Okay, long story short: I will be bringing home a pickup that has sat in storage for quite a few years. The owner of the storage lot sold it to me. He has had the VIN verified by the police to make sure it has not been stolen and all is well. (I'll be doing the same before it gets trailered home) The pickup currently has tags on it from a state that's 700 miles away. The storage lot is also right next to a military base and he thinks the original pickup owner was military, got transferred and just gave up on it. Or perhaps died, who knows? I'm wanting parts off of this truck and would be happy just to get it as a parts truck, but if I can get a bond title (builder's title, liened title, whatever), that would be better yet and I'd just drive this truck.
ANYWAY, what's the procedure? My county is sparsely populated, and I know the gals behind the DMV counter would take the time to help me out and do whatever they could within the boundary of the law to get me a title. I guess my first step would be to buy some donuts or call up my mom and have her make some home-made kolaches as a bribe for the DMV ladies. That will be my bribe to get them on my good side. I've also seen the ads in Hemmings where some companies will do a straw-purchase on a title and then have the title send to the buyer, but I've also heard it's not legal and the vehicle could be taken from the buyer at any time.
I'm getting really long-winded here and my long story didn't stay short, so I'm now going to stop.
The main question I have is this: I'm looking for a way to get a title for this vehicle and I need ideas or stories from members here who have actually done it. Please post them and many thanks ahead of time!

 

Kruse, I've never purchased a vehicle without a title or a questionable title (i.e. salvage or rebuilt). However, why would you want to purchase this truck in the first place? What year and model is it? Unless it is an extremely rare truck, there are surely others out there without title problems.


I've driven quite a distance to buy a vehicle, I drove hundreds of miles to Springfield, MO to buy my truck. I wouldn't drive a great distance to look at a vehicle with a bad title though.


Let us know what you find out from the DMV. Good luck.

 

If the storage lot is taking the vehicle due to non payment of fees and has gone through the process they have to, Then he should have applied for a title..

Here in MA I believe that the Storage company needs to do that before they can sell it..

 

I think all states are different but I have done a lot of research here in Indiana, and here is what I have learned that works here.

There are two options,
1- Affidavit of title. for this you have to have a Bill of Sale, write a letter to previous owner asking for title in a certified letter and this has to be returned unopened, then you send the paper work to the state and they can issue a new title. This takes 3-4 weeks and costs $30-50 plus sales tax for purchase price of car.

2- Judge order title- This is if the value of the car/truck is higher (determined by the state) you have to get a judge to issue a new title. This has the added expense of running ads in the paper to ask for the owner to come forward and this way can run $500-600 (mostly news paper ad cost).

The thing I learned is yes it can be done and I wouldn't know the cost until I started the process.


I did have a guy tell me how he sold his car to a friend in Georgia for $1, his friend ask the state for a title. He got the title in 2-3 months and sold the car back to the original guy for $300(cost of the paper work) and he got his title just need to transfer it back to his state and name. All this worked because the age of the car and Georgia didn't require a title but I don't know how that works.


Good luck

 

here in jersey the property owner files for an title of an abandoned vehicle