How to Register a Car Without a Title

"Matt Brown" (superfastmatt)
12/16/2013 at 10:49 • Filed to: HOW TO

I have a disease. A disease that causes me to look at every vehicle/engine combination and say “No, no, no, you’ve got it all wrong!” A Fiero with an Iron Duke? WRONG! A Barracuda with a slant six 225? WRONG! A DeLorean with a French V6?

What are you, high?

Anyway, registering a car without a title. Twice now, I’ve come across soulless shells of cars, and thought “No Engine? You mean blank canvas!” and I pay something like $600 for a car that will eventually cost me $42,000 because, as those of you who have !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! know, the money you spend on a car project is a function of all the money you have to the power of infinity. The first of these terrible life decisions was a Dodge Dart. This Dart needed a big block, and it wasn’t going to install itself. So I got the Dart, and I got a donor 1978 Dodge Magnum with a 400 and I went to work. This is not even a difficult task, the drivetrain drops right in with some engine mounts you can buy for about $150.

The problem with dropping a big ass engine in a small car is that it still has small car brakes, so I went ahead and upgraded those to discs all around. And while I was at it, I dropped in an 8 3/4 rear end, added fuel injection, completely redid the interior, made a new fuel tank, upgraded the cooling system, and built my own muffler which made the car as quiet as a coked up 6 year old with a drum set.

What were we talking about again? Oh right, how to register a car without a title. So after I dumped all my time and money into this incredibly loud big block piece of rolling ‘Murica, I had to figure out how to get a license plate for it, which was somewhat of a challenge since neither I, nor the previous owner, had any idea what happened to the title, and since the previous owner wanted to help me track down the previous previous owner like he wanted dysentery. So what do I do? I own the vehicle, I have a bill of sale, and I’m fairly certain the car is not stolen.

Title Companies - Plan B

Fortunately, there are states with rather, shall we say, liberal vehicle titling requirements. I was living in Oklahoma at the time, and Oklahoma is not one of those states, which is surprising, since they don’t require any yearly inspections and you regularly see cars driving around which may or may not have been !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

Anyway, these non-Oklahoma states have companies where, basically, you “sell them your car” and then they go to the state with your bill of sale and pictures and stuff and get an official document which they send to you when they “sell you back your car.” You take this info to your local DMV and say “I totally just bought this car from a guy in Maine.” And they give you a title in your state. This seems like the kind of thing that you’d get done in the back room of a shady bar through a guy your cousin knows, but it worked for me and my Dart. Of course, this was like 10 years ago and it cost me $350 and took three months. Also, they seem to have upped their prices and there are a few accounts online of some states not recognizing the paperwork they give you. So let’s slot that into “Plan B” and see if we can find a better, cheaper solution.

In the early 1960's, Honda was doing well being the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles, and someone said, “Hey, let’s make a car!” To which someone else replied “No, let’s make a street legal go kart with a motorcycle engine!”

And so the S600 was born.

About 50 years later, I found one of these sweet machines for sale in Oklahoma with no engine. Since we all now know that no engine = blank canvas, and since I am a diseased engineer who happened to have an extra CBR1000RR motorcycle engine in the garage, I think we all know how this turned out.

The problem was, I was no longer living in Oklahoma. I’m also a total cheap ass, which means I wasn’t just going to give someone $800 to deliver me my car. So I did what any sensible cheap ass would do and I bought the cheapest tow dolly I could find on Craigslist and towed it back muh damn self.

Stick with me, I promise this is all relevant.

So I have this Honda with a Japanese VIN. Being a cautious individual, I just start throwing money at it and making it more go-kart-like than anyone at Honda ever hoped it could be, and I just assumed that I’d be able to title it at some point when I got around to it.

The DMV Nightmare - Plan C

Meanwhile I have this tow dolly which I notice works pretty well at towing motorcycles around when you bolt a 4x6 piece of plywood on the top. Now, in California, where this story is taking place, you don’t need a tag for a tow dolly, but you do for a utility trailer. Since I had basically converted this tow dolly into a utility trailer, I went to the DMV with the trailer and said “I need a tag for my utility trailer.” Of course, the people who work at the DMV know as much about the law as a goldfish knows about string theory, and they want to help you title your trailer like they want dysentery.

Knowing this beforehand, I did my research and determined that I would need A) an application for title, and B) a statement of facts explaining where the trailer came from, why it didn’t have a title, and how much it, and the 4x6 plywood, cost me. I went to the local DMV and, after waiting for 62 hours, my number was called and I explained to the lady behind the counter the story, and showed her my completed paperwork. After interrupting me several times, asking me questions that I had already answered, and generally talking with the kind of condescension and self-assuredness you only find in inept government employees, she realized she had no idea what to do and went to find her supervisor.

