question regarding title..will my idea work?

Wow, Wisconsin is way, way different than anything anyone is talking about on here. In Wisconsin, you have to have a title. A bill of sale or a registration or anything like that doesn't mean shit. They'd laugh you right out for saying "I lost the title 10 years ago". Surprised that works in Michigan.

On the other hand, no one ever inspects anything. They never check VIN numbers or any of that shit. You go in with a title and come back out with a new one, if you don't have one to bring, you're not leaving with anything. You can apply for an abandoned car title (landlord's title) or a mechanic's lein, but it's a hassle.

If it's that easy in Michigan, you should get someone there to title it in their name, and then sell you the title. I sold a bunch of tags to a guy there, now I know why.

 

aurto rewire, that what i shall do, and hillbillys? hell my grandparents live up in jackson area, thats my kind of folks! thanks

i think i have my answer, i will see about it this week. thanks all

 

Squablow, You can bond a title in Wisconsin, it's a giant pain in the butt, it costs a bag of cash, but it's do able.

 

a verified vin is all you need really in california as long as the vin is clear and out of the system (ca dmv it's 7 years), use a registration service don't goto the dmv, it's typically about $200 from start to finish

 

I'm from the East Coast so the California folk's probably won't bothering checking but here's what we do, you send me $10,000.00 cash in an envelope, I'll send you an official bill of sale like you bought it from me, I promise.
Then you go to the DMV and apply for the paperwork with the sales receipt.

Don't let them give you any shit about buying a car from Ethiopia, they have cars in Ethiopa, I think.

 

chaos, thanks....thats real helpful.

 

ussually i just fill out a statement of facts and geter done

 

From California DMV site; www.dmv.ca.gov/vr/vr.htm

"This form is used to support the issuance of a California title when regular evidence of ownership for a vehicle is not obtainable"

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/forms/reg/reg5058.pdf

 

thanks nash.

 

It's seven years, and it's off the books --if you didn't get the answer already.

Typically, you'd apply for a lost title before a VIN inspection. But maybe it can go either way.

I had no title, nothing for my roadster. So, I walked into the DMV and told them "I bought the car from my mom for $100 and that the car had sat in the yard for 20 years". That is what I put on the Statement Of Facts, which I attached to the Lost Title Application, and a check for $58. I made a VIN tag riveted to the firewall with my made up number.
A month later I drove the car to AAA for a VIN inspection and they gave me a title & license plates.

Go in there, smile, and let them walk you through it like you are a virgin on prom night.

 

Why is everyone making this so complicated?

First of all, forget every other state except California.

Second of all, forget using an illegal title, CA police know where to look for the serial number and if you get caught with phony paperwork you're fucked six ways from Sunday.

Third, call up Sacramento directly (or go to the CA DMV website) and tell them you have an antique car with a lost title and what do you do.

My understanding is CA is really not that hard, the hardest part is the VIN verification, which you have. The rest should be cake. If the last owner won't help on paperwork, find someone else who can pose as a previous owner.

Or, read post #40 -

 

thank you sir,

 

okay theres now many things i can try, iv been linked to forms for non-op, so i wont have to pay fees, bill of sale, and statment of facts.

so do i do all of these papers? i have no problem finding a 'owner'

 

okay folks, just went in today (picked a dmv up in the mountains away from the smart ass dmv's)

got the title coming in the mail for the 29. still trying to get another car passed.

 

So model A hooligan, can you elaborate for those of us trying to title an untitled vehicle here in CA? What did you bring with you? Bill of Sale, Statement of Facts, VIN Verification, and an application for Non-Op? Do you have any more advice to add to the pile for completing the process in CA?

 

I was gonna say I have never had a probelm getting a title with a bill of sale and then a vin verification from an actual CHP or vin verifier. Remember not all Police officers are allowed to verify vins anymore, they must attend a class to verify now and any mistake will be notice by the DMV, least in my area. Other then that its easy, I could never understand having to go buy a title....well unles you know your car is stolen and you need a number......

 

iv got it all done and yes vin verify on a clean title, bill of sale, explain on the statement of facts(back side of vin varify paper) that the car was stored and not operated and have the 'seller' say it was stored there basicly worked well.

 

And I thought the Peoples Republic of New Jersey sucked! You guys really get jerked off on the left coast!

 

okay fellas this needs to be said. all of your guys advice helped and i took it all in and combined it to work for me. as i said it worked, now iv had a bit of a mix up by pm, from some one. now ill make it clear, what i posted above is what i took in. those papers with the right words got me a title. not talkin illegal stuff here.

 

Go to a registration service with the vin number.

The service that I use charged me $35.00 to drive to my house to verify the number but If you trailer it to them it's just part of the service.

It cost me about $65.00 plus the actual DMV charges and taxes to register them

I have registered a 1929 tudor and a 1930 Woodie and have had them verify the vin on one that is in the process of a build.

As soon an I get a weigh ticket they will register it. They need a weigh ticket because it is a Pick Up truck and has to be registered commercial.

They go to DMV every day or two with a stack of registration paperwork and get the job done.

They know how to play the game and will have your registration in several days.

