Need to title my vehicle but im having problems.

I need to title my vehicle in S.D. but it was abandoned in Billings MT 17 years ago. I went to do a search on the VIN in all states but nothing came up. The VIN is hard to make out but im sure that is the number as far as i can tell. They told me that I needed to send the Bill of sale to the guy in MT and ask for a title but he can't get an abandoned vehicle title without the car being there. Well i sent him a certified letter. So if he doesn't respond will they issue me a title as long as it wasnt stolen or owned by somebody or will it fall back on him if he is there in MT and chooses not to respond? I know this is fully loaded but somebody has to know. Or can i get a bonded title in SD to seal the deal?

 

I dont "know" anything about how laws in SD are, but you just better hope this guy doesnt decide that the car wasnt abandoned at all...but missing. And thank you for finding it and demand it back, since he has the title. Good Luck, I hope you can work it out.

 

Well that isnt the case since he helped me get it hauled to SD.

 

I got it from moparfarm.com

 

Why didnt he give you the title?

 

It was abandoned on his property in Billings MT 17 years ago and he never applied for one i guess.

 

Anybody?

 

have the bill of sale notorized and do a builders title have sheriff/police come out and issue you a new vin# take paper work to dmv and apply for title that way

 

Do i need an engine for that because it is just a roller? Do they have to inspect it?

 

usually an inpection of hey yeah its a car..... im close but not that close to deal with how things operate in SD....lol

call em out see what they say then you will get more info first hand from them?

you can call your local dmv they should be able to lead you in the right direction for a builders title

 

I think I have a title and vin tag and dash from a 49 Merc that my dad made me get out of the the yard 30 years ago

 

Yuppers, you should have got a notarized bill of sale when you got the car but he can still write out a bill of sale and sign it in front of a Notary and send it.

 

Is it clean?

 

It is notarized in the state of montana.

 

It depends on the state. Some have to have it running and some just want to see what you have.

Now, your homework assignment is to get on the South Dakota dmv site and see what they say. I've found that the higher up the food chain you go in departments the less hassle you usually have in the long run.

You have to go for a rebuilt title but it doesn't look that hard as long as you kept your receipts and bills of sale.

http://www.state.sd.us/drr2/motorvehicle/title/register.htm#Rebuilt

http://www.state.sd.us/drr2/forms/mv/non0859V2-AffidavitForRebuiltMotorVehicle.pdf

You get a rebuilt title, so what? Now start digging out the receipts and bills of sales and organize them in a build book with readable notes beside them with simple explanations and photos that document things but don't go overboard. Things like a copy of the title to the donor car that the engine, trans and rear end came out of and then the receipt from the scrap yard for the hulk noting that you gave them the title help.

 

Anyone from SD know?

 

How could you wait 17 years to decide to get a title? That would have been my first move.

 

you'll prob have to have it bonded for 3 years also.

 

That was my thought also if it was abandoned there why didnt he get one for me at least besides who sells an almost complete car for just parts i didnt care if it was a roller just more fun to fix up.

 

Go to the dmv website and read through the laws. There are provisions for abandoned vehicle title, but if it came from out of state that probably won't work. You will probably have to do the rebuilt title deal, with collecting reciepts and a highway patrol inspection. A friend is going through that now with a fiberglass deuce, and has been jumping through the hoops. It's going to probably be easier if you read up on the laws and have an idea what all has to be done. I've found in the past the people at the local treasurers office often don't know what needs done, so you do one step, then get told later what to do next, it can drag out for months getting everything done if you don't know whats required up front.

 

Check out sd codified laws 32-3-64 "titling vehicles 11 yrs or more old with no existing record" It says you need to fill out the application for title, have a valid bill of sale(notarized) and an affidavit explaining your acuisition of the vehicle and indemnifying the state against libility. They will then do a nationwide search and if it comes back clean they will issue a title. Jim

 

From what I have read here, you bought the car from a online dealer, and it was abandoned on his property 17 years ago, no title and you can't make out the VIN? It sounds like there's more to this story.

 

I wish there was on my side I don't know about his side but he seems pretty with it and reasonable. I just think that he planned on selling it to me as a parts car and not expecting me to get another engine in it. But come on it is a 49 Mercury not a Pinto. I don't know what he was thinking I was gonna do go buy another Mercury and scrap that one?

 

Cars get left behind all the time and have to be retitled. In Wisconsin you have to fill out a form and if I remember right you have to have something notarized. The state then runs the vin nationally and contacts previous owners if any come back. If they do not get a claim to ownership in 30 days you get a title. Been a little while since I looked into this issue on a previous vehicle I owned. It was a pain in the ass in Wisconsin and expensive, but everything involving the government seems to be..

The other option you have is to take up AutoImage on his offer. Its a felony in Wisconsin. Good luck.

 

What if the VIN has been run and nothing comes up what do you do then? Because they ran in it in all states and it came back nothing. Then they told me to send the Bill of Sale back to the guy I bought it from because the lady at the desk said she couldn't do anything because the vehicle was from Montana and not from South Dakota. She said if the certified letter comes back unopened that I sent to the guy that I bought it from then it is up to the state to issue a title I don't get it it sounds more like a maybe?

 

plus the numbers on the VIN plate are hard to make out the 9 could be a 0. I can't run it that way unless I have that guy write me out a new bill of sale with the other number switched and see if it comes up or should I not.

 

Go to another DMV office.

Don't tell them you bought the car out of state. 99 times out of 100 in these situations, that's what throws a monkey wrench in the works.

Play whatever other games are necessary to get it registered.


Problem solved.

 

I had a 47 ford truck with a title from the 60s from here in Wisconsin and the vin didnt come back as existing. Not coming back isn't a big deal. So long as it doesn't come back stolen you are all good. You may want to try calling the DMV to see what you can do without a title. See if you can get around the bill of sale. They have to have an option if you buy a car and lost the bill of sale. Maybe apply for a lost title in SD? Did you try and decode the VIN to see if the 9 might be a 0?

 

I agree on not stating you bought it out of state, go to a different DMV, start again, you bought it a few years ago from some farm, it was abandoned, you went back to talk to the PO and he has since died. Hell, scan the obituaries from 3 years ago and pick a name. Lay out your title application to fall within the DMV rules so they can walk it right thru.

 

If say the VIN had a 0 instead of a 9. I sent a history report with the VIN including the 9. Is that gonna raise a red flag if I have the guy I bought it from changes the number back to a 0 and instead write me a new bill of sale since he read it wrong?