arguing that a deal should be completed within three days otherwise.
“How would the customer be sleepy? If they’re the ones spending the money,” Kobe replied.
Motor1 contacted Kobe via TikTok direct message. We’ll be sure to update this if he responds.
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