Hey fellow HAMBers I hope someone can give me some advice. I recently purchased a 1950 Ford off a guy in Georgia. All I got was a bill of sale as the previous owner had no other paperwork for the car. He had bought the car for the motor and then the car just sat and rotted. Well I tow the car all the way back down to Orlando and I have already started working on the car. DAMN HOA wants the car registered..... I call to see what needs to be done and after calling 25 different places for the last 3 hours, I was told I need to get a lawyer and appear before a judge to see if I will be appointed the new owner. What the fuck is that?? A lawyer??? Court??? The problem is that nobody can get a hold of the last registered owner because it was last registered in the early 80's. The vin# and tag#'s dont even exist in the system because its been so long since it was last registered and the info was never carried over to their new systems. Sorry for the ramblings. Just a little pissed. I know I its my fault because I bought a car that didnt have a title, I just didnt think I would need to get a damn lawyer for a judge to tell me that my car really is mine. Does anyone else know Florida law on vehicles w/out a title? Cheers, Kevo
get the vin and have some one run it thru the sos in michigan..if it comes back clean, they'll issue ya a title...plan, simple, legal.....then ya have the cops come by and inspect it and forward the papers to fla title division.........simple......
Dude that sucks...hope things go well for you. That is one of my fears when I get to buying a project car...the whole title and bill of sale thing kinda freak me out. Hate to put time and money into a car and then be told you can't register it or yopu have to spend a bunch morre $$$$ to finaly get it in your name....
Check with the Dept of Motor Vehickles and see if you can get an abandon title. this should be a lot faster than dealing with the court system.
Fuck the HOA. Back it in to your driveway,put up a no trespassing sign, and if they say you need to register it again, ask what they were doing on your property. As far as registering it, you can probably get a waiver for the title. If you have AAA they can help you. The advice about seeing a judge sounds like B.S. to me.
I have friends and family in Florida but they haven't had a situation like yours. I don't live there, but here in PA I bought a car that had a title, but there was no VIN on the car and the VIN on the title was not an actual VIN but was a engine s/n (engine was long gone). DMV gave me a lot of crap, wanted me to go back to the seller in Ohio to get a new title. Ohio DMV said basically to "buzz off" because the car had already been sold. I ended up gettting the titling application paperwork and having a state cop and an inspection station check the car out and certify that no VIN existed. PennDOt finally issued a new title and new VIN. You might want to check to see if there is a work around for you before going to court. You could call an law office just to ask some basic questions. They often will answer without talking about money. In any case, good luck!
The tax collectors office is who you need to be dealing with , much easier than the DMV.they can tell you what paperwork you need to be issued a new title.
i would just not even do anything. i would build it, drive it, and not worry about it. insurance? phewfff who needs that? aint no big deal man.
First thing to do is to move! Damned nosey neighbors. That is exactly why I do not live in a development. Put it in the garage and tell them to get off your property.
i can sympathize having gotten a '66 Falcon out of Georgia last year and spent 10 months arguing with SC DMV over procedures. i finally was able to convince them that Ga doesn't issue titles for older cars and got them to issue a SC title on a Ga bill of sale. as for dealing with a HOA i can offer nothing in the way of advice. there's no reasoning with people who live for and by an ironclad set of rules biased towards them and against you. i don't remember what it took to get plates in Fla, i was there over 20 years ago, but applying for a lost title through Fla DMV sounds like best bet. just don't say anything about it having come from out of state at all. best of luck to you. not saying BREAK any laws; just don't give information that hurts your case.
Tell the HOA that it is an art project, not a car. When you are done, change your mind and call it a car.
Well said! Thanks for all the replies. I actually just got off the phone with a guy and everything seems like its gonna work out. Sorry for the rash post. I was just a little pissed.
Buy a new title online, or "Historical doc" here on the hamb 48,49,50,51,52,53 should all work. Stamp you sme new # and you are good to go. Tell the HOA to eat shit. Does your HOA have a "rule book"? If so get one and raise hell on everything you can to repay them bastards! Theres always someone with nothing better to do than to give there neighbors hell.
when i register vehicles in TN from GA all i ever use is a notarized bill of sale never had a title for any vehicles ive registered from there
HOA as in home owners association?....... Do you have a big mean dog? I'd get one for the next time the nosey bastards come around.
There never was a title issued for that car in Georgia. Georgia was a no title state until '63, I think. I would get a statement to that effect, from the Georgia DMV and take that along with your bill of sale, to the Florida DMV. That should be all you need to have a new title issued. I don't know about Florida, but in Georgia, you would have to have the VIN verified by a law enforcement officer too. I'm not familiar with that HOA bullshit, because I live in the country where most of my neighbors have in-op vehicles sitting around. I would probably get into real trouble because I know I'd tell those HOA cats that I make the payments and pay the taxes on my place, so they could kiss my ass!
Jeez, HOA and the DMV.....what a combo! I see alot of cars being sold on eBay without a title, but with a "bill of sale". And then they say, "It's easy to apply for a title....." Well, if it's so easy, why aren't they applying for the title and getting it, then selling the vehicle with a title? I won't buy a car without a title. Good luck.
Forget Florida,Work with Georgia to get a title,than to Florida to transfer.You will have plenty of trouble with Florida after you get Georgia title.5 trips to dmv and finally went through New Hampshire,N.H. plate cost was expenceive.
get the car into the garage and wait a couple years for the neighborhood to become a crime invested crack den before you know it the HOA's= Ho's ,Old Assholes will be mostly dead ..
i used a place in Alabama for a registration. got a police inspection and went to the dmv and got my Plates and Title. when you get the reg. it comes with a bill of sale and a certified statment declairing that Alabama does not supply titles only registrations with vehicles over 10 years old! and it comes to you for the amount of sale you request!!! then go to your dmv. just check them out in Alabama! they will tell you what states accept there paper work so you dont get ripped off.
To apply for a lost title, the car HAS to be in YOUR name in the first place. It is up to the previous owner to file for a lost title (assuming it was in their name in the first place!), then you transfer that title to your name. Big misconceptions about "lost" titles out there.
Georgia didn't title the car, it's too old. You have a friend at a dealership? DMV will give you a form to verify Vin that can be signed off at a dealer. I did one a couple years ago that way. You may have to "shop" a tag office. None of them do things the same way.
Glad you called attention to that. In nearly every discussion about titles, it comes up. If *anyone* could apply for a lost title to a car they don't own, a person with criminal intent could build a pretty nice "collection". Bob
Sounds like you got this sorted out, but I'm thinking that this is/was your problem... I doubt the HOA wants a 'project' car sitting out in the driveway, hence the rules about neighborhood cars needing to be registered. Get it into the garage and shut the door. All this 'Fuck the HOA!' advice is short-sighted... most HOA's have just enough legal authority to make your life really, really, miserable if you fuck with them. Just ask Wenonah Blevins.
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