Local guy posts a 30s Chevy for sale bill of sale only. No title, no keys, and stated there are no VIN numbers on it anywhere. Says he doesn’t know who’s it is but it’s been in his garage for the last two years. His brother passed away and the car was in the garage when he inherited the house. But there is no proof it belonged to his brother. Would you buy it? It looks nice but I couldn’t bring myself to buy it like that. Am I being to cautious?
To me a car without a title is just an assembly of parts. I don't know about Iowa, but here in Missouri I think it would be a mess and possibly significant expense to get a title. Weren't old Chevy ID plates on a tag nailed to the passenger side door sill? I think that's where a friend of mine finally found the number. He was buddies with a Judge, who is now retired, that was going to process the paperwork to get a title for him at no expense (I think) but my friend messed around and now the Judge is retired. Lynn
Disassemble said Chevy. Find a similar Chevy in worse condition that has a title. Use your American ingenuity to figure out what parts fit where. Done.
If it was in my state, I would buy it, because getting a title for it here is fairly straightforward. I've done it a couple of times. You need to research to rules/procedure in Iowa.
It probably has a serial number stamped into the body, somewhere. Iowa DMV rules and regulations will state what needs to be done if there's no title, but at the very least, I would get a serial number and try to verify it through the Iowa DMV. I wouldn't hand over any cash until I could at least verify that through the DMV. https://iowadot.seamlessdocs.com/f/CO19101000127074031
Depends what year it is, but no, there isn't a number stamped on the frame or body anywhere on 30s Chevys. The earlier cars had a tag screwed to the floor, later ones had it screwed to the cowl. He could ask local DMV about getting an assigned VIN for the car. Since it's on his property, he owns it. Unless someone else claims ownership. I would not buy it. But if he got a title for it, then I'd consider it.
We don’t use titles in Bama The plate was attached to wood and probably gone. Some states used the engine number back in the day. I’d check it out. Check your DMV on kit or assembled car registration.
I bought a car like that once, which I assumed I was buying from the actual owners but turns out I bought something someone had stored there a few years earlier. I don't think the guy was paying his storage bill, and the owners of the property sold it to me, under false pretenses. In the end, I ended up finding the actual owner of the car and getting it back to him, and he paid me back the money that I had paid for the car (very little), in appreciation of tracking him down and filling him in. If this were a car in a field that's been there for 30+ years and I was getting it from the property owner, sure, I'd go for it, there's ways of getting them titled. But in this case, you can be pretty sure the guy selling it is not the owner. Sure, it was in the house when he inherited the house from his brother, but he's pretty clear that he has no proof it was his brother's car. And it's only been 2 years. The actual owner might be trying unsuccessfully to contact the brother (not knowing he's dead) or the family (who he doesn't know) trying to get the car back. Or, maybe it was the brother's car, and there's no issue in selling it from his estate. But this scenario is just asking for a can-of-worms type problem, and there's so many project cars out there to be bought, I don't think I'd want to get involved with this one.
the main ingredients here is what year, how many doors and how much... with that you decide whether it's a deal worth messing with or not
What year 30s and what body style for me would be a factor. Later coupe rather than early 4 door would be worth some effort. If you don’t have to pay to store it, it is worth something for parts. Lots of factors come into play. The municipality would know who owned the house, not sure if they would share that info, maybe you can establish ownership that way. Keep some records in case you have to get yourself out of hot water down the road.
It’s a 2 door coupe. Looks drivable but not finished. It was his brother’s house. But the car wasn’t on the estate inventory and now 2 years later he wants to just sell it for a decent price but not a steal. I told him to file a lien for storage. Foreclose and take legal ownership and then I’ll buy it. He doesn’t want to wait and jump through the hoops. It had a rumble seat. Seat springs are still there.
Looks like you're in Iowa....Iowa's DMV will have the correct answer. Personally I don't buy vehicles without proper paperwork...not worth the hassle to me.
No title, no VIN numbers, no keys and no previous registration papers !!!!! Sounds like paperwork nightmare that will make it a parts car only. Pass on it.