I repeated the process with her supervisor, who found his supervisor, who listened to absolutely nothing I said and told me that I would need A) an application for title, and B) a statement of facts explaining where the trailer came from, why it didn’t have a title, and how much it, and the 4x6 plywood, cost me. She wanted to see a bill of sale, but I didn’t have one because I hadn’t anticipated the need for one.

She was shocked, flabbergasted that I had purchased something without a bill of sale, and she told me that I needed one for everything that I purchased.

So there you have it, from a senior employee at the DMV; next time you buy a used kneeboard from a dude on Craigslist, you have to get a bill of sale.

Turns out though that you don’t actually need the bill of sale. I just wrote on the statement of facts something about how I didn’t remember who I bought it from, but it was about a year ago and it was from some dude in Orange County.

I paid my fees, got my VIN plate, my tags, and my title was in the mail. But before I left, I remembered that I had an old Honda at home without a title, so I asked, “Can I do this with a car?”

“We’d need a bill of sale for a car.”

Awesome. I had another option: the DMV. However, I had decided that I wanted to go back to the DMV like I wanted dysentery, so I decided to slot that in as “Plan C” and look for a better option.

American Automobile Association - Plan AAA

This is where AAA comes in. I became a AAA member about a year ago and have since decided that it is God’s gift to motorists. If you don’t have it already, go get AAA. In fact, pony up for the extra tow coverage, because if you’re reading this, there is a good chance that you own a jalopy piece of shit that will break down on you 85 miles from your house, and the stoner mechanic at Barstow Tow ‘n Fix isn’t going to know how to swap out the fuel pump in your SR20 powered 240Z.

Where was I going with this? Oh yea, registering a car without a title. So the other cool thing about AAA is that, is some states, you can do most of your DMV business there. This is an amazing decision for them, because competing with the DMV for business is like competing with Pol Pot for the Nobel Peace Prize. This is amazing for you, because they know what you need to do and they want to help you. That’s right; there is a place where you can do your DMV business where they not only have the knowledge to help you, but also the desire to help you.

All this for significantly less than the thousands of dollars and left testicle that you would gladly pay to never go to the DMV again.

Anyway, now that you’ve made it this far, this is where I finally tell you:

How to Register a Car Without a Title

Let’s summarize what we’ve learned so far:

Go to AAA.

Good, we’re all up to speed.

So I learned a few important things while talking with the nice lady at my local AAA about getting a title. First, if the car is still in the DMV system from a previous owner, things get a little more complicated. Fortunately, there is some amount of time (7 years in California) where the DMV just doesn’t care anymore, and vehicles are no longer in the system. So if you found a car covered in weeds in a pasture, and there is a copy of the November 1973 edition of Better Homes and Gardens in the passenger seat, you’re probably good.

Second, if your car comes up as stolen, you’ll probably lose the car, and the owner who it was originally stolen from will be super psyched that he not only gets his car back but that some fine young saint fixed it all up with a new engine and years of hard work for free.

Third, you have to have the car inspected by the DMV, a police officer trained to do inspections, or your auto club (AAA). If you have a buddy who is a cop, he or she may be your best bet. Having a cop as a friend is great, because not only can they help you out with stuff like this, they have lots of great stories. Anywho, AAA and the DMV generally don’t inspect cars until they are otherwise legal and ready to be driven. I had to do some convincing with this one; my Honda was technically legal, but since I had not yet put any effort into the body work, it kind of looked like Optimus Prime took a dump.

What they are looking for is mainly that there is a VIN, that it hasn’t been modified or replaced, and that the supporting documents (bill of sale) are actually talking about the same car with the same VIN. If the VIN on the bill of sale is slightly different than the VIN on the car, like if the moron you bought it from didn’t bother to make sure the “6" he wrote down wasn’t actually a “B”, this is not a big deal. Apparently it happens a lot and they “have a form for that.”

If your car doesn’t have a VIN, they have a form for that, but since this didn’t apply to me, I didn’t look into it any further. If this applies to you, I recommend consulting with your local AAA.

Lastly, the state generally assumes that old cars don’t materialize out of nowhere. It came from somewhere and they want to know as much as you do, and sometimes a little more. With my trailer, this was as easy as saying “It was never in the system because it never needed to be in the system.” With the Honda, it was a little more complicated. I submitted the original bill of sale with a statement of facts that basically said “I bought the car from this dude, and he didn’t have any paperwork because he never got it from the dude he bought it from.” They AAA lady told me that they might kick this back to me and make me track down the previous owner to get him to fill out a statement of facts. Since he was not even enthusiastic enough to bother to double check the VIN on the bill of sale, I doubt he is going to take the time to fill out any paperwork for me. Fortunately, if you can’t get this info, but you make some effort to contact the previous owner (like a registered letter returned with “no such resident”), you can use that to fill out a new statement of facts, and that might be enough.

