Projects Buying with no title.

Years ago , I am thinking we could buy a car with no title and somehow with a bill of sale , get a title even for a barn find or junker. Just wondering how difficult it is these days . Have eye on a 48 ford pickup. Just spoke with owner and he said he did have it tagged at one time which means he did have a title at one time ( South Carolina) but has advertised with bill of sale only. I think he is just ignorant to the fact that for 25 or so dollars , he can get a lost title if he had one once. Not sure if he is willing to do leg work ( which is a no brainer to me) Anyway , should I walk away or is there other options? Saw a video where you can get a car registered in Vermont even from another state and then transfer that paperwork to your state.

 

Might help if we knew where you are located.

 

I varies by state, but in TX, the buyer can do the legwork and just have the previous owner sign.


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^^^yep-or ( unlikely, I admit) they can thank you for your fine work and blow you off. A bill of sale in Texas is of little use, except to prove that while yes, you are in possession of a stolen vehicle, so was they guy you bought it from. The courthouse will not give you anything based on a bill of sale. You can do a title search, (I think this is what Mahty is talking about) and at least find out who the real owner (maybe not the seller) is, and proceed from there. Or go the bonded title route, which I have never done. Caveat Emptor, babies. And yes, your options and tactics will vary from state to state.

 

I am looking at a Chrysler station wagon project but it has no title, and its in Ga.Wondering if I should go for it with out a title?Bruce.

 

No title... walk away, or just a parts car.

 

Depends wildly by state. Get into your state statutes. They are posted online (at least Missouri's are.). Read, read, and read some more. In most states there is a way, but a varied amount of rope pushing may be required.

I did a bonded title on a 54 Chevy a few years ago and it was a serious amount of hoop jumping in MO. I got it done and have a clean title for my truck. Spent a few hundred bucks and more than one day off work to do it.

 

I have titled with a bill of sale in Ks. Every state is different. I agree with above, if he had tagged it before there should be a title somewhere. Title or lost title search.

 

Bruce, older Ga vehicles don't have titles . a numbers check and a bill of sale is all you need to gat a Ga.
tag. It is easier to register it in Tn. if you know someone in Ga. to register it for you and then sell it to you with a valid Ga. registration . I had trouble with my old Morris Minor street car . So I sold it to a guy in Ga for a dollar and he got a Ga. registration and sold it back to me for a dollar and Tn. gave me a title without question. Sometimes you need to get creative to get around the Govt.

 

Here in Maryland, if the seller has it in his name, it's easy for the owner to get a duplicate title. Offering to pay the title fees may offer incentive to get it done...

 

In NH they don't issue titles to vehicles older than 1999. How would you get a title if you moved to a state that does require a title?

 

In Louisiana you take the car to the State Police and ask for an Affidavit of Physical Inspection. The Police are required to do it. They also check to be sure it's not stolen. Then you take the Affidavit, bill of sale,and proof of insurance to the Motor Vehicle office and ask to register it. You have to write a note that says, "I am a member of an organized car club". That's it! The law says any Motor Vehicle office can do this for you but every time the low level clerk says I better send this to Baton Rouge. No problem. The title comes in the mail in a few days.

 

There's a title on this topic, WTF is everyone on about?













C'mon, I had to...

 

alabama did not have titles till 1975, now anything over 20 or 25 years old has no title just a bill of sale.

 

South Carolina is a title State, and if you but a car from a State that didn't issue titles ,like Georgia with a bill of sale you are up Sheet Creek, SCDMV will not except a bill of sale from any state, I have been through this more than once, it's frustrating.

If the gentleman that has the pickup every drove it in South Carolina he had a title and I don't know where you are or how the law is in your state but he can apply for a lost title if it was in his name, there is a fee but offer to pay it and you will not have any problem. HRP

 

It has been my experience that most of the folks that "used to have a title" never did. Several were in the category of having bought a car without a title and now were trying to sell the car without a title. An exception might be if the car was still in the barn covered with bird crap, etc., on the "sellers" property.

When you offer some money to help him with the paperwork and offer to do the legwork and then he declines it should be an alert to you.

 

What’s a title?

 

Apparently in some states it"s buerocratic way to restrict ownership and get into to people's pockets. You know.....10,000 tyrants 1 mile away vs 1 tyrant 10.000 miles away.

 

In South Carolina the seller can fill out a form 400, and apply for a duplicate title, if he in fact ever had one. You can get those at the DMV. Good Luck

 

Danny,
Does SC recognize out of state registration with a Bill of sale. If I sold a tagged car to say you, everything current and up to date. Would SC issue a title and tag?

If I from Alabama moved to SC with my tagged car, could I register it and get a title?

 

Don't know if your state has private title service companies or not but if they exist use one of them to help navigate the process. I just registered a '54 ranch wagon that came with only a bill of sale and an 1962 registration card. I used a title service AND info I learned here on the HAMB and the title came in yesterday's mail but I was nervous until it came knowing how the CA DMV can be.

 

In Arizona it's not very hard to get a bonded title. I bought a car online (model T roadster) and the seller said it had a title and he would send it with the car. He only sent a bill of sale, then said when he said it had a clear title he meant it was not stolen? Sure... anyways, the process wasn't hard once I found someone at the DMV that actually knew what the process is. The first couple people I talked to were no help.

 

My aunt in NH gave me her '65 Mustang. Had to pay PA sales tax but no problem getting PA antique plates and title. What ever you do, don't put a dime or a minute into fixing up a car until you have a title. Every state is different, search your DMV website.

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I registered a Model A in SC with nothing but a Georgia registration. Tag, Title , the whole deal. The girl at the counter had no clue what to do, she had to get her supervisor. It may have helped that I knew her, she said " Oh you bought you another old car!. Here let me help you."

 

These threads are helpful to many rodders as it gives people a heads up when building a car as to which is the best way to title for a possible later sale to a different state. Thanks.

 

I am in this boat right now, I move from NH to VA and was wondering the same thing. What I did find out, if you move out of NH and into another state, even if you still have a house in NH, the NH Motor Vehicle registration will put your new state address on your registration. End result is a NH licence, NH plates, NH registration but with a VA address. Now that I have sold my NH house next Jan I will be applying for VA state pl

 

As a seller in a no title state it's important that the seller have the car tagged registered and insured. (Alabama requires all tagged vehicles to be insured.)

I can sell a car locally to another Alabama resident with just a Bill of Sale. No tag ,no insurance, just a bill of sale.

If I sell out of state, I must insure the car (by Alabama law) register and tag the car. This way it makes my bill of sale legit and gives the buyer in the title state the best chance of a trouble free registration.

 

We can usually get bonded titles in Arkansas. However its time consuming and cost money. I usually junk vehicles without titles. vehicles without titles are parts cars.Why buy without a Title? On jan 1st. of this year I bought a 60 Pontiac Catalina. without a title. It was a estate auction. and the auctioneer told a excuse that all the titles burned in a house fire? any road I wanted the 60 because it has a 389 engine and my 56 stick bell and flywheel will fit on it. Paid $275. I need to get the engine pulled. A demo derby guy wants the body to star in the 4th of july event.

 

In Oregon there are many ways: storage lien, mechanics lien, or the DMV can even start you on the process with a vin/serial number and sending some registered letters to the last known owner. I know several people who have gone to the DMV with a pile of receipts for a built car and gotten an assembled title. I have got some awesome deals on no title cars because people were not willing to do the leg work, if I know it isn't stolen i'll buy a car with no title and deal with it?

 

Well, did mention SC in post and some others replies seem to get it.