I bought a bus from someone and the title has a lien on it. What are my options

Your question about  purchasing a bus with a lien on the title may be of broad general interest to readers of this site. I have been representing clients on these kinds of matter in Maryland and D.C. for over 20 years.  First, since you ask this question as a business question, I presume you want to use the bus in a business. Maryland law generally requires that you "mitigate" your damages. Generally, that means that if you can take steps that will decrease your damages, you may need to take those steps to be able to claim for damages. If the lender seizes the bus from you to pay off its loan, and you then don't have the bus to make the income you were hoping to generate from the purchase of the bus, your problem may be bigger than the amount of the loan itself. You may need to "mitigate your damages" by paying off the lien on the bus. Clearly, you can sue the seller of the bus. He/she/it may have no assets and a judgment may be uncollectable. In some circumstances, the seller may say that you knew about the lien and bought the bus "subject to" the lien. For example, if you bought the bus at an auction, the auction rules likely would say you were buying subject to any liens on the vehicles sold. Of course, other factors can also intervene that would alter the above. This response is not intended to address all possible issues. This is at best a general overview. I encourage you, and all other readers, before you act (or decide not to take some action) to seek competent, local legal counsel who can address the specific facts of your particular situation. This web site and the responses herein, including this response,  are designed for general information only. The information presented at this site should not be construed to be  and is not formal legal advice. No attorney-client relationship exists and no attorney-client relationship is formed or created by this response or any response on this website. Furthermore, this does not represent the views or opinions of LexisNexis or its affiliated companies.