Without going off in a tangent. I was told by the dmv that the only way to transfer a title in tx is with a title or doing a bonded title. Don't have the title, ca title never transferred to tx and no longer on record in ca. I have letter of retention from ca stating such. Now to the questions, what does a bonded title mean? How is it different from standard title, i.e. Will it change anything in regards to selling the vehicle? Is there anything that will tie me or my car to a title company, i.e. Lien? Any suggestions to other ways to get it titled? Any recommended companies near houston?
Bonded titles are fully negotiable, you can sell the car, etc... Loads of Texas hotrodders have bonded titles. Don't sweat it. It will turn into a regular title after a certain period of time...
I actually need to get a bonded title as well. The way I understand it, the bonded titles means that you have no proof of ownership of the vehicle. Pretty much, if someone comes along with an original title, they can claim your vehicle. You only have the bonded title for 3 years, then you can exchange it for an office title. It's a lot of trouble though to get one, that's why I've been putting it off.
Also, I believe if you sell the vehicle, it automatically becomes an actual title. That may only be if you sell it out of state though,
In CA where I live we dont have bonded titles but the way they work is if your state requires it for whatever reason that means you just pay a small extra fee (bond) and the title is "bonded" for a certain amount of time..like 5 years as an example. That period of time is to allow a reasonable time for any disputes to arise in case of a title question. IE..previous owner or lien holder etc....Dont know who gets paid what in the case of an actual dispute over title....but that is what the bond is for. After whatever period of time the bond is, you can get a regular title that is not bonded...maybe someone else can chime in with firsthand knowledge...its basically like title insurance on a home purchase..
it does not matter if you sell the car. It takes the 3 years to become un bonded here in texas, bonded is kinda like haveing insurance that pretects your cash investment while in a 3 year period the state checks to make sure its not stolen or any other business. Yes it hurts ur value to sell , but only for those three years. Other than that you can drive it and do anything you want, prices start at about 300 and up for a bonded title. I can get you a number to a top notch place in taylor,tx http://www.lawrenceautotitle.com/FAQ1.htm Dont go threw dps for help, they will tell you know. Try and be nice and calm to your county tax office, I have had to do lots of work to get cars titled from time to time. Let me know if i can help
I had to get a bonded title on a triumph bobber I built a few years ago. Didnt have any trouble at all. Went to a place on division in Arlington, had the paper work in about 15 min , went to the DMV and was done in a matter of minutes there no questions asked.
I bought a car without a title and had to get a bonded one, it'll be a regular title this august. It takes 3yrs.
I may be in a different situation then, or everyone I've talked to so far is jerking me around. The paperwork I have says I need my truck appraised, get something called a weight certificate, then I have to go to the DMV to get a rejection letter, then go see the bonding agent, and then go back to the DMV to get the title. This is one of those times that I would love to be wrong.
I am afraid your right this time. Went through it 2 years ago on the '50 sedan delivery but I didnt have to do the weight certificate thing. Girl at the DMV asked my how much it weighed and it popped off 3400 lbs like I knew what I was talking about. She didnt bat an eye. Well actually she did wink at me.
i was told that i need a bond, weight cert, chp vin verification, and dmv inspection to get registration on my metro. thats california for you. plus i paid a registration service that had authority to inspect and certify vins. got the wrong person that day at dmv i guess.
Im gonna have to get a bonded for the 63 that me and my girl just got. We got the original title that the 1rst owner got when he paid it off in 68. I want to keep the title though, so Im willing to go through the hassle. Anybody else get hell trying to get one?
It is cheaper and not hard at all to get a title hearing, did a 63 nova last year that had no title, need a sales receipt, ser numbers ,pictures of car and ser number plate, fill out all the paperwork pay a small fee , return paperwork to courthouse .the hearing consisted of myself and one lady, had a clear tx title in 3 weeks.
X2 on lawrenece title folks. bobkat's way sounds good too, but what happens if you loose the hearing? And I would avoid the DMV at all costs. They usually don't know about stuff like this.
what about if the vehicle is not running? The part that bothers me is the VIN verification if I have to have a trooper come to my house or if I have to haul it to one to get it verified.
Take a picture of the vin plate and pics of car, if the numbers are clean and it is legit, it is a simple process for title hearing, believe me on this, i was much surprised myself. and i used the main tax office in FT WORTH downtown .Three people have to sign the paperwork verifying what they know about the car. I used my wife and two friends .They only knew what i told them. As someone said BE NICE dont be an ass or have an attitude, they only work there , they dont make the rules.My friend has been doing Bonded titles for the last five years, he told me GOOD LUCK when i told him i was going for the title hearing. Guess what?? He couldn't believe me when i told him how much it cost and how easy it really was. Few weeks later he calls me and says son of a %#%$#@. you were right, i just got a title with the hearing, i have been spending a bunch of money for nothing doing title bonds.Now with all this being said, maybe the FORT Worth office is easier to deal with.Someone said what if you dont pass the hearing???Well then you right back where you started assuming the car is not on a HOT LIST.