Unfortunately, if it doesn’t go through, you won’t find out for a few weeks at least. When your title shows up, you’re probably in the clear. But before it shows up, you may be driving around with license plates on a car that is not actually legally registered, so save the wicked burnouts until after the title shows up.

Of course, there are all sorts of different situations that may change the exact process: You have a newer car that needs to pass emissions, you have a grey market Subaru from Bolivia, you converted a boat to drive on land. If you live in not-California, the forms you fill out might be called something else. In any case, if you reside in North America there is an auto club that I mentioned once or twice in this article that might be able to help you. Alternatively, Google.

And there you have it; a concise, not-at-all-wordy explanation on how to register a car without a title. Normally I would try to come up with some witty ending here having something to do with goldfish or dysentery, but since we’re approaching novella territory, I’ll just leave with this:

Seriously, get AAA.

Matt Brown is the author of !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , which is a book that is only slightly longer than this article.

DISCUSSION (72)

Takuro Spirit > Matt Brown
12/16/2013 at 10:59

I literally cannot WAIT to the day when it comes time to register my "blank canvas" '77 Trans Am that I picked up a few months ago.

Being in WI and having a bill of sale with VIN numbers and all that good stuff, I should not have an issue. My seller also did not have the title, and bought it from a guy who lost the title (or may have never had one) when HE got the car from a guy in California.

There's that C-word again....

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Matt Brown
12/16/2013 at 11:04

I have neither LS7-itis or Hayabusirosis, but rather RV8es. It mostly translates to a difficulty processing drivelines with simple carburation, RV8ic coolant flow issues, regular need for aluminin, and is handled well by keeping my cars on the Chapmans diet.

Kinja'd!!!

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
12/16/2013 at 11:08

RV8es is the British equivalent for LS7itis.

corvairsomeday2 > Matt Brown
12/16/2013 at 11:13

This article contains truth.

When I needed to get tags on my boat trailer 2 years ago in Maryland, I found myself at the end of my rope after 2 months, unreturned voicemails, and 2 trips to the DMV with the trailer riding along on top of another trailer. So I did what any sensible fellow would do, and contacted a 3rd party company in Maine (Plan B, above). For $60 and 4 weeks, I discovered that Maine is unconcerned about VINs or titles, and will simply give you a license plate.

In this scenario, I'm glad that I live in a collection of 50 different states, all with different laws.

Makoyouidiot > Matt Brown
12/16/2013 at 11:38

Please someone fp this. It is awesome.

FJ80WaitinForaLSV8 > Matt Brown
12/16/2013 at 11:52

Great read. I laughed heartily. As a CA native I had terrible flash backs to the DMV. While trying to get my license they would not accept my birth certificate because my name was handwritten in. It was a fiasco and I hate that place with a burning passion. Never knew about AAA. I will keep this in mind forever.

PS: I am totally a Premier member for the towing. Thank good its a new year I was close to running out of tows.

CAFIFTY > Matt Brown
12/16/2013 at 18:15

fanboy status elevated

CAFIFTY > CAFIFTY
12/16/2013 at 18:55

But let me help you find the scratch for your itch of automotive masochism. Start/join a chumpcar team. I have done this and my desire to obtain as many ICE powered devices as possible have been throttled. Now all I want to do is make my car faster and go to as many races as much as possible. Instead of drooling over 260z and 2nd gen RX7s with LS7 swaps I drool over enclosed trailers, new tyre compounds, and seats for sale at races we cant trailer to. The satisfaction/work ratio is so much higher then the never ending personal projects. You get to work with 4-6 other people with similar interests which helps your drive and splits the cost of accomplishing them. And assuming your car doesn't explode the seat time to dollar ratio is the highest you can find.

jdrgoat - Ponticrack? > Makoyouidiot
12/17/2013 at 04:51

In general, Matt Brown is awesome.

Matt Brown > CAFIFTY
12/17/2013 at 20:45

I'm always afraid to get into chupcar because I have too many projects currently. Someday I will, though, maybe after the Honda is in one piece and I have more garage space.

Mikey > Matt Brown
12/17/2013 at 21:17

2 wheels may be bad, but in Michigan, it's awesome that it's so easy to get a bike in your name when there's no official paperwork to be had.

