“I tried posting on legal advice but it said only trusted people can post… and I’m not sure where else to put it, but I’m guessing some of you have gone through similar shit…
My husband and I each had our own cars when we got married. His car sucked. Mine is fairly reliable but pretty old. I have a 40-minute commute to work and he works down the road, so we decided to trade in his car and get a new one for me, and he’d start driving mine.
I got approved for a loan from my bank and added my husband to it because he has little credit history right now. thought it would just help his credit score over time.
We went to a used car dealership. My husband knows nothing about cars, I did all the talking. But the salesmen responded to every one of my questions by talking to my husband. We found a car with less than 100k mileage with a solid maintenance history for a good price.
He had my husband sign the paperwork. We asked about it, and he said as long as we’re both on the loan, it doesn’t matter who signs the purchase agreement. No problem, I thought.
We go to the bank and get a check for the dealer; it only has my husband’s name.
We purchased the car, and he only had my husband sign the paperwork. He tells us that we will both be on the title when it comes in the mail. Three weeks later, the title comes out, and it just has his name.
We go to SOS and they tell us they can’t add me to the title without the banks permission. Okay, makes sense, we go to the bank and ask to have me added.
They tell us the title cannot be changed until the loan is paid off.
I understand that we’re married and share property and all that, but why is it that I can’t be added to the title of a car that we bought for me? I’m the one that took out the loan. We added him as an afterthought because his credit history is practically empty. He never even set foot in the bank during this; they just called him to verify some information.
Every step of the way, I was told I’d be in the title. I have no idea why I can’t be added, and the bank refused to give me a reason. It’s just that it can’t be modified until the loan is paid off. Is there anything I can do, or is this just how stuff works? Ever since we got married, I’ve been treated as “less than” my husband when getting insurance, paying for HDB etc, and it’s just kind of disheartening.”