Selling a car originally purchased in USA

Did you not register the title in PR when you registered the vehicle? If not, you should be able to do so now and then transfer that title to the new owner. I'm pretty sure you'll need to register your title with PR first before you can sell it but perhaps I'm wrong.

This is what I posted some time ago in response to a question that was about shipping and registration more than about selling, but perhaps it helps a little:

"You must register your car at the designated registration center depending on where you live. The pertinent list is available on the website you reference. You need to bring all of the documents the tax authorities gave to you when you paid your import taxes to the registration center. There is a separate line for those who are registering a car and getting plates for the first time. There is a mandatory $100 charge for the statewide insurance pool that is in addition to the registration fees. I believe the registration office required two forms of ID for me to register the car as well the car's title. I used my driver's license and passport."
"

And here's a post I wrote in February 2013 about transferring ownership:

"When you go with the owner/seller of the vehicle to change the title and plates, there is a revenue desk where you will be told what outstanding tickets must be paid. These tickets must be paid before the transfer can be finalized. It's really the owner's/seller's responsibility to pay them - not the buyer's - although depending on how you've negotiated the deal that distinction may be effectively meaningless."

Neither of my above posts get directly to the issue of whether you needed to have the title registered in PR before you could sell it. They just assume that you do. I still believe that is the case. Best of luck!

NomadLawyer, Can you explain what the statewide mandatory $100 insurance pool?  This in lieu of regular auto insurance is it?

Thanks!

I believe it is a form of basic coverage so that every registered car is insured at least for at-fault coverage. The fee applied to me whether or not I had my own insurance already (I did). I do not know if that has changed since I moved away a couple of years ago. I doubt that it has.

It's still like that, a very basic liability insurance. I'm not completely sure but I think the coverage is somewhere around 3, 4 thousand USD.You pay for this insurance every year when you buy the new inspection/registration sticker (marbete) and, like NomadLawyer said, it also applies if you have your own insurance

You can be sure that 95% if the cars that have been paid off will only have that coverage so when you drive a newer car you'll need an all-risk insurance.

Thank you, Nomad and Gary for clearing that up.  Much appreciated!