Moped: get a bill of sale, and that's all you need from the previous owner. Go to the SOS (MI's DMV, among other things), fill out a form that basically says "I promise I own this vehicle," and a moped registration, and you're good to go. $15 + tax on whatever moped you bought (you can just "promise" you paid $50 for the bike), and you'll have a registration in your name on the spot that's good for 3 years.

Motorcycle: essentially the same, except instead of a moped registration you apply for a title. Then you buy insurance and you can register it (although you need to wait for the title in the mail).

In both cases of motorcycle and moped, they might make you wait an extra day while they run the vehicle through the NCIS database to make sure it's not stolen, but if you have some ancient bike that has a 7-digit VIN you'll probably be fine. The SOS people are very hit-or-miss about whether they know the rules or not, so it's a great idea to have all of the relevant rules printed out when you go there (as well as filling out all of the forms ahead of time, and being polite and smiling).

I've yet to try the same for a car, as the only car I've bought here was from a used car lot who did all of the paperwork for me, but I'm hoping it's similarly easy.

ElectraDyne > jdrgoat - Ponticrack?
12/17/2013 at 21:26

+1, Great job, Matt Brown!

MrMcQueen > Matt Brown
12/17/2013 at 21:34

Awesome article, I laughed several times there.

I live in SC, you could probably get a title for a radio flyer here. There's some colossal crap heaps driving around, but I'll take that since I don't have to get an inspection or anything. Love it here!

Thisnewformatisrubbish > Goshen, formerly Darkcode
12/17/2013 at 21:39

Fuckin metric system!

manifold engines > Matt Brown
12/17/2013 at 21:43

As a CA native with serious 'blank-canvas-itis' for >40 years, I love your article. AAA is great, however, being the dentist of several employees of the local DMV will get you much further and out of the office quickly (nothing like a free cup of government coffee while someone else types up the forms). Unfortunately, the smog-nazis at the CARB (Cali Air Resources Board) aren't as accommodating to our predilections... so, stay with cars '75 and older....

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > Matt Brown
12/17/2013 at 22:02

You would have thought I was a traitorous deadbeat dad, who beats up crippled children by how the RMV (dmv in Mass.) acted when I tried to register my project car. I purchased an unmovable piece of metal, spent 2 years and turned it back into a 914. The car was from out of state and not registered since Reagans second term. Being a Mass resident I couldn't register it in the original state. Without it running and in good order I couldn't register it in Mass. So I finished restoring it. When I finally went in I got a 10 minutes lecture but the curmudgeon behind the counter that I was a tax cheat a low life scum, bankrupting this state. Yes. The tax on a $600 lump of steel (37$) is bankrupting the state.

Reason I couldn't register is that you must have your car inspected within a week. Being that I couldn't get it to the inspection station let alone pass this was not a viable option. If you don't go your registration becomes invalid within 30 days. When I asked, how I was supposed to overcome this B.S. catch 22, I was told to move as I was holding up the line.

Shawn > Matt Brown
12/17/2013 at 23:06

as quiet as a coked up 6 year old with a drum set.

I have a two year old that owns a drum. I chuckled when I read this.

Matt Brown > manifold engines
12/17/2013 at 23:21

Yea, Cali is actually pretty reasonable until you're smog exempt.

62imperialcrown > Matt Brown
12/18/2013 at 01:43

One caveat on AAA in CA: they will NOT handle title transfers on cars purchased at county auctions. My former boss and I have both bought many cars from the L.A. and Riverside County Administrator auctions; and AAA has always told us we had to go to the DMV.

62imperialcrown > manifold engines
12/18/2013 at 01:48

Amen to that. I waited patiently for years for the smog laws to be changed to a sliding scale; never happened. Moved back to IL with my '78 Buick and guess what? Sliding scale - no smog test needed.

Gloff > Matt Brown
12/18/2013 at 02:08

This article is full of snotty, bloody, shit!

Three dysentery references? It's like being at the DMV!

crowmolly > Matt Brown
12/18/2013 at 05:22

I think I'm gonna be that guy... Yep, I'm gonna.

Why the heck are you guys building cars that you don't technically OWN yet? Just to save a few bucks on registration? If you had sank all that money into it only for the VIN to come back stolen that could be very bad news.

And FWIW a lot of states are really cracking down on the re-title deal, just like they are on sales tax fraud.

Omnislash79 > Matt Brown
12/18/2013 at 07:40

So when I take my skyline back to cali, I can get around th 9k they want for me to register it with this small simple step?

