I'm confused. I always thought that in the US, if you borrow money to buy a car, the lender gets a lien on it with the result that the DMV will not transfer title to a new owner without the permission of the lender.
That is true, though you can sell it and clear some cash if the vehicle is worth more than owed. (About 2 1/2 years ago I sold a 2010 Honda Civic that I put $5k down on originally for about a $7K gain)
Ah, if it's one of those arrangements then yeah, that was always a lost cause.