The service fee is money well spent.

It saves me that much on High Blood Pressure Medicine.
.

 

I've been looking at a bunch of potential vehicles to bring back to life, but so many from the era I'm interested in out here in the Bay Area and the central valley are untitled... sitting on a farm or a back lot or in a barn somewhere, no paperwork anymore... and I've been wondering whether I should even contemplate buying a vehicle without a title, even if the VIN is DMV-clean.

This string has been immensely helpful, thanks to the questions and experience of model A hooligan and all the input that others have offered up on the subject.

Just to clarify, it sounds to me like the summary of "instructions" specific for CA in a circumstance like mine -- without purchasing the services of a registration agency -- is as follows: 1) check VIN against DMV records to ensure that it's clean 2) purchase and fill out bill of sale 3) fill out VIN verification form with friendly CHP or other peace officer qualified to do so, 4) include statement of facts on the back of the sheet (would a separate, signed statement of facts from the seller help out at all? probably wouldn't hurt to have the story on paper signed by the PO), 5) bring documentation to friendly DMV office along with a bag of smiles for each nice lady behind the counter, and 6) fill out PNO paperwork during the same visit to save cash.

Hopefully I'm not missing anything. Again, thanks to model A hooligan and everyone who contributed information to this string, it's hugely appreciated.

 

I can't understand why anyone would put a lot of time and money in a car that they don't have a title for. This comes up time and again. Use some common sense guys. The first thing you should do when buying a car/truck is get the/a title in your name for that vehicle. Reading another post on here today where a guy put almost $50,000 in one that didn't have a title. Last year at my local DMV there was a guy I got to talking with while waiting. He was hoping they wouldn't give him any static since his title had been signed off by the previous owner over 10 years ago. He had completely restored it in that 10 years but never put the title in his name.

 

x2. It is totally out of my understanding why anyone would put a dime into a vehicle they didn't have a title to first, let alone 1000's of hours and dollars.

Each state is different, so some of our experiences don't apply, but i have found it helpful to contact my state representative when I had a problem with the DMV. They often can run interference for you. And it always pays to be polite and respectful to any bureaucrat-especially if they are a little one and being harrassed by state budget cuts.

 

Probably too late to help but it might be worth knowing... Years ago i lived in Louisiana and had bought a 50 Mercury out of Iowa with no title but it had a good VIN tag on the cowl. I got a bill of sale form the guy and headed home. I knew if would be a bitch to get a title but it was a 50 Mercury so it was worth it. Tried several runs at the DMV but they said it's a "no go." Just as i was getting ready to give up, i saw an ad in a local classifieds paper. The ad said "need a title for an older car? Is it worth less than $3000 dollars? I can help." I call the guy and he tells me it will cost 60 bucks and i need to bring all the paperwork to his house out in the country. I headed out there with all the paperwork and $60 bucks (and a pistol just in case). I pull up to his house and a sign says "JOHN Doe, Justice of the Peace." Ummm...ok. We go in his home office, he "swears me in under oath" and has me "testify" that i am the legal ownert of the car. He asks if there are any other parties with a claim to the car (we're the only ones there) and there's no response. He drops his little gavel on his desk and issues me a "Court Order" telling the DMV to issue me a title. I thank him and leave. At this point i'm not sure if i just got rooked for $60 bucks by a crazy old man or what. I head to the DMV and GIve them the Court Order." They accept it, i pay the taxes, and two weeks later i have a clear title in the mail. True story. I ended up doing this several times and it always went without a hitch. I've since moved to Arkansas and attended law school. In Arkansas you can file a case in Circuit Court against the DFA (our DMV) and claim yourself as rightful owner. As long as the DFA doesn't show the car as currently titled to another owner, they usually don't object and you get a court order telling them to issue you a title. (i simplified that quite a bit but the point is the same) This would vary state to state but this is a fairly simple process and i would think a court order declaring you the owner would force any DMV's hand on the issue. Cost might be prohibitive but if you've run out of options, it might be worth a look.

 

Very good. The only thing I could add here is --> AAA does VIN verification on non-running cars. You just need to trailer the car to the locall AAA office.

 

That's great to know. Thanks!

 

This is also great to know about as a last resort. Thank you.

 

I have a '29 sport coupe with no paper work. The classic "been out back for 30 years" scenerio. We have a guy in the local DMV who is GOOD! Someone suggested going to a different office, and that is good advice. Find a small office that will have the time to help you. The big office just wants to get you out of their hair. And be POLITE! If the DMV women is a pain to start with, smart-assing her is NOT going to make her inclined to help. She will make it as difficult as possible, then brag to her friends how she screwed you over.

 

In the eyes of the DMV, just because you paid for it doesn't make it legit. It could have been stolen years ago and you have wound up with a stolen vehicle that you are trying to get a title for.
You paid cash for a pile of tin that you assumed you could get a title for, and you are calling people insane for not giving a title to you.

 

okay all these guys saying you can go pay services and such, i didnt do any of that. just paid for the vin varify. that was it. you dont need all this BS services and go to this guy and he'l send you to this guy and write this paper. thast all just crap.