Goshen, formerly Darkcode > Thisnewformatisrubbish
12/18/2013 at 09:48

Which the Brits don't use.

ttopolds > 62imperialcrown
12/18/2013 at 13:12

I have the reverse problem. Lived in WI and have an 81 Silverado that was a diesel and non-catalyst that is now home to the mild Olds 350 I had in a Cutalss. Where I lived has no emissions testing and now I live in CO and not quite sure what to do about getting it tested so I can get it registered. Colorado's website is useless and nobody around here has a clue if I will be made to make it comply or if they will exempt it. It is very frustrating. I miss not having to worry about it. It shouldn't matter once the car hit 25-30 years old. At that point it is either A) so broken down and it's owner so broke it is just limping by and the only way they have anywhere or B) it is a toy/pleasure/project that is only occasionally used.

Matt Brown > Omnislash79
12/18/2013 at 13:38

Only if it is emissions exempt And 25+ years old.

pdx107 > crowmolly
12/18/2013 at 18:46

Well in some states a car doesn't have to be registered if it is non operational....

crowmolly > pdx107
12/19/2013 at 01:22

That I get. It's like that in my state. But when you go to title it after it's been heavily worked on (read: a lot of money and time have been spent) is that really when you want to find out there are title issues keeping you from getting plates?

Omnislash79 > Matt Brown
12/19/2013 at 01:32

i dont think a 1991 gtr is emission exempt =( . It will be 25 when I bring it though.

bhahbh249 > crowmolly
12/19/2013 at 10:24

I've thought about that, too, and I believe that in my state (TX) you can actually go and obtain the title for the vehicle but not register it. I haven't tried it, so I don't know for certain.

What you CAN do, however, is take the VIN to the local folks (county tax office in TX) and show them what you have, they will tell you what they think you need. They can also run the VIN to find the identity of the last known titleholder (if it was registered in TX).

I've also been able to ask local PD to check the VIN to ensure it's not stolen.

Personally, I figured that if I got into that situation, I'd slap a mechanic's lien or a storage lien on the car so fast someone else would never get it out of the driveway.

bhahbh249 > bhahbh249
12/19/2013 at 10:26

oh, one more thing. When the person behind the counter tells you what THEY think you need to title/register the vehicle, it may or may not be what the NEXT person behind the counter thinks you need to title/register the vehicle. Be prepared for that one, too....

pdx107 > crowmolly
12/19/2013 at 10:46

That does make sense. Then you have states (like Nevada) that don't require you to transfer the title for a vehicle if it is from another state if you don't want to.

itranthelasttimeiparkedit > crowmolly
12/19/2013 at 11:08

In Texas (Well, DFW, Houston or Austin) you can't get titled/registered until you pass inspection. I have a few titles sitting in the safe because of that. Its a pain in the ass...

crowmolly > pdx107
12/19/2013 at 11:12

Gotta be state by state stuff I guess. In NJ you can title and register for QQ plates once, and that's it. No more $ each year, no inspection. I knew other states weren't exactly like that but I thought the titling and such was similar.

pdx107 > crowmolly
12/19/2013 at 11:39

WTF are QQ plates?

Here in Oregon all cars registered here must have a Oregon title. Have to be insured/registered even if they are non operational I believe.

crowmolly > pdx107
12/19/2013 at 11:54

QQ are the special historic plates here in NJ.

Adam Weiss > Matt Brown
06/28/2014 at 17:29

Anyone help me out on the titling process in Idaho? I have a dirt bike that didn't need to be titled in Texas, but now I'm moving to Idaho. As far as I know it has never been titled or registered in any state. (bought in Oklahoma from previous previous owner brought to Texas=No Title and no sales tax which I think is what the guy was going for.) Don't have his contact info, but for the Idaho titling process you need a MVR which I wouldn't be able to obtain. Also don't have the MSO/MCO.

Any help would be awesome.

Adam Weiss > Matt Brown
06/28/2014 at 17:29

Any help would be awesome.

boxrocket > crowmolly
08/08/2014 at 17:30

For me, I love in an area that requires yearly personal property taxes. If I own a roadworthy motor vehicle, I have to pay the county for the privilege of owning it, even if it never goes anywhere. Same story if you own a vehicle that is no longer road worthy but had been registered previously (and you can't get out of paying for it without a Bill of Sale). However, if you own an unregistered/unregisterable road-unworthy vehicle or most of the parts thereof, they don't necessarily need payment every year, which can be useful if projects take several years/decades/lifetimes as some do (one of my buddies has been working on a '72 Trans Am since the late '80s, and just got it running in April, though it was a total and complete restoration; interior still needs work). Some folks avoid any possible rule-breaking by maintaining a residence or workshop outside the county where that county's government doesn't give a hoot. But that requires travel time and effort and an entire second set of tools and such, and sounds exhausting.

crowmolly > boxrocket
08/08/2014 at 18:26

Well, depending on the area owning an unregistered/unregisterable vehicle can still have drawbacks. Some municipalities require all vehicles to be plated regardless of condition. Not the town where I live, but in a few nearby you can get tickets that way.