I have been doing vehicle verifications for a few years now and it seems like recently some of the dmv people are saying bonds are required. To me it looks like a money grab i.e. it used take four pieces of paper to get title on an old car that had been out of the system fore a while, bill of sale, statement of fact, vehicle verification, and transfer into non-op, this would cost @ $55-60. and then you get a title in non-op while you build the project then pay the fee's and get plates and reg. Now it looks like they are getting fee's and making the owner pay up front. Just an observation , know a guy that went threw this recently for a vw <he paid over 400> not including the bond. just my nickles worth. Matt
This pretty much tells you everything you need to know. http://www.txdmv.gov/vehicles/titles/bonded.htm According to the Texas DMV the bond has to be 1 1/2 times the worth of the vehicle.
You want to do the bonded title before you build up or restore the car. 1.5 x field car is much less than 1.5 x show winner. Aside from that, look in the yellow pages for a title service, take them a couple hundred bucks and your paperwork. They will do the rest. You will pay the a 10% surety, about $100 per $1k of bond value. This is in addition to the normal title and registration fees. So you buy a $2000 project car with no title. The bond would need to be for $3000, so you fork over around $300 with all the other fees, maybe $500 or so, all in. The title company files the bond with the state, the state issues a bonded title. If a last known owner is on record, they send a letter to them advising of the transfer. That last known owner may be able to come back and claim ownership rights. This would have a serious demand of proof and it would have to be stronger than your own paperwork. IF you were to lose against a claim like this, a hearing would decide the settlement, usually that you surrender the bond to the previous owner as compensation and you get to keep your car. The title company would then look to you for reimbursment of their loss. Worst case, you pay for the car twice, or very unlikely you surrender the car and walk away broke. At the end of the bond period, 3 yrs I think, the bond is released back to the title company and your title is reissued without restrictions. If you sell before the bond period ends, the buyer gets pulled into potential claims by a previous owner. Keep a lawyer handy.
The more I thought about it I remembered I did have to take and have the vin verified in fort worth. They do it every couple weeks or once a month but I remember it wasn't much of a ordeal but it was also a few years ago and a bike, I don't remember having to have a weight certificate. Seems like the lady at the tag office gave me a stranger look when I did the title for the TT. "yes ma'm it's a 25 ford TT one ton truck that weighs 1400 pounds" ( had the title just needed it in my name)
I think a title hearing is the way I'll go. 1 because I'm cheap and usually broke, and 2 because I have the executer of the estate paperwork and a title application signed by the executers of the estate. And it just sounds easier than dealing with title companies and dps!
Would I be able to do a title hearing? I have no information on my truck whatsoever. All I have is a vin plate and a bill of sale that has not been notarized, though I could probably get one. The truck probably hasn't been registered in 30 years. Where would I even start? Or is bond the only way for me?
I am all for title hearings IF the car is legit not a stolen vehicle, My example was a 63 nova bought near Sherman Texas 1 1/2 yrs ago, the only thing i had was a bill of sale. I had the numbers run to make sure it was not on the HOT LIST. It did not show up on any prior registration due to the fact the state purges the records after so many years. Made the trip to tax office to get the information and proper forms. Second trip was to pay the fee and supply the filled out forms. Title hearing date was sent by mail. The hearing was myself and the lady who works that department. From the time iwalked in to the time i walked out was 30 minutes. 3 weeks later my BLUE Texas title arrived in the mail.GUYS it don't get much easier than that. Why pay $200-400 for a bond and then get a BONDED TITLE. J M O .
I'm going to look into that for sure then. Just curious, what exactly happened during the hearing? What sort of questions did they ask you?
statefarm insurance offers this service to its policy holders the price depends on the value you put on your vehicle.they will get paperwork together using vin# then turn it in to state and they check for leins etc.its like title insuance on a house or property.(1995 jeep cost me 75.00 and motorcycle cost 50.00)
Can I hitchhike.........I mean highjack this thread? I have 4 cars I bought years ago with good Texas titles. No other paperwork. Would a hearing be a good place for this? I assume the DMV will want a stack of signed title applications. It's been so long now I wouldn't be surprised if the previous owners were long dead.