I am looking at a used vehicle that has no title. The current owner says that they purchased the vehicle from someone that was suppose to be the legal owner, but they lost the title. He just does not want the hassle of going to DMV and filling out forms and waiting for the search of the original owners giving the OK, etc. Has anyone actually done this or even with an abandoned vehicle ? Closest I have gotten was when bidding on police auctions they told us that the winners would be the legal owners, the vehicle will come with a letter or statement from the police department, which can be used to obtain the title, etc. Thanks for any info. God Bless

If it has current registration, a copy of that is acceptable in many states (FL is one).

I walked into the DMV and out with a title and registration in less than 30 minutes.

The agent only needed to see the VIN on the vehicle, and a copy of the registration from New York.

What is your state?

I would cautious about this type of purchase. If you're buying a vehicle for parts the title is not as much of a concern. If, however, you plan on obtaining legal title and driving it the primary goal is to find out if there's a lien on the vehicle. Whoever has it now might owe a big chunk to a bank or title loan company. The lienholder would have to be paid off before you will get a clear title. Proceed as if you're petting a porcupine.

This varies from state to state.

In Texas, it is much easier for the last person named as owner on the title to get a replacement. It is downright difficult for a subsequent owner to get a title, and this makes sense, because without some proof that the last owner known to the state is no longer the owner, the state is really without any knowledge of who the rightful owner is. Thieves could claim to be the owner and could even forge sales documents. That is the point of the title - it is the best proof of ownership.

Getting the former owner involved will be easiest.

Call the DMV in your state, or look at its website to see just what you need to do.

find out the process for finding a bonded title in your state

How old is this vehicle? If more than 20 years, then maybe, but I'd be very cautious.
Many states don't require a title after 20 years but if it's a newer vehicle then it sounds fishy and I'd ask the guy to meet you at the local police station to have them run it through their system. That should smoke him out.

220-9er has it right.....Meet the guy at the local cop shop with vehicle. Let them inspect the VIN plate and run the #.

In Montana we did lost title searches a lot. 99% of the time it comes back to someone, no lien, with a little leg work/computer work a title is issued.

BUT....I did a VIN inspection once on a Corvette that a guy bought down in AZ while snow birding there. Immediately it was obvious the VIN plate was covered with another printed tape with another title. Car was stolen out of Texas and this fool was out $20+K as I recall.

Proceed cautiously and slowly. Take NOTHING the seller says as fact unless it can be verified.

NH doesn't title cars more than 15 years old I thin (might be 18), but if you're wanting to sell the car, you go to the Secretary of State and they have a form you fill out, and they will attest to the ownership and that substitutes for title

I had to do that with my first Ferrari when I was selling it

Go to the “tag agency” or tax office or whoever issues license plates in your county and ask them how best to proceed. Every state will have different regulations.

In Iowa we have a bonded title process that allows you to get a title on a vehicle with a lost one. I don't know much about it, but it's out there. As the buyer in this transaction, you shoulder all of the risk, so I would be very cautious and pay accordingly.

We used to run into it all the time with old jeeps. Someone would drag one out of a field or barnyard and want to sell it. I have no idea if they ever had a title. The ones that did were usually about gone from rust. But the VIN plate was there. So the plate and a title were worth about as much as any other.

Then the rust situation hit the 76 and new jeeps. The fix was to just put a plastic body one one. Nobody really expected the title to be right, but there was no way to figure out what the vehicle was to begin with, either. Someone once asked me what year my jeep was. I asked back, which part? Most jeep people knew that answer. Dana rear ends were pretty well known.. You've got to be an idiot to not know a chevy engine. Slotted mags were 76 or so Renegade mags. Others were aftermarket. No one cared.

Pretty straight forward for me - if the owner won't put forth the minimal effort to obtain the replacement title then I wouldn't put forth the minimal effort to go to the bank and withdraw cash or obtain a cashier's check. Not worth the risk of handing someone cash or cashier's check unless I'm certain they actually hold title on what I'm buying.

Have I lost my title before? Yes, and it was easy to get a replacement from Texas. I did this BEFORE I ever put a for sale sign in my vehicle.

Thank you everyone for the info and suggestions. I will update everyone if I end up looking or purchasing the vehicle. God Bless

Depends a lot on the state and the vehicle. I've done it a couple of times in Wisconsin with old motorcycles. I needed to fill out a bunch of forms with the DMV and have the local LE dept. come over and verify the vehicle and run the VIN number to check it wasn't stolen. I personally wouldn't do it for anything costing more than the value of what you could part it out for, because that's what you'll have if you can't title it.

Years ago I got a call from a junk yard that was wanting to crush a car I had owned years before. The last owner had not licensed or titled it and the junkyard wanted me to pay for years of back plates so that he could legally crush it. I refused of course.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
This varies from state to state.

In Texas, it is much easier for the last person named as owner on the title to get a replacement. It is downright difficult for a subsequent owner to get a title, and this makes sense, because without some proof that the last owner known to the state is no longer the owner, the state is really without any knowledge of who the rightful owner is. Thieves could claim to be the owner and could even forge sales documents. That is the point of the title - it is the best proof of ownership.

Getting the former owner involved will be easiest.

Call the DMV in your state, or look at its website to see just what you need to do.

jhe888 gives good advice, as usual.
In Missouri as well, it is much easier for the last person named as owner on the title to get a replacement.
I would find out who that person is... have them request a duplicate title, which is pretty easy, and then have them sign that over to you.

At the end of it all, go to your local DMV and ask what is the process/requirements.

My state will at minunum require a bond of said value to be provided by you in case someone later says the vehicle is theirs. I bought an old motor cycle trailer that I went through this on. In the end they provided a new state supplied serial number which I was required to stamp in the frame. They then issues a new title to that number. Cars I’m sure are some what different due the manufacturer allplied number.

Good luck, and let us know how it goes.