Getting A Title On A Bill Of Sale Here IN NJ Is a Real PITA

[DrumBob]

I've been exploring getting a title on a car for for a bill of sale here in NJ, and it seems like it's a major bureaucratic pain in the ass. It's pages long and requires many steps, notarized forms, etc.

 

Any other Jersey car guys here who have gone through this? Can you explain how it works? 

 

 

[Zimm63]

Lots of stories out there, no doubt you will get feedback from NJ folks. 

 

Hope you haven't spent a lot of money on it before resolving title issues.  

 

[JACK M]

Bill of sale is not really proof of ownership, either yours or whoever gave you the BOS.

I suspect there are stolen cars out there that peeps are trying to get paper on. This makes it hard on honest guys.

I see lots of abandoned cars out there that I might like to play with. We all see those that have obviously been parked for years, sunk into the ground left out to pasture. You get it.

How about the poor sap that buys a place with some of those laying around and he can't even scrap them cuz he can't prove that he owns them.

[Matt Harwood]

Is this a car you own or a car you are thinking of buying? If you don't own it, then I'd say hard pass if it doesn't have good title or a transferable registration. A bill of sale is completely meaningless--I can write one of those on the back of a napkin and that's about what it's worth.

 

If you own it and are hoping to sell the car, then you should go through the proper channels for getting a replacement title or, if you never had title, go through the process of getting the court to issue you one.

 

There is no easy route for a car without a title, sadly.

[1912Staver]

1 hour ago, JACK M said:

Bill of sale is not really proof of ownership, either yours or whoever gave you the BOS.

I suspect there are stolen cars out there that peeps are trying to get paper on. This makes it hard on honest guys.

I see lots of abandoned cars out there that I might like to play with. We all see those that have obviously been parked for years, sunk into the ground left out to pasture. You get it.

How about the poor sap that buys a place with some of those laying around and he can't even scrap them cuz he can't prove that he owns them.

Interesting about the scrap need for a title. Here in British Columbia , just North of you we can scrap anything at all without any need to prove ownership.

 I have never quite understood the whole Title thing, except I am sure glad we don't use them in Canada.

  They have been a complete P.I.T.A. regarding project and parts cars for me. Several I would have bought in WA. or Oregon State over the last several years, but without a Title I can't get them approved for export with U.S. Customs.

[R Walling]

I have been told that a car without an engine does not need a title to be scaped.

[1912Staver]

54 minutes ago, Matt Harwood said:

Is this a car you own or a car you are thinking of buying? If you don't own it, then I'd say hard pass if it doesn't have good title or a transferable registration. A bill of sale is completely meaningless--I can write one of those on the back of a napkin and that's about what it's worth.

 

If you own it and are hoping to sell the car, then you should go through the proper channels for getting a replacement title or, if you never had title, go through the process of getting the court to issue you one.

 

There is no easy route for a car without a title, sadly.

Both my race cars came from the U.S. and of course have never had a Title . Bill of Sale only like any built for racing car. { rather than a modified for racing, originally built for road use car } Are you saying I don't own them ? Quite a bit more valuable than many road going Collector cars. 1977 Lola, 1973 Elden F3. But no, I can't screw licence plates to them and run over to the corner store for a quart of milk in one of them. Actually a few Lola's have been road driven. But usually in the U.K. where these things tend to be easier to accomplish.

 What about parts of the U.S. that don't use titles. or States that don't issue them on cars older than a certain year ? It is all such a confusing mess to those of us not living in the U.S. And I spend a lot of time in the U.S., I only live about 15 miles from the Border crossing. But the logic of Titles is truly beyond me. How can something like this vary so much from State to State ?

Edited February 1 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[Bhigdog]

Seems like all the states are different. I've bought several out of state cars with BOS only. Not a problem. Some states have an age over which the titles are deleted. Here in PA they chisel the titles, once issued, in stone. Ya,ll be carefull...........Bob

[Terry Bond]

I'll bet this is the most discussed topic on the forum. All states are different. Everybody has an "opinion." Your best bet is to study your state laws and understand them then follow the process. PITA yes. No shortcuts, no good deals. What happens in any other state won't do you much good.  Let us know how it goes. That part of these discussions is usually absent.

Terry

Edited February 1 by Terry Bond (see edit history)

[Akstraw]

Not in NJ, but been thru the process in NC a number of times.  I think the secret (and my advice) is:  Don’t fight the system, work the system.  Read what the law says, and go through the steps.  Knowledge is power.   In the end, following the prescribed process is easier than trying shortcuts or work-arounds that are ultimately likely to fail.

[mikewest]

NY is very user friendly to get ownership papers without any backup  paperwork. I had a friend from Canada that retained a post office box in NY  to establish residency , and was able to licence in his name a car that he couldnt get  done at home. It took some time but was done not to painful and legal. 

