Getting kinda screwed by a dealership, need input/suggestions

Hey everyone,
First off, thank you all...I've been on here for about a month now, and I've already learned so much about my Xterra.

My issue is this: I purchased a 2000 Xterra about a month ago from a dealership here in North Carolina. I was issued 30 day temp tags upon picking up the vehicle. Now, here's my issue. My temp tags expire tomorrow, and I just found out today that the reason my hard plates aren't at the dealer yet is because the dealer hasn't been able to get possession of the title from the previous owner. Now, my take on it is, the dealer should have had the title upon recieving and espically before selling the vehicle. They're refusing to give me another set of temp tags (which the NC DMV told me that they should be able to do) and they want to put me in a loaner vehicle. Does anyone have any insight on if I'm driving around a technically "stolen" vehicle with an invalid registration?

I would have them buy the vehicle back from you and give you a real good deal on another..... if it's that difficult for the dealer to get the title, it's gotta make you wonder! ! !

Speaking not as a lawyer, everything about this sounds wrong wrong wrong.

If you have a lawyer friend, I would get him/her to send a letter on your behalf demanding a full refund of what you paid plus all taxes, fees, etc. immediately. That is the fishiest sounding deal I've ever heard.

Thanks for the input...I'm actually going tomorrow to get some legal advice on the situation. I went in and rolled some heads at the Nissan dealer today, I told them that when I come back tomorrow, they're not getting a dime from me and I'll either be leaving the lot in my X or the 350Z roadster in the showroom.

When I hadn't received my title about 28 days after purchasing my X, I called the dealer (a 3 hour drive away) and they were quick to FedEx me a temp tag the next day while they figured out where the title was.

When I got the title, the back of it was signed off by:

1. A Fleet Management company that had originally purchased the truck.
2. A Leasing Agency that bought it (or leased it) from them.
3. A Ford Dealer.
4. The independent dealer I bought it from.

Apparently, the mixup was that the Ford dealer still had the title in their files somewhere and didn't transfer it to my dealer when they transferred the vehicle. (I bought it a couple days after they obtained it from the Ford dealer).