Hot Rods Incredible score!! or?...

Ok, here's the skinny..

Been watching this 1941 Ford 1/2 ton truck for sale on CL for about a month, guy wanted around 5K for it, it's complete, original drivetrain, clean fenders, all there, and last titled by him in 1980, so it's been sitting in a storage outbuilding for the last 32 years on his property. I kept it in the back of my mind then I saw he recently reposted a week ago that he's open to offers..
so I shot him a lowball offer thinking he would be crazy to accept, and he accepted!! but he says you gotta come and get it by Saturday and this was Thursday, I told him I'll come and get it first thing tomorrow, cash in hand and what time can I come over?, he said 12:00pm so I told him NOT to accept any other offers and he said if you can make it by noon, it's yours.

I showed up to his property and there are surveyor marking sticks all over, and about a dozen 30 foot cargo shipping containers on his property, come to find out, he sold off his 4 acre lot to a developer and waited till the last possible minute to pack all of his shit up and was planning on moving to Paducah, Kentucky the next couple of days, so that's the reason he accepted the low offer. He told me it was last titled in 1980 and he knows which container the title was in and it would take him a few hours to find it, a few hours passed and I'm still waiting around for them to find it and told him I gotta go, he said give me $500 down on it and come back tomorrow for the title. So I call him the next day and he says that they looked for it in the container and didn't find it in that container but the other container at the shipping hub has the title and can't get to it until Monday. So I call him on Monday afternoon and no answer, phones line is disconnected. He's only about 20 minutes from me so I drive down to his property and he's no where around but his son is there with his girlfriend cleaning out the remainder of the stuff on the property. His son is informed of the situation and said that give them until Wednesday to look through the container to find it. I gave him my number, I got his cell number so I have at least contact with someone about it.

Forward to today, Thursday, aprox 1 week later, I have the truck at my place only $500 exchanged hands, tried calling the son about the title and no answer on his cell phone. The son is heading down to Kentucky also but a little later..What to do?

So at this point, I have a complete 1941 Ford 1/2 ton truck for $500.00!! but in someone elses name..

 

Nice truck

 

My guess is, they got busy with the move. You have the truck now, they probably will call back when things settle. Sounds like they are procrastinators. Nice Truck.

 

So you posses someone else's truck...what fun.

 

Some folks got real problems

About all you can do is try to stay in touch, and you've got some nice parts for 500.00 in the meantime.

 

lien sale

 

Wow!

 

I'm thinking there's nothing to really worry about. Does He know where you live? Hope not. Just keep in touch by phone. I would be working on the truck anyway. It looks really solid and straight. Good deal I'd say. Tim

 

The last thread were question of title came up went south pretty fast. Cool truck & good luck. Nothing incredible until you've got the title in your hand, in your name. When & if that happens, it truly will be an incredible score. Until then, well good luck...I hope it works out for you.

 

I'm with Squirrel on this one- do you have receipt for that $500? This could get ugly if they want the truck back, cant find you, report stolen- you go to file any documents/lien with the VIN, the VIN comes up hot- you have no paperwork/receipt, they get an upgraded truck and keep $500bucks along with lower shipping fees for not having to move their truck. Might have to consider this next time i move..... -rick.

(i'm not saying this will happen, but after getting burned even though I was in the right- i'm much more cautious now.)

 

Idk what goes on in your areas, but here it's almost scary and I'd think criminal but there's ads on CL for "no title-parts only" cars all the time. Some of the sellers will actually say - come and get it before the repo man does. Late models Being parted out or "complete but no title"

 

UPDATE:

I went down to the property once again to see if there was anyone there and the bulldozers, and clearing cranes were working on it all day with the exception of the main house. I pulled in the driveway and the son was there with a moving van taking out last minute stuff while the bulldozers were idling on standby. He said he didn't get to it yet, but promised to call tonight either way if he can get to it or not today, if not, he was going to spend all day at the shipping hub ( which I have the address of now) tomorrow and dig it out and he'll call when he has it in hand and is going to give me another discount off the selling price for the inconvenience!! if they can't find it, his dad ( which actually hasn't left for Kentucky yet) will go down to the DMV and get another copy of the title and call me when it's in it'll take 7-10 days to get it and it'll be delivered to the son's house where I can go and pick it up, the son isn't actually leaving for another month for Kentucky. The actual shipping containers (12) of them are all at the hub for the next 3 months so the son said if it's there anywhere, He'll find it!...we'll see..

 

HUGE procrastinators!! the worse I've ever seen...but the old man has a system to the madness..

 

EXACTLY!..my thoughts also, and a clean clear title in someone elses name!!

 

I'm trying to make good on the deal, as best as I can, within reason, just a little leery about parting it out as of yet..

 

sell it to me no title needed in Georgia. Bill of sale is all you need. Ill give you $1000

 

I would NEVER start working on a truck like that without getting it in my name first. So....you get it looking good and the guy comes back and says, "Thanks for the great work." and legally tows it away since he still has the title....

 

He doesn't know where I live, no address, just my first name, that's it. I'm making sure the ball is in my court, not thiers.

 

Please tell me that you at least got them to sign a detailed bill of sale stating title issue?

 

So, store it off your property and if they can't provide the title, part it out. You'll get a lot more than $500, I'll be willing to bet.

 

There's a receipt for the $500. They wouldn't be able to find me other than by phone. The VIN is current and in the current owners name, just hasn't been registered since '80. If I don't get the title in any way,shape or form, knowing there is a title for it, just that the owner lives in Kentucky, I'll end up parting it out. Don't want to go down the other road if I actually do anything with it..

 

Yep.

 

It's not common in this area that I'm aware of. The owner is an older farmer type guy into tractors and such, he's an old southern gentleman. I didn't get the "scheme" sense coming from him..just a procrastinating, scatterbrained, hoarder type.

 

Yep, a car guys worst fear. I wouldn't let it happen.

 

That'll be the plan.

 

Haha, nice try!

 

Ya would be ahead to tell him to go ahead now while they are there and have the new title made (file for lost title)and you will pay for it,(It should be cheap)that way it takes out the guess work,looking,and waiting for them to find the old one if they ever do.

 

They'll probably be happier that way too because they can stop wasting their time searching. Better for everyone.

 

They are doing that also. Just to make sure..trying to offer any help I can to secure it, I even offered to help dig in the container for them!!

 

Just curious, what state are you in? I know you said he was moving to Ky. In Ky. you can get a project title, if the car was from Ky. to start with. But they do a title search through your County's Sheriff's Office.