AIBU to feel angry after my ex took the car back?

[Walkerss]

So 3 years ago my ex left me for somebody else, I have finally got to a place where I am happy, the kids are happy and all is going well.

when we were a couple we made an agreement that I would pay nursery fees and he would pay the finance on my car. Obviously since the split there have been constant threats to take the car and last night he turned up and demanded the keys. I gave them to him and instantly felt relieved that he didn’t have anything else on me. However school is quite a drive away since I moved area and I told him I wouldn’t be able to take them to school. His response was, not my problem, I can take them on my days so it’s nothing to do with him.

how can he be so evil?! At least warn me so I had time to get a car. I hate him!

I hope you've cancelled the insurance. With any luck, he won't insure it and he'll get nicked.

IMHO, you should have realised he'd do this.

If you struggle getting kids to school, maybe you should look at changing schools. If kids moan at early starts and bus journeys, tell them it's because daddy took the car away. Just that, no nastiness,say you don't know why. No need to be nasty, but also no need to hide his pettiness from them.

The responses on this thread are just odd. Did people misunderstand the OP? The car was paid off by the time they split, and during their time together he paid for the car and she paid for nursery. Like him paying utilities and her paying for food.
@WalkerssI’m furious on your behalf. If the car is registered in your name then I’d question if he could actually take it legally.

She paid for the car through the nursery fees arrangement.

What are people not seeing here???

He OWES her for half the car as she paid for ALL of the nursery fees and he paid nothing as per their agreement.

Right.
I've been through a divorce that got so nasty, I couldn't believe he was the same man I married.
Women should never take it on trust, always protect yourself financially - we're nearly always the ones who end up doing most of the childcare, and/or going P/T or taking a career break to facilitate this. At least 50% of men seem to turn nasty on divorce, even if (or especially if!) they're leaving for someone else - and even if it affects his DC.

I understand about the 3 years but he took the car back with no notice. No care how his children will get to school.

It is obviously a dickish move

Oh yes, it takes 5 minutes to buy a car.🙄

Again, another dim comment. Where am I suggesting you need to sort it in 5 minutes, lol?

The cars in his name.

Isn't it just that the lease has come to an end and there's a lump sum to pay off if he wants to keep it? The timing fits with that.

The registered keeper of a car is not a record of the legal owner of the car. There is no way of registering a car as your possession. You would have to prove that you bought it or had been given it.

Which means she's actually been breaking the law all this time. The registered keeper should have been changed to her. It doesn't alter who owns the car.

Everyone seems to have ignored this @Imdunfer. Unless @Walkerss has been paying for specialised insurance allowing her to insure a car that doesn't belong to her or her spouse, she has had invalid insurance for 3 years. Normal insurance companies do not allow you to insure a vehicle that you do not own and you are not on the V5.

Whose name was on the finance agreement? Regardless of where the money came from to pay it or who’s name was on the registration-the name on the finance agreement is the legal owner.

Based on your post you’ve been aware of his threat (and right potentially) to take the car for some time. So I think this one is on you. On the positive though, as you say…he has nothing else to behold over you.

@Walkerss why did you give him the keys if it was fully paid up and as agreed when you bought it with the nursery/car payment split, your car?

OP, I am quite surprised about how you’ve been treated on here.

my ex was an arse too.

was he on the insurance?
cancel it.
cancel road tax.

hold your head high xx

I think you're the one who has misunderstood. the car is in HIS name not the OPs.

And if she honestly believes she owned the car as he had gifted it to her once the finance was paid off, then why did she hand over the keys?

DH, DS and I are all insured to drive any car under our family policy…it’s not ‘specialised’.

In whose name where?

The name of the registered keeper does not indicate the owner of the vehicle.

That is an extension to your comprehensive policy on your own car's personal insurance. DOC is common and in the last couple of years has been reduced by most companies to TPO rather than full comprehensive cover. You can't have DOC without insurance on your own vehicle in the first place. Your FAMILY policy in on at least one vehicle that you or your husband own.

Question - can you insure yourself to drive a car you don't own ?
I get that you can put other people (partner/children) on your policy as the car owner (i.e. the person who's name is on the V5) but can you just get insurance on any car that you tell the insurance company you want to be covered for and they don't check who owns it and if they are happy to let you drive it ?
Or do the insurance company just take the premium and it's the owner's/drivers problem if there's a claim later on?

Exactly. Time for plan B - figuring out how to get DC to school and /or options for getting another car.

This - cancel the insurance, cancel the tax and do the online new keeper stuff. Let him FAFO!

It’s shit he did it with no notice etc, but
in hindsight you probably should've
got him to transfer the car to you once the finance was paid off.

It doesn’t actually end there. He is trying to get reduced cms due to another child living with him currently and the fact that he collects them from school