Coty > Matt Brown
08/08/2014 at 20:20

Live in New Hampshire.

/thread

rb1971 ARGQF+CayenneTurbo+E9+328GTS+R90S > Matt Brown
08/09/2014 at 16:20

"Second, if your car comes up as stolen, you'll probably lose the car, and the owner who it was originally stolen from will be super psyched that he not only gets his car back but that some fine young saint fixed it all up with a new engine and years of hard work for free."

I always wondered about that - it makes sense to me that you'd lose the car, but not that the original owner would get the value of all the work for free. I'm a lawyer so I could probably look this up (but I don't care *that* much) - seems like it would be something akin to a quantum meruit argument.

cjstangman > pdx107
08/13/2014 at 09:33

Registered and titled are two different things. In MI, you have 15 days to apply for a title and pay sales tax or you have to pay a fine before you can get a title, but you don't have to register it (get a plate) until you want to drive it.

RoverMan > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
08/20/2014 at 14:55

unless I'm missing something here you get your car inspected after registering to get the inspection tag...

Tohru > Matt Brown
08/20/2014 at 18:19

In Wisconsin you can just get a bonded title. I don't know the exact details, but it's been explained to me as: you give the state a bond equal to the car's value along with the title paperwork and title paperwork fee. If the car comes back clean (i.e. not stolen), you get the bond back and a title.

Michael Prince > Matt Brown
03/21/2015 at 09:36

I thoroughly enjoyed this article and your writing style! I am starting this process for a 73 vw fastback in Texas. Wish me luck!

Matt Brown > Michael Prince
03/21/2015 at 12:42

Thanks, and good luck!

Izaac > Matt Brown
04/16/2015 at 19:11

So I'm stuck in a dilemma myself. I have AAA so I'm thinking I will see what they say. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

My uncle used to have a car shop out in Texas. He was given a 66' dart as payment from a customer in order to have work done on a different car. No title or bill of sale was given to my uncle for the Dart. (customer is the last previous owner registered in like 1994)

Years go by and I find the car at my uncles shop and take it home.(2006) My dad and I work on the car together to fix it up.

So now Ive since towed the car to my residence in California and have had it in my garage since 2008. Should I try and get a Texas Bonded Title then transfer over to Cali or try to title it in CA with statement of facts and app for new title? I know that the previous owner (not my uncle but the last titled owner) is most likely deceased. Back in 2006 my dad got his name and address and went to his house, but the neighbor said he was put in an old folks home.

Thanks for listening.

sketchcat > Matt Brown
06/22/2015 at 20:26

Arizona purchased vehicles, couple years pass then moved to cali. they happily gave me new drivers licence and plates in CA. and of course collected years of registration fees.

personal issues have me now hunting titles for two vehicles with loans that were paid 3+ years ago. one so i could pass ownership to my ex wife, and the other because as far as California is concerned - just like the car for my ex, the second car is titled in Arizona with a lien on it from a bank and who wants that - i want the actual title for “Good Old Truck” in case i want to sell it.

three trips to CA DMV, three phone calls to AZ DMV, a bunch of forms for CA and AZ, multiple calls to the bank that held the loan to get documents form them.

took me months.

and that was only the suzuki, now i gotta to the same dance for my nissan truck.

i know the ropes now, hopefully it will go smoother.

all that crap about electronic transfer of titles that california talked about is carp.

Coty > Matt Brown
06/22/2015 at 20:27

Live in New Hmapshire, by car older than 15 years.

/thread

Confused Miata > Matt Brown
06/29/2015 at 21:18

I wish I could give you more than 1 star, excellent post. Thankfully I haven’t had any tough times at the DMV. The last time I was there they got my name or address wrong twice and had to reprint the title.

Alex > corvairsomeday2
07/02/2015 at 09:20

Is this company in Maine still open? I’m in a similar position right now and having a heck of a time registering a car that was previously never registered, only used on track races, however I fixed it up and want to use it on the road. Problem is the DMV won’t let me register it without a previous title or an MCO/MSO.

4x4finatic > Michael Prince
07/22/2015 at 12:05

If you don't mind my asking, I'm from Texas and trying to register a truck, did you have luck with these steps?

Afksforjays > Matt Brown
08/21/2015 at 00:54

This has been a ton of help. Me and my brother have been wanting to get into cafe bike building. Reading this article it sounds like you and I have the same thought process. My 240 is getting a LS1, because 2.4 is worthless. And our Fiero is getting a 3.8 SC after we fix the suspension. I like your style.