I'd buy it in a heartbeat if I really wanted it. No idea what Iowa requires, but it can't be that hard. Every state has it's own procedure. Get a bill of sale and apply for a assigned serial #. I've gotten probably a dozen titles for "project" cars over the years thru DMV. Just takes some patience...
Got a picture? We may be able to tell you the year. That and it's condition, will help in our opinion of to buy it or not.
No way would I buy that car with out correct paperwork on it. For all you know it was stolen by the guys brother and hid in the garage. It would be easy for the guy selling it to get a title if all is ligit, but his reluctance to do anything about it is a red flag. He may know more than he is letting on. Say you buy it and invest a bunch of money in it. Go to register it and find out it was stolen. They confiscate the car, give it back to the original owner and you are out all the money you put into the car.
He says it’s a 30. Of course the question is how does he know that for sure if he doesn’t know the owner or anything about the car that has just been sitting there. But since I’m not going to buy it unless he can show he has the authority to sell it (and not just well it’s on my property and possession is 9/10s of the law), here is the link. Someone may even recognize the car. The v6 would have to go. https://www.facebook.com/groups/pel...89198571273654/?sale_post_id=2389198571273654
Are we talking beer money, or French champagne money? And documentation from the current possessor stating that you purchased the car from him, with whatever agreement that you come to regarding liability should it turn out there's a dispute over ownership. That's assuming that you want to go through the hoops with your DMV to get it in your name.
I've done three bond titles in Iowa, it's not a complicated process. But the first thing you need to do is figure out the year and if there is a serial number on the car. Early thirties Chevys like my '31 had a tag nailed to the floor by the passenger door. When the wood rotted, the tag would fall off. If there's no serial number then contact IDOT to see what needs to be done. If you buy the car you need to get a bill of sale with a serial number. Go to IDOT website and just follow the directions for applying for a bonded title. Fill out the form, attach some pictures, send it and wait. The last one I did took about three weeks, just depends on how busy they are. If it's approved, they email you back the form, you get your bond, email it back to them, and they send the paperwork to your local DMV where you go pay the title and license fees. It sounds harder than it is. I don't know what happens if they find a problem when they do the title search, all of mine have been good.
His asking price is not what I’d call beer money, but I don’t drink so more like rainy day fund money. I’m just paranoid about his total unwillingness to take the time to do it what I consider to be the right way. But, I’d take a friend with a badge to witness the transaction and have him sign documentation I’ll draft to say he has the right the sell the car and is responsible for any unforeseeable circumstances that could cause the sale to be disputed.
My understanding is, you have to have a serial # to get a bonded title. I went through the "specially constructed vehicle" route when I built my '36 Ford pickup. The DOT guy I dealt with was very helpful. Since I did mine, I heard Iowa adopted the "SEMA Model" rules and it is easier to get something titled as the year and model it is. Gary
You do know the structure for the body is all wood assuming it’s a 30, right? No A pillars, no B pillars, no sub rails or floor. If the woods bad you’ve basically got a sheet metal skin, so definitely take that into consideration also. Can’t see the pics since you have to join a group.
I will definitely do that. I had a long chat with him last night. He may not like lawyers, but I like getting in legal trouble less. Sometimes cars just jump out when I see them and I see a finished project at first glance. This is one would be a great project and probably a keeper. But, the seller makes it an “I don’t need the headache” deal. So I can go either way. I can’t tell if that is a turbo 6 cyl in it or not, but it’s missing a couple cylinders for my preference. I’m going to GoodGuys tomorrow so I will reach out and see if I can look at it in person.
call a lien sale service and see what they have to say. I had a 65 Sunbeam Alpine I did a bunch of bodywork on, had his parts car here as well. he'd payed most of what he owed up to that point but then just disappeared. I assume he died as he was an older guy. I did a lien sale on the runner and got a title in my name. sold the parts car without paperwork. this is in California. I had nothing to show ownership but it did have a vin.
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