Deadbeat co-signer

Dear Terry,
I co-bought a vehicle with my, then, boyfriend. We are no longer together; he has the vehicle and doesn't pay the note on time. He almost went into repossession, and I helped him catch the payments up on more than one occasion. How can I obtain the vehicle legally without getting arrested or in a battle, especially since I don't think he will voluntarily give me the vehicle? I am able and willing to take over the vehicle and the payments.

Thanks,
-- Janell Harpe

Dear Janell,
If I've said it once, I've said it a million times: Never, ever co-sign a car loan, especially for a boyfriend or girlfriend. The situation almost always ends up the way yours has.

Your option is to go to small claims court -- hey, you might wind up on "Judge Judy" -- and get the court to force the sale. Or, you could try to get him to agree to sign the car over to you if you buy out his interest. No matter what you do, there's no way this isn't going to get ugly.

Good luck.