I'm stuck with a good project car that didn't come with a title. I'd like to get it in my name now before I drop a bunch of cash in something I can't drive. I contacted the state where I bought the car and it is no longer in their system. Could someone walk me thru how this works? I've been told to find a title service that will transfer the car to another state and that state will send me a title. Is this right? Sounds shady to me. If this is the way it's done, does anyone know of a good honest title company. The ones I've come across on the web look fishy at best. Hate to send the guy good parts money and he goes on vacation!
Save all of your receipts and get affadavits from the seller for body frame and engine when possible. Contact your Dept. of Motor Vehicles and inquire about builder titles and issueance of new titles. Worst case, you may have to post a bond and go to a hearing where you present evidence that you aquired all the parts lawfully and they will rule on whether or not to issue a title. Also get a letter from the other states DMV detailing your inquiry and it's outcome. That is heavy weight info in such a hearing. Your DMV will provide you with more detailed info on their requirements. You need to get the vehicle fairly well assemble and maybe trailerable to get serious on the process. Part of the deal in Texas is a numbers inspection by a state trooper or police dept. to certify that your descriptions are accurate. They won't come to you. Good luck.
I used ITS here in Las Vegas for my Triumph chop. http://www.its-titles.com/ Practically effortless. It's seems like Voo Doo and it kind of is, but it worked w/no questions asked. Depending on your state's laws, this may work for you. Bascically, if your car has a VIN number (which it sounds like it does) then you need to use the title service. You send them the info they request with the money to get the job done. Basically, they're buying the car from you, registering it in another state that doesn't need a title and selling it back to you with a current registration and a "letter of fact" that says that state doesn't require a title to have it registered. Most states will require you to apply for a "lost" title in which they just need a previous registration. See where this is going? In Nevada, they used my "previous" registration, "Letter of Fact" from a judge provided from ITS and then I had to get a VIN inspection to make sure that the numbers are valid and match the paperwork. Then I took those things into the DMV and they filled out the paperwork, I paid about $75 and a title from the state of Nevada showed up a couple weeks later. Wham, bam, thank you maam! There is also a guy in the classifieds who sells the real previous registration forms that already have a VIN number and information you would need ready to go. He even throws in a VIN tag for the body. You will have to punch those numbers into your frame though. Since you already have a VIN number though, this would probably not be the most ideal way to go. Either way will cost you the same, approximately. EDIT: I forgot,you get a BOS with the ITS package as well that has the claimed price.
I've used International Title Service three times. The way it works is, you sell them the car by sending them a bill of sale. Then they sell it to a company in a state where titles are not issued for older vehicles. That company then registers it in they're name. Then the car is sold back to you and the registration from that state comes with it. At this point you have to have your local cops come and do a VIN inspection. Then with the new bill of sale, registration, and VIN inspection in hand you go to the dmv and tell them you want to title this in your name, that way you don't need insurance on it and you can dump all your money into it. It is a legit way to get a title. Or you could skip the whole process if you have a friend in one of those states. I bonded for a title once the way the dmv wanted me to, and it took 4 months and cost twice as much. Gary
In California, all I needed was a bill of sale, and a vin verification. It didn't matter that the vehicle was from out of state because it was already out of the system.
What if you have a old body/frame but do not have a VIN number? Many restoration projects may not have proper documents when first purchased. Often old cars are sold without titles. Can these vehicles be titled? I'm in Ontario, Canada if that matters.
Yea, that's the problem. When I bought the car the guy gave me a notorized bill of sale using the number from the aluminum plate riveted to the side of the frame. Since then I've learned that the real "before there were vin numbers" number is in fact the serial number stamped on the original engine block. That number does not match the number on the plate. Which one do I use? If I were to get rid of the original engine and needed it for proof, I'd be screwed. The flip side is if that little aluminum tag comes off the frame, I'm screwed too. According to my state (KY) I need to have a signed over title or show proof of ownership for 10 years. It sounds to me that the title service is the way to go. Broadway title doesn't work in KY for whatever reason. I'll try the others. Any idea which number to use? I'll have to get the vehicle inspected at the Sheriff's dept and they always check Vin! You could park a phonebooth outside as long as it has the right Vin on it.
Here in VT they only use bill's of sale if a car is older than 15 years of age. If your up our way, bring your bill of sale, (they don't even need to inspect the car) they are just looking for their tax... and they go by high bluebook value. The lady at the DMV told me that there are several states that only used BOS... I don't know where they are, but maybe there is one closer to you than VT. Good luck, getting it on the road.
My suggestion is to get that number IN the frame. Some states will NOT except a tag riveted or screwed to a frame because they can be removed. Use the frame number for sure because it will always be with the car. You will have to check about the rest. Some states could care less about the engine number. In Nevada we had our 35 coupe re-titled. They put the numbers right in the frame FOR US and they never even looked at the motor. They just checked to see that the body number matched the frame. It's different in some states though. You could even just call whoever does the checking (Highway patrol, DMV, whoever) and ask them "where to look" for the VIN number (playing dumb). They will tell you what THEY will look for. You will probably have to have a tag riveted to the body and numbers in the frame. I wouldn't worry too much about the motor because every state (I think) knows that cars often need to have a motor replaced. Nature of the beast. Just check though. I think you will be fine as longs the body, frame and paperwork all match. PLEASE keep us posted on what you do. This would be a good TECH article if one doesn't exist already. Good luck to ya'!
The Jalopy Journal
