I started my quest for a 1st gen Highlander just a few days ago. And now I own one. Private seller which is great, I'll be the third owner. It was an hour away but whatever. 196K miles. A color I like. V6, AWD etc. I may have preferred leather but that often ages poorly so I'm cool with cloth.
I immediately drove to the licensing center to register, get plates, etc. (pay sales tax). The woman at the counter started keying in all the info, then turned around and walked away into some room. I stood waiting for at least five long minutes, she then returned and told me that the seller's signature did not match what they had on file and that they cannot transfer title to me. Great, now what? Well, the seller has to fill out a form and get it notarized, blah blah blah.
So I call the seller, no answer and his voicemail box is full. Now I'm a little freaked because he'd always answered. I text him... nothing. So I had no plates because in Washington state, a private seller must remove and keep them. They changed this law a few years ago due to people buying vehicles and not registering them in their own name, then the original owner gets all kind of grief; tickets, accidents, whatever violations committed.
Anyway all's well that ends well. Seller called me back, was confused about the signature, meanwhile I tried another licensing center nearby and it went right through no problem. Weird.
