Agents at the Motor Vehicle Division in Yuma and other border town offices are seeing an increase in illegal car sales.

Dough Nick with MVD said dealers licensed in neighboring states, but not in Arizona, are selling vehicles a title stamped with the words “Export Only.”

It’s illegal, but that doesn’t appear to be stopping some sellers.

“There have been incidents where an unscrupulous dealer might try to sell a vehicle in state, even though they’re not licensed here," he said. "The buyer may not be aware of that and so that can cause problems where they’re trying to finalizing the title.

He said drivers typically fix the problem by driving the car back to the seller's state to renew the title.

When buying any car, especially from an individual, Nick recommended buyers avoid titles stamped “Export Only” and research the auto’s history through the National Motor Vehicle Title website.