In this post, I am bringing up the comment posted by Mr. Paul Hammond on 19th July 2016 on this blog.

The question in his comment has to do with transfer of car ownership for foreigners in Malaysia.

It is a messy and tricky situation.

Hopefully foreigners staying in Malaysia will know what to do when they want to buy a new or used car here.

How buying a used car in Malaysia can get messy?

Hi,

I am an Australian working in Malaysia.

I bought an an Taxi from a man for RM2000.

Initially he gave me the paper work for the car.

As I am new to the country, I was unfamiliar with the transferring ownership, road tax and insurance procedures.

I asked many people mechanics and ex policeman, plus other people.

I had answers from, it will cost between RM 900 – RM2000 to exchange ownership.

No one could give me a easy solution.

I went back to the seller, and he said he would do it.

I left the car and all the paper work with him.

A few days later I messaged him and told him I needed the car because it began to rain frequently.

The car was the only mode of transport for the family. (Although I did have a Motor Bike).

I went to the man’s house in the evening by taxi.

Outside his gate at the front of the house I asked him for the paper work, he basically refused.

Then denied selling the car to me.

Fortunately I had a spare key so I took the car back.

In 2 weeks I leave Malaysia and want to sell the car so i went to the sellers house again asking for the paper work, he still refused and told me he had reported the car stolen.

I told him I would go to the Police which I did.

While waiting to make a report the man messaged me on whattsapp.

I replied I am in the Police station now filing a report.

He didn’t believe me so i sent him a photo of inside the station.

Not long after he arrived.

I was sitting with a police officer making a report.

My wife came over and said ‘He has the keys to the car and plans to take it back’.

I had finished making the report so I asked the officer where the men’s room was and he pointed to another room.

I went in the general direction and went out a back door to the car and moved it to a secret location then returned to the Police Station.

The seller and his wife confronted me with a barrage of words.

When he finished I basically said to the seller it doesn’t really matter what happens now.

What the really matters is that you know the truth.

You know I paid you for the car and I trusted you to help me.

So in the end karmer will judge you.

He kept at me with a barrage of the words and started calling me names.

In the end I jumped up and walked out of the Police Station.

I got to the front gate but the officers refused to give me my ID which was a old students card from university, so I left, but my wife had given her passport so she couldn’t leave.

The man kept hounding me I asked the Police Officers to get him away from me, as he was harassing me continually.

I went back to the office and completed the report, the man waited but realising he wasn’t going to get the car back he left.

So I have the car but no paper work.

Any advice?

My response to Mr Hammond

Firstly, it is best to consider your experience of buying a used car in Malaysia an unfortunate one.

Locals shy away from doing business transactions with taxi drivers.

Another thing is, a taxi normally faces many encumbrances especially with the police and the JPJ authorities.

Furthermore, transfer of ownership has always been difficult. Not only local Malaysians face this uphill task, what more for foreigners.

You can read the article I wrote on transfer of car ownership procedure, click here.

The fact that the taxi driver, when confronted, please ignore him and chose to take advantage of the whole situation.

The police, JPJ and other authorities do not seem to be able to do anything.

It is a situation whereby you have the vehicle but not the paper documents to transact the transfer procedure.

Foreigners who have the intention to buy a vehicle should henceforth be careful and ensure that they do not end up in the same predicament as you had.