[A Woolf]

This list shows the number of auto thefts by state in 2021.  Texas is by far the worst.  Does Texas require a title for automobiles? 

https://www.statista.com/statistics/232559/motor-vehicle-thefts-reported-in-the-us-by-state/

[TAKerry]

Akstraw hit the nail on the head. Educate yourself with the states rules as much as possible and walk through the steps. If everything with the car is up and up you should be able to succeed, it just may take awhile. 

I came to a realization about the DMV a few years ago. My experience is in MD. Every trip I had ever taken was worse than having teeth pulled. But then again everytime I went I was looking for a fight. Negative attitude figuring they would give me the run around. I had a change of  heart. When I had business there I made sure I had more than enough information. I went with a polite and positive attitude and have had nothing but success since. Last week I had to provide my proof of med.  required for my CDL. It was simply dropping off the paper work. I still had to wait in line at the info desk. No biggie. The fellow in front of me was complaining about a simple task he could have done from his home computer. Then when he got to the info desk his first remark was a complaint to the clerk. The clerk was polite and offered his help, BUT he needed the fellows registration. Guy got belligerant again saying it was out in his car, complaining all the way back out of the door. Completely his fault but the blame was directed at everyone else!

[Terry Bond]

I think this thread needs to be retitled to "What's the worst state to get a title in for an old car." 🤔 

[R W Burgess]

7 minutes ago, Terry Bond said:

I think this thread needs to be retitled to "What's the worst state to get a title in for an old car." 🤔 

and....which state is the EASIEST!!!  😂

[JACK M]

20 hours ago, R Walling said:

I have been told that a car without an engine does not need a title to be scaped.

Not here in Oregon.

There is a guy that lives near me that I give all my scrap to.

If you have seen the thread in the Chrysler forum (might be Dodge) I picked up an old, disassembled truck and am going to part it out and there will be scrap as well.

The scrap guy will take the chassis because it is quite heavy. But the recyclers won't take it unless he cuts it up, even though it is obvious that it was pulled from the briars and covered in moss.

 

 

[1912Staver]

It looks like this chassis has the desirable 10 bolt front hubs / wheels. See c49er's comments in the 1942 Dodge for sale thread. It might be more value than just scrap.

[JACK M]

Come and get em. Six wheels on the chassis. Bring tools. (air available)

Might want to bring some blocks as well as I still need to leave it on the trailer until my scrapper buddy gets home in a week or so.

I have to take it to his place where he will have to unload it with his forklift.

If anybody is serious about this, do it quickly.

Any parts you want to take off of this chassis will be free for the taking.

I might add that the wheels are heavy, the LR outer is already removed and I can't begin to carry it. But my tractor could probably get them into your pick up or trailer. But my little rig will no way lift the whole thing.

[1912Staver]

Thanks for the offer. But not something I need myself. But a good chance someone else needs them. If you were here in British Columbia I might buy the whole chassis. But not worth a trip to Oregon, only a few hundred miles but I don't need it that much.

[60FlatTop]

On 2/1/2024 at 2:59 PM, Matt Harwood said:

If you own it and are hoping to sell the car, then you should go through the proper channels for getting a replacement title or, if you never had title, go through the process of getting the court to issue you one.

If you have possession of a car you think you own go through the proper channels to get it legally in your own name. Don't spend any time or money on it until you do. The cost of licensing or titling the car before you start work has always been something I have heard a lot of whining about. Some save that expense for the last step of their project.

Years go by fast and those open registrations, jumped titles, bills of sale, if they can be found may not mean a think to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

Just a rule of thumb, get your purchase licensed. Pay the tax, pay the short term insurance, pay for the plates. Yep, you gotta pay to make it yours. If you don't do it for yourself do it for the family that will be so aggravated by people who won't take a bill of sale.

 

I may not follow my own advice all the time but I use fairly good judgement about how closely  follow the laws.

[Harold]

As mentioned previously, get your title squared away before sinking money into the car.

 

In New Jersey, you need to run a newspaper ad 3 times to give anyone 'with an interest' the chance to speak out.  If nobody pipes up, the State issues a title in your name, after sufficient paperwork is completed.  I've never done this in New Jersey but did a few paperless cars when I lived in New York.  It's very straightforward in NY, unlike many other states.

 

[ddavis]

One lesson I learned on the subject- in my state we have satellite DMV's that do certain title and licensing tasks, which may save time on simple procedures but do not have the capabilities of the 'actual' DMV. I purchased a 1932 Studebaker, with good records and title, in my attempt to get new plates they stated there was a new requirement to review past transactions and there was a problem uncovered. To solve they would need to go back a few owners and get the state that flagged it to solve the issue. We don't have much of a summer here in Alaska. I started in May and returned to 'almost a DMV' a month later (during this time I could not legally drive the car). When I inquired about progress they admitted that they couldn't really solve this and I should go to the actual DMV. Wish they had told me that a month earlier. Went to official DMV and they solved the problem in a few hours. Lesson learned.