Nonka > Matt Brown
09/20/2015 at 11:35

In other words its called a Salvage Auto Theft Unit located in every state. Simply walk in to any DMV and ask for a SALVAGE Application.

The best state so far that I know of is VERMONT - you dont need proof of insurance you dont need a title( a bill of sale which you can doodle yourself or 907 from NY which is hand filled out) and the BEST PART IS that they GIVE YOU THE PLATES RIGHT THERE INSTANTLY that you can drive - Temp for 60 days until you do a VIN verification - meaning you come back to DMV with the car or to any law enforcement officer they walk out and look at the vin on the door done.

But the best question is can you REGISTER a vehicle and get a valid REGISTRATION without updating a title or transferring to other states.

for instance I have NY title id like to register a car in other state without transferring or updating the title and have the plates and valid registration.

Coffee&Soda24 > Matt Brown
10/22/2015 at 11:15

I’m going through some of the pain now, luckily I found this article! Thanks for the advice man, I really need to get my Saturn on the road “legally” but when I bought the car I didn't have the title and the guy I bought it from didn't get it from the person he got it from. So I called the original owner and he lost the title. The original owner is non compliant and could care less if I get the title or not. So I'll need the AAA and a third party from Maine to get a title. I have a bill of sale from the original owner, luckily!

CBAUCTION > Matt Brown
11/13/2015 at 01:13

Hi Matt I bought a 1956 Pontiac with bill sale only. Bill sale is from New Mexico, and car was from Arizona. I had the DMV in New Mexico run the vin came back clean, and they gave me a affidavit of vin paperwork. I live in Nevada but have POBox in Calif. Can I register this car in Calif. or Nevada. Thank you. CB

Tanya Lee > Matt Brown
02/28/2016 at 14:08

super fab article! I’m probably screwed with a 2000 jeep gc. also, no left nut to pay with!! AAA has saved my butt on the highway and saved me many dmv woes. and the dmv is atrocious in RI.

MsGee > Matt Brown
02/29/2016 at 13:24

So I also bought a car back in November 2015. The lady I bought it from told me she would send me the title, of course I trusted her. Well I have tried to track her down a few times in these last months and she says, “The car is yours, do what you want with it.” I cant do squat with it because I don’t have a title, it has No plates, and all I have is a Bill of Sell that we wrote saying she sold it to me, for the amount, and signed and dated. Unfortunately we did not write down the VIN # on it. The car was never registered in California, which is were she had it, this whole time. I’ve gone to the DMV and all it shows on the computer that is has a Smog pass in system but I cannot do anything without the Title...how frustrating this is...

So I do have AAA, been a member since October 2015, is this a good place to start, to be able to register the vehicle and get a title???

luvMeSome142 & some Lincoln! > Matt Brown
04/20/2016 at 17:21

Thanks for this! I was barely successfully stifling outbursts of laughter since my boss is just feet away from me.

Andy Sheehan, StreetsideStig > Matt Brown
04/29/2016 at 12:57

Great stuff. Also, I want to know more about this S600 project.

Correy Smith > Matt Brown
05/17/2016 at 15:16

Oh wow, so this is how you would register a car without a title. I always thought that this way would be hard and somewhat impossible to do. Reading this has me thinking about what Oklahoma’s laws on registering a car would be if I were to do this. http://www.rljonesinsurance.com/contenido.php?…

Lori > Matt Brown
05/19/2016 at 07:48

I live in maine

sdiesel > Matt Brown
05/22/2016 at 22:33

ok so the headline is eye catching.

but you mentioned nothing in that expose about the hillbilly (me)method.

A. run it with borrowed plates and claim it is your cousins car if questioned about funny paper work.. Two points here on this

a. make darn sure the front and back borrowed plate are the same , borrowed from the same car.

b. make damn sure the car aint stolen; or as one nameless soul claimed “ i fergot to return it”

also cover the landlord possessory lein,mechanics lein, etc. its a breeze. its a lot of fun to read about your struggles in the dmv office while we backwoods professionals (hillbillies, again) in Oregon have just licensed 5 cars with a lein and no questions asked, while you struggle to be (a). polite, and (b). procedurelly correct (the other p.c.). likely it was us in line in front of you that took so much time

