I just learned (after the purchase) that the Vermont Loophole has CLOSED and they no longer register out-of-State vehicles, etc.......so - WHAT STATE will issue a Title or License Plates, on a Vehicle with only a Bill of Sale? I'm in MO. and they will issue a BONDED Title - but WHAT kind of issues will THAT present, when I go to sell it to someone else? Appreciate some "up-to-date" advice from 2025 and not 2007......LOL..... TX
It should not present any issues...since you pay for a bond, to cover any issues that may be. I've sold a couple cars that had AZ bonded titles, no issues.
https://dirt.legal/?gad_source=1&gb...QmC4Z-BVEdtfzhU7hPx0Bu70aCzAIyQkaAsUtEALw_wcB I haven't personally used them but might be an option.
Your questions are best answered by your local DMV. Every single state has a process. All 50 are somewhat unique. Bonded titles are not an issue, if you are not immediately flipping a vehicle. You buy a bond to secure the title. That is often times not very expensive at all. You are issued a title branded "bonded". The brand remains on the title for the period of time that your state laws have determined. If nobody makes a claim of ownership on the vehicle in that set period of time, a title without the brand is issued. National examples are from 3 to 5 years to have the brand removed. You need to contact your local DMV, preferably the main office, and have someone walk you through it.
As stated before - don’t buy a car you plan to put on the road - without a valid title - problem solved. Jim
You need a MO answer, but hey, I'm close. Had to resort to the bond once, my state exactly like Gimpy said. I wasn't planning any quick resale.
In many cases, and states vary, a bonded title does not stop you from selling the vehicle. Where the obstacle to selling comes into play is convincing the buyer of what the branding on the title means, and what the ramifications are if someone makes a claim of ownership during the branding period. The risks are low, but not zero.
Gimpy said it all in post 5. The stigma of "bonded titles" is mostly Bull shit ideas that the car won't be worth as much with a bonded title if one is intending to resell it quickly. Most bonded titles are for 3 years and then you can go regular title or the buyer gets a regular title when you sell it after the bond goes off. Funny thing is I have never met or heard of anyone having someone showing up to lay claim to Grandpa's old car, old title in hand and loosing the car to that individual or having the bond pay them off. Add in that unless you have built it into a 100K car before you ever went about titling it and it is now a painted and upholstered show rod the cost of the bond for most cars . You could figure what the car is worth right now or will be worth running and driving and take 10% of that and that is the basic cost of the bond. I'm thinking that a couple of the popular create you a title operations around the country have been put out of business because their paperwork automatically raises a red flat with the state you are trying to register the vehicle in and I haven't seen the main one mentioned in several years but would believe that their fees were close to what a bonded title is when all is said and done.
New York does not have titles for cars that are 1972 or older. The registration is what is used. I purchased a '57 Plymouth without a title or registration a number of years ago. The motor vehicle dept. wanted a notarized bill of sale and a pencil rubbing of the body number. They gave me plates and a new registration.
Most of the folks I know that have gone the bonded title route including myself have not had the vehicle on the road by the time the bond was over and a clear title was issued. In Minnesota that is 3 years. The only guys who had issues with that were flippers after the fast buck.
arizona seems to find the value of the most expensive example of that year/model, and the bond has to be for that amount. So if you have a $500 junker, it needs a bond for the value of the $80k #1 concours car.... have fun
Getting a bonded title in Colorado is easy. Had no effect on the sale of the Zipper even though it was registered as a 1999 home built. Was able to use 1927 CO license plates as I purchased current year vanity plates with the same numbers as the '27 plate.
https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/getting-a-title-in-missouri-bonded-title.461057/ Missouri Specific thread concerning bonded titles. I have done this. It is a bit of a project, but works just fine. My write up is in this thread.
I traded a 52 Chevy to someone for a 46 Ford. the chevy had no paperwork and I did just that pencil rub of the vin on the door. He was able to get a registration. He just gave me the registration for the 46 Ford and i then traded that to someone for paint on my car, Easy peasy.
I hate dealing with the DMV, making trips there/waiting in line and jumping through all their flaming hoops. My preferred option is to patronize a local 3rd party DMV registration place. I bring in all the paperwork I have, they have me sign a couple of DMV forms and they take it from there. In short time you have the (non op) registration in your name. As a major do it yourselfer, it's one of the few things in life I farm out, but it's money well spent. I can do more productive things with my time and keep my blood pressure, frustration and stomach acid levels flat...
It comes down to what Missouri requires. The rest of anecdotal stuff the rest of us non residents post is just eaten bandwidth. Examples. Minnesota does not have the non-op California does. Certain Minnesota DMV's have been known to reject certain out of state recently minted titles from those title companies that advertised in Hemmings years ago and until recently online. Follow your states guidelines and disregard the out of state babble.
Alabama doesn’t issue titles on old cars I’ve got 2 titles for old vehicles. I dont use em. I bring a bill of sale , if it was purchased out of state I use a vin verification form. Basically a cop signs off that the vin matches the bill of sale. Then they hand me a tag considering a bonded title on a couple of em.
I did a bonded title once because the title I had was not notorized and the owner on the title was long dead. Sure I coulda found a shady notary and fixed it, didn’t feel right about that so I bonded the title, what a PITA. Never again. No title no sale
Kansas. If it's over 35 years old a bill of sale from the seller, and an inspection of the VIN by the Kansas Highway Patrol office is all that is required to get a non-bonded title. I've bought at least a dozen old cars, trucks and motorcycles and have used the process repeatedly. There's never been an issue.
I have bonded 3 titles in IL. None were branded. Once all the required paper work has been submitted, the process through the state only takes about the same length of time as a regular title processing takes (the last one was 2 months). I will say that for all 3 of my bonded titles, I only applied for the title, I got the plates when I had the State issued title in my name and in my hand. The bond term in IL is 3 years, I sold one of those vehicles before the 3 years was up, not a big deal. You have hoops to jump through to get a bonded title paper work processed, and all the paper work has to be processed at the same date. Its not a huge deal, but you will spend a few hours getting it ready, all 3 of my bonded titles cost about $100 more then a regular title transfer. That said, I'm not buying another vehicle I intend to put on the street, that has a screwed up title. Like someone else said, how do I know the guy didn't just steel the car he is trying to sell me. I need a title in his name, with numbers on the title that match the numbers on the car/truck, or its walk away time.
The same here in New Mexico unless....you have invested in getting a State licensed appraiser to do an appraisal on the vehicle in its current condition. Then the bond issuing entity accepts that for the bond amount and the State for sales tax have fun x2
I just sold a vehicle that had a bonded title. It was a 3 year bond that had expired so the title was free and clear. It was as if the bond didn't exist once I went in for a duplicate title ($25 in MN) to remove the bond stamp. Clean title.
Example: 1960 F100 - Field truck been inoperable for for 10 years... AZ values the vehicle for purpose of bonded title at ....... $48,600 then the state required 1.5 times that value = $72,900 ~ a 1% bond cost would be $729.00 OUCH!
You gotta love the FB ads for basket case cars that state “ no title, bill of sale only, title easy to get.” If it’s so darned easy then why not get it and charge accordingly!?
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