Need legal advice – bought a stolen car from a dealership in NSW and it turned out to be a stolen vehicle
Need legal advice – bought a car from a dealer in NSW and it was taken back 3 days later
I bought a car from a registered dealer in NSW on 24 February for $17,500 via bank transfer. I picked the car up on the 25th of feb.
On the 28th, the car got towed (repossessed) from my workplace and I was told the vehicle actually belonged to someone else — apparently a car hire company. From what I understand, the dealer may not have had the legal authority to sell it to me in the first place.
I went to the police straight away and there is now an active investigation. I also contacted NSW Fair Trading, but they told me the dealer never responded to them and advised me to lodge a case with NCAT, which I’ve already done.
I have:
- proof of payment
- bank transfer records
- messages with the dealer
- sale documents/receipt
- police event number
- Fair Trading correspondence
I’m looking for legal advice from anyone who’s dealt with something similar or who can provide some legal advice as I am attending a tribunal this thursday regarding the matter.
Main questions:
- Since the seller was a registered dealer, does that give me extra protections?
- Can NCAT actually enforce payment if I win?
- Should I already be speaking to a lawyer?
- Is there anything else I should be doing right now while waiting for the investigation/tribunal?
This has been incredibly stressful and I’m worried about recovering the money as I can't afford to lose the initial $17,500.
Thank you in advance.