Fiery red head > Matt Brown
11/29/2016 at 12:36

Matt, I liked the article. You certainly know how to chase down fixing a situation. So.., I have this one for you. My ex-husband refuses to sign the title over to me for my car. He has called the DMV and had them send the notice of registration to his address in Wilmington NC. The judge has ordered the car is mine yet, the order hasn’t been written up yet because my ex’s attorney is the one who has to write it up and then be signed by the judge. Therefore, my car which has been mine for 10 years that I pay all maintenance, insurance and registration on is at current in my ex-husbands name, and the DMV now thinks it’s located at my Ex’s address in another state that I don’t live in. My ex sent me the bill from DMV telling me I should pay it and registered it in his name at his and his girlfriends address. My insurance company of course has my address. As you can see I have a delima. Since My ex is not a good guy and takes great pleasure in hurting me and controlling me in anyway he can is there a way for me to get out from under neath him? How can I registrar my car that I hold insurance on solely for the last 4 years and has been registered to my home (house sold in the beginning of the year because of the divorce) I now live at a new address. The car is a Mercedies Benz CLK and is my only car therefore I cannot just garage it until at some point in the future his lawyer gets around to writing up the order. It’s already been 7 months. Btw I have AAA the gold package.

Thanks so much for any advise or assistance.

Kristina G

Danica9188 > Matt Brown
12/10/2016 at 00:10

Hi Matt,

My husband and I bought a Ford F250 Diesel from a dude in the OC. A week after we bought the car and before my husband had a chance to register the car the title was stolen out of the car (I know, what a ding dong for leaving it in the car). When we contacted the dude in the OC who sold us the car he tells us that he never registered it and is not the registered owner so he can’t help us. After dealing with the DMV and finally finding the registered owner by having the registration renewal sent to us we have been able to get ahold of the registered owner. He is willing to help us out but now I don’t know how to proceed. Does he need to complete the reg227? And if so what sections of it? All of it? Does it need to be notarized? HELP!

Also, would it just be easier to go into AAA (which i have!) and tell them we never received it? This is VERRRYY complicated!

-Danica

Matt Brown > Danica9188
12/10/2016 at 01:17

He probably needs to file a lost title and get a new one, then sign that one over to you. I’d go to AAA and explain it to them, they’ll have all the correct forms and know what to do.

jewels > Matt Brown
02/22/2017 at 09:56

Hi Matt. im about to end up in an insane assylum, ok here it goes , please help, ok we bought a2001 acura legend 3.2, ok when we bought it it had tranny problems , so it sat for months , couldnt afford to fix it, finally we got it done, got the title from the dude, and in all this bull$#%^we had to move , well we , not we (he)my boyfriend lost the title, we did an attempt to contact letter return registered letter to the dude, we got it back , dude moved from his house where we bought the car, cant find him anywhere , ok we found who the car was originally owned by (aka) the beotch from hell , went to her house 4 times, left to notes , finally she agreed to meet at dmv, here comes the good part , we get up to the window after waiting in line for about a gazzilion hours , and the beotch changes her mind , she wouldnt sign for a duplicate title, we got in a full blown argument , security all that good stuff, not im fuc##$and cant do squawt ,, im about to lose my bloody mind,,,, please if you can help me i would be in your debt foreverr,,, thank you ,,,, sincerly jamie sanders,, las vegas nv

Joe hack > Matt Brown
05/14/2017 at 15:24

I have a 1972 chevy I bought around 1988 or so to restore I never transferred title lost bill of sale title and vin plate that was removed when I replaced rocker panels .I never finished the project its been sitting untouched for 10 years. I want to sell it as is but with paper work. Do you think AAA can help me?and can I just sign up for aaa towing to get them to help me. Thanks hope this is understandable

PattiEAZ > Matt Brown
09/02/2017 at 09:05

Did you know that half the people in this country who have contact with the Cops, it’s because of a car?? NOT owning a car makes you much more likely to never have interaction with the police, and since stopping people for minor automobile infractions/the color of your skin is a major way some towns get money....no really, look it up about Ferguson, Missouri.....they do it A LOT! Ask yourself what it is really Costing you to own a car: gas, upkeep, unplanned maintenance/breakdowns out of nowhere, oil changes, tires, “INSURANCE”, car payments, drivers license, plates, and all the fees/renewals, etc. and then make an honest assessment of where you go and how often: work/play/shopping...... and how much THAT would cost you in the same month if you just called a taxi (and now there’s Lyft!) or paid your part of the gas with a friend going the same way. WHICH is actually cheaper? Do you LIKE riding a bike? great. Is there a bus stop to somewhere you actually want to go that doesn’t drop you off in the rain a half a mile away? Those can be fill-ins for when you afford the extra time.

CARAMELZ84 > Matt Brown
11/30/2017 at 22:14

I LOVE YOU!!!!! YOUR AWESOME AND FUNNY! THANKX BOO!!!

Molly > Matt Brown
06/02/2018 at 22:05

Marry me.