karreyl

if i buy a car with no title but just has a bill of sale from another state will i be able to get a title?can anyone help me out with some info please?

compedgemarine

depends on what state you are in. In Georgia if the car is over 25 years (I think) and the chain of title has been broken, i.e. the paper title has been lost, then the car is sold with a bill of sale and a copy of the registration. when registered by the new owner all they get from the state is a copy of the registration. they will never issue a title in Georgia for the car again. if the car does not have a current registration then a bill of sale and a VIN verification by the police dept where it is coming from usually is enough to register or get a title if your state issues one. every state is different in how they handle them. I sold my 68 442 to NY with just a bill of sale, registration and VIN verification and he had no problem getting a title there.

okolds68

I would be leary.. I would run the VIN with the local State Patrol office to make sure the car is clear, if it is.. I know of people that have had the car impounded for 30 days and then a repo title was gotten for them.

oldstata

I would call your state DMV and see there laws in Utah even with a bill of sale we are required to get a vin verification by an officer or a safety technician which requires two location of vin

But no title even tho I have bought a few with bills of sales I always get as much info on the person that I can I would hate to spend the money and it be stolen or the ex wife's car lol

karreyl

i ran across a 1968 buick wildcat convertible project that a guy said he got on a trade.but he doesnt have a title only bill of sale

tru-blue 442

Several states have "Auto Title Service" buisness's.
You have some fees, and paper work that will have to
be mailed, signed, mailed back, more fees, but it can
be done.
I use Lawrence Auto Title Service in Taylor TX.
After all the bs, around $350.

joe_padavano

Every state is different. You have two problems. If the car you are buying is FROM a state that requires it to have a title, you will have MAJOR problems if you do not get a title. If the car comes from a state that does not issue titles to cars over a certain age, then be sure that is documented.

The next question is, what does the state that you plan to register the car in require? Even if you legitimately have a car from a state that does not issue titles, you may have trouble with your state. Every state's DMV has registration and title requirements on line. Do your research.

47 Convertible

I've bought one or two without title and got lucky. I quit buying with a bill of sale years ago. Not worth the hassle. My standard answer now is "You're the seller. Get a clean title and I will buy it." My experience and that of friends has been that people looking to sell a car without a title are looking to pass their problems along to someone else. It is hard to get rid of a car without a clear title. So why would you buy one, put money into it and then find out you can't get rid of it. Even junkyards in this area require a title to come in with the vehicle.

MDchanic

Wrong.

NYS did not issue titles before 1973, therefore NO 1968 car in NY has a title, EVER.

As has been pointed out, every state is different.

- Eric

Oldsmaniac

I bought a car from CT. Seller said no titles for 1966 cars only a sale bill. NJ DMV said that proves nothing as far as if the seller actually owned the car. Had to ask seller for a CT registratin card and that was proof of ownership and I finally got the NJ title. Lucky for me he had a registration from a former owner because he never registered the car himself.

MDchanic

The fun begins when you've got a state like Maine, where the registration is NOT supposed to go to the new owner, but back to the State, selling to a state like NY or NJ, where they require the old reg. in order to register it.

- Eric

442Harv

It's a problem in Cal. I bought a VC from New Hampshire, with does not have a title on cars, after like 25 years. Even though I researched the info, showed it to Cal DMV, they would not title the car, would not lissen to me, even when I show them the rules in writing. I finally had to take out a bond for the amount of the car, cost me another $150, but finally got it done. Cal DMV, is a pain in the butt.

66-3X2 442

No title law here in Alabama till 1975. How can another state deny registering a pre 1975 Alabama car with a bill of sale? You can't shyt a title if there never was one. These states that make you jump through hoops to register a car need to get their act together. That's what's wrong with this country,rules and regulations that make it hard to get things done.

Olds442redberet

Now I used to be real leery of cars without titles but that was until I moved to Alabama. Now if I want a car I have to follow the Alabama state code and Alabama does not issue titles to pre 1975 vehicles. But I have adjusted and actually become quite used to the idea of buying old cars without titles and over the last year I have learned how to go through the process. And yes! you can title an Alabama vehicle, sold on a bill of sell, in your state.

I live in Alabama and I have sold cars up North with a Bill of Sell. And I have yet to encounter a problem. That doesn't mean one will never pop up. And here's how I have done it in the past.

Example One: I bought a 1938 Buick here in Alabama and sent it to my brother in Indiana. He sold it up there to a fellow in Kentucky. My brother delivered the car to him, called the State Police for an inspection. He then helped the Police find the Vin tags (they are different from what we had in the sixties), and everything worked out. The happy gentleman took the Bill of Sale along with the Inspection paperwork down to DMV where they issued the car a title. I did surrender the previous tags and registration to the buyer in order to ensure a smooth transaction and registration.

Example two: I just bought a car in Georgia where they also do not issue titles to older vehicles. Before buying the car we called the Police to come inspect the vehicle and fill out some documentation. It took almost a whole hour (no time at all). After confirming the car wasn't stolen I bought the car and brought it back to Alabama where I was required to get an Alabama Police Inspection sheet filled out. I took the Inspection paperwork along with the bill of sell down to the DMV where the car was registered. No problems.

Being in Alabama I can't get a title on a 1972 Cutlass. All I can do is register it.

I do recommend documenting everything you can about the seller. I always ask for a driver's license and sometimes I even ask for a water bill so I can track them down should there be an issue. Mostly, I just copy the address down and document their phone number/or numbers and hand them back the water bill. I never write down their DL number, too touchy.

There are a lot of very good cars out there that do not have titles. If you choose not to buy it actually makes it easier and cheaper for me to pick them up. And I am finding that is actually the case. People are turned off by the lack of documentation and my competitors are few.

rand5204

As has already been pointed out several times, all states are different. This past summer I bought a '70 Cutlass Supreme from a towing company in California with nothing but a rather poorly completed Bill of Sale. The state of Wisconsin issued a full, regular title on with no issues at all. They didn't even require a vin inspection.

joe_padavano

One last comment. If the car DOES come from a state that issues titles for older cars and the seller has some "lost the title" story, RUN away. EVERY state has a very simple procedure that allows the legal owner to get a replacement title. If the seller cannot get a replacement, he is NOT the legal owner.

On the other hand, most states also have a process for getting the title to an abandoned vehicle. This is much more complex, but it can be done.