Advice/Info Needed Regarding Aquiring a Title

I live in Massachusetts, and I've found a '73 comet for sale for rather cheap, the only problem is that he doesn't have a title for the car....I don't know how I would go about getting one either...I just emailed him, and asked if he could get one.....Could someone help me out here? What should I do? Would I be able to get a title? This would be my first car, so I don't really know any of these details....Thanks in advance! -George

Ps; Ad can be seen here -> http://boston.craigslist.org/car/182177551.html

 

The owner should be able to apply for a lost title if the guy that has it now is the legal owner of the car. Go to the courthouse where you buy your liscense tags with the vin number and someone there should be able to give you the real or last owners name. Whoever owned the car last is the person you will have to deal with. If the car is not in the name of the guy that has it now I would not mess with it. There are a lot more cars out there and it's not worth the hassle. Whatever you do DO NOT give the guy any money without a good title in hand.

 

Yeah...I emailed the fellow, and asked if it would be possible for him to get a title for the car, since I don't know how to go about it...His response was " you can obtain atitle through a title shop for around $100 $150 dollors thanks dave " ....Lol...I've never heard of a car title shop , I think he might be confused....Thanks Tex.

 

Suimaru, I am orignally from Mass......don't mess with it unless HE can get you a title. Mass is a real stickler for that stuff......There are plenty of other cars out there, like Texas 71 said.....

 

There are companies that specialize in getting replacement titles, Broadway Title is one, I'm sure there are others. Never used one, in Alabama we don't have to have a title for pre 75 models. If you really want the car, make the seller aquire the title, tell him you will pay for the cost of it after he gets it back. If he is unwilling to do that, he really doesn'twant to sell too badly.

 

I wouldn't exchange any money for that car until you have a clean matching title. If the laws up there are anything like they are here in MO you could be getting involved in a nightmare. Too many dishonest people have made what should be a simple process a real pain in the butt for people like us who are doing legitimate business. There are many other cars for sale. Just check out this site or e-bay.

 

I emailed him earlier before I left the house (shortly after my first response) , and while I can see that he's online VIA AOL, he hasn't answered my email....I told him that I was willing to purchase the car at an additional cost if he could provide a clean title...Oh well, My search continues *Sigh* Maybe, one day i'll find a nice little project for myself, one day

 

I've bought several cars without titles. The most important thing is to check that the cars is legal (not stolen, etc). Take the VIN to the local tag office to make sure that it's titled and legal. Also, check with the local police. Also, there are several title services out there that charge $150 an up. They basically take advantage of states like Alabama to transfer titles (since Alabama doesn't require titles on old cars). The state they use for transfer depends on the source state (where you are). If you decide to do this yourself and depending on the state, there are legal ways to work with your local DMV to get a title. Usually there are multiple documents to fill out and affidavits to sign. In fact, I've got one in progress on one of my cars now. If your local tag office can't fill you in on the process, call the main office (that's what I had to do to find someone that knew what they were talking about). If it were me, I wouldn't let this keep me from buying the car, but I'd do all my homework up front. Also, I would get a legal bill of sale to sign during the transaction. If you need one, I've got a great one in Word format. Lastly, I would use this as a HUGE bargaining tool when buying the car. Mostly likely, the seller is not willing to take the time to get a title - I find most of them aren't or they wouldn't be selling it as "no title". Good Luck!

 

Get the VIN, make sure it's not reported stolen or anything else. I would suggest checking with the DMV in your state and find out what the process is for getting a title. None of us here can tell you anything other then it's probably going to be a b!tc# and a half.

In GA, cars older then '85 don't need a title. Just have a cop come out and check the VIN and fill out a form, get the form notarized, take it to the DMV and get the car registered. My Grabber is the only vehical I own with a title. Some states are so retarded. The car is 33 years old, who gives a crap about a title...

 

I think it depends on the state. Some are easy, others are not. Sounds like GA is much easier than OKLA. OKLA is fairly difficult, but still doable. If all I needed was a VIN verification and a notarized form, I'd be done by now. But, the car I'm doing now isn't my first, so I knew what to expect. Like I said above, I think the trick is to be very patient and find someone at the DMV that is knowledgeable about the process.

Something else that is different between states is registration. In some states the plate stays with the person, while others stay with the car. In OKLA, the license plate always stays with the car and whoever the currently registered owner is (by title) is the person who buys the yearly tag. That's how we get 20 year old cars with 5 previous owners and the same tag number the whole time.

 

Why is there no title? Lost? Stollen? Lein Sale?

Buying a title will work on cars that do not already have a VIN like a street rod with a new after market frame.

 

Not sure if this input is appropriate here, but...

When I bought mine from my wife's grandmother (the car was HER mother's, and she (the great grandmother) had been deceased for 2 years) the car had a title, I had it in my hand, but when I took it to the county for title transfer, they tried to tell me that it had not been titled in Texas (where I, the grandmother, and the great-grandmother live) since ??? date and had been titled in Louisiana for all those years.

When the great-grandmother was put in a nursing home 15 years ago, she quit getting the yearly inspection/license tags renewed, so Texas lost record of the car.

(Really) long story short...get the title ahead of time. I knew for a fact, and had paperwork in hand that the car was purchased in LaPorte TX in 1973, owned by the greatgrandmother since, in LaPorte, and this was the only time the title was being transferred. I had the original "pink" slip with signatures, and everything, and I still had to jump through major hoops just to get it titled in my name.

Just my

 

i dont know how your searching for your car. but try to keep an eye out on the recycler and craigslist

 

I feel your pain. Just bought an old Comet (65 model) from a guy in Georgia. He came up with the wrong title, so I had him give me a notarized bill of sale. Everyone told me "don't sweat it; they never check the VIN". BS. With the above mentioned deal about GA and needing no title before '85, and my bill of sale with the correct VIN, I got an OK title. But the chick at the DMV insisted on checking the VIN on the car....