Perhaps you noticed my thread announcing my unfortunate burglary of almost one month ago. The thieves stole ALL my titles and ALL my keys, in addition to a late model Pontiac. This involved over 30 vehicles It took a locksmith three solid weeks and $2000 to rekey all the cars. It took longer than I had hoped, but we were successful. The response from most of the previous owners has been fabulous. While I am still awaiting some titles, most previous owners acted immediately to get a replacement title for me. That not only provided me with great help, but voided the previous title. Perhaps that will slow the thieves a bit. Unfortunately, we are going to have some vehicles we can't get titles for. We think it will be about a half dozen. The previous owners are either impossible to find or they have passed away. Because we cannot find the previous owner, we cannot get a replacement title. In WI, that puts me in a world of hurt. It seems there are some States that will issue a title on a bill of sale. If you live in such a State, your help would be greatly appreciated. I will gladly compensate for the effort and the service. If this can actually be done, I envision sending you a Purchase Contract from my dealership, stating the vehicle is sold on Bill of Sale. If you feel you can get a title under these circumstances, PLEASE contact me via Private Message. If you could secure a title, all I would need is your signature as the Seller and then mail it back to me. Please give this consideration and let me know if this can be accomplished. You would be doing our hobby, and especially me, a great service and a special favor. Thanks in advance for your consideration
Check with the State to see if the VIN is active in their computer system. If it is it is likely that you still will have a problem getting a Wisconsin title this way. This only works if there is no record of the VIN. If there is a record that means that the State already recognizes someone as the legal owner of that VIN and an out of state title likely will not resolve the current instate records. Good luck though in your efforts, I would think that the State has some way for a dealer to deal with these issues you can't be the only one that has had "lost" records especially since dealers don't have the titles transferred to them.
it seems that the WI DMV does NOT have a remedy for the loss of titles when the vehicle came from out of state. Especially when they are older vehicles like mine. That is why I am asking all of you for help. Broadway may be the way to go, but it seems there are some States that can use a Bill of Sale to get a title. I appreciate the feedback.
I understand now a little better. The Broadway example should work if you want Wis titles then. They use the bill of sale purchase in AL just like what you want to do, so maybe an AL HAMBer can help. They say that some states will not honor the Broadway paperwork, do a search on the pros and cons of this. While it might not be a big deal over all, remember that if the car ever gets sold back to the state that it is still currently registered in, it could come back to bite you. It sucks that there is no legal way to get your paperwork back.
The Jalopy Journal
