I need help with title registration info

[StylishOne]

Found a car last registered in ‘89 in Texas the owner is old and has registration but never sent in his title application .. is this hard to get? I’m trying to buy the car.

[DavidinCA]

After briefly looking online, in Texas it’s possible for a car to be registered to someone other than the owner, so it’s key to make sure the person you’re talking to really owns the car.  Is the registration also still in the prior owner’s name?  From your post, it sounds like the car was never titled in the person you’re buying it from’s name, so the next question is what proof do they have of ownership?  On the Texas DMV site I found the following comments:

 

“If buying from an individual, have the seller accompany you to the county tax office to avoid unwanted surprises. Before submitting the title application, a tax office representative can tell you if the title being signed over to you is correct and if it has any salvage or legal issues. You can also use Title Check to see if the title of the vehicle you are thinking about buying has any issues impacting its value.”

 

It also states there may be penalties if you don’t get a title within 30-days

 

In my experience elsewhere, cars can fall out of the DMV system after a number of years and it becomes a lot of work to “rebuild” the title as one DMV person told me.  

 

Personally I’d keep clear of it unless it is too rare to pass up.

[ABear]

Are you a resident in Texas?

 

If so, you will have to follow Texas DMV rules.

 

A resident outside of Texas?

 

If so you will have to follow your own States DMV rules, to the "T".

 

In BOTH cases, you need to consult with the State DMV or where you are a resident not via Internet forums to get the correct answers.

 

In BOTH cases, the SELLER should be the one that needs to "cure" the title BEFORE you buy it as the seller needs to prove they have full ownership and have the right to sell it to you or anyone else.

 

I would also recommend that unless the car is extremely rare (like the last one on this Earth rare), valuable, historically important (significant historical figures owned it) I too would steer clear of a car with a messed up title. Most vehicles especially built after WW2 were built in massive numbers, meaning there are lots of "duplicates" still floating around.

[StylishOne]

I live in Nj and the car is rare but no Duesie. It’s in Pa. 

[ABear]

I would recommend you seek help and detailed information at your local NJ DMV to find out how to properly handle the paper work BEFORE you hand over one red cent.

 

Only your local DMV will be able to give you full blow by blow detail as to what they expect and how they expect the title to be.

 

Handling this correctly up front will save you vast amounts of money and grief or worse yet, not able to register it for on the road use ever.

 

I the case of PA, yeah, I live in Pa, a messed up, incomplete, improperly handled title does cost more money and time. While it isn't impossible, it does come with extra cost and risk.

 

How NJ does this, I do not know and therefore the best thing for you to do is start at your local DMV, if they can't give an answer, find another DMV as not all DMV personal are well versed in incomplete or messed up titles.

[TAKerry]

Thats what is known as a skipped title. No idea how NJ handles it and like all threads, and there have been many, you need to talk to someone in your states dmv. 

[TTR]

This is not rocket science and following is about the best and only way to go about this:

 

9 minutes ago, ABear said:

I would recommend you seek help and detailed information at your local NJ DMV to find out how to properly handle the paper work BEFORE you hand over one red cent.

 

Only your local DMV will be able to give you full blow by blow detail as to what they expect and how they expect the title to be.

Other than that, asking about something like this from random strangers on some internet forum is just ... (I hope OP or anyone reading this understands).

[Trulyvintage]

3 hours ago, StylishOne said:

Found a car last registered in ‘89 in Texas the owner is old and has registration but never sent in his title application .. is this hard to get? I’m trying to buy the car.

Communicate with a relative

or family member of the

current owner and have them

assist him in obtaining a

clear Texas title.

 

Jim

[ABear]

18 minutes ago, Trulyvintage said:

Communicate with a relative

or family member of the

current owner and have them

assist him in obtaining a

clear Texas title.

 

Jim

OP stated that the car and owner are in PA, not Texas.

 

It was last registered in Texas when the owner was apparently a resident of Texas.

 

Nothing Texas DMV can do about it since the Owner is no longer a resident of Texas..

 

The current owner should have at a minimum at least transferred the title over to PA even if they were not planning to register it for on the road use..

 

That is what I do with out of State parts cars I buy, the first thing I do is stop at my local Notary, surrender the out of state title, pay the fees and then PA DMV will issue a brand new PA title in my name with my current address.. This establishes the ownership trail that I now officially own it. Yes in the case of buying a parts car, I do pay PA sales tax but that is a small price to pay if I wanted to sell the parts car after I get the parts I need.

 

As far as in the OPs case, the seller wouldn't have had to pay PA sales tax to transfer since it was owned by the person and they were changing their residency to PA, just a few small fees..

 

It is critical the OP goes in person and talks directly to their local DMV to get the scoop on how their States DMV will handle this.. It may be fine as is, or may need additional paperwork and fees.

[DavidinCA]

I guess the key question is whether the last titled owner is the current owner.  If the current owner has an old TX title in his name, then he may be able to obtain a PA title and all will be good.  If he doesn’t have the old TX title, but it was in his name, he should be able to apply for a duplicate TX title and go from there.  

 

If it is still titled to a prior owner, does the current owner have a signed or open title?  If so, he could try to title it in PA or if you’re feeling optimistic and don’t mind taking the risk, you could try to use that to get a NJ title.  If the current owner doesn’t have any title and wasn’t the last titled owner, it seems like you’d have to get in touch with the prior titled owner, and go from there.  

 

[Trulyvintage]

2 hours ago, ABear said:

OP stated that the car and owner are in PA, not Texas.

 

It was last registered in Texas when the owner was apparently a resident of Texas.

 

Nothing Texas DMV can do about it since the Owner is no longer a resident of Texas..

 

The current owner should have at a minimum at least transferred the title over to PA even if they were not planning to register it for on the road use..

 

That is what I do with out of State parts cars I buy, the first thing I do is stop at my local Notary, surrender the out of state title, pay the fees and then PA DMV will issue a brand new PA title in my name with my current address.. This establishes the ownership trail that I now officially own it. Yes in the case of buying a parts car, I do pay PA sales tax but that is a small price to pay if I wanted to sell the parts car after I get the parts I need.

 

As far as in the OPs case, the seller wouldn't have had to pay PA sales tax to transfer since it was owned by the person and they were changing their residency to PA, just a few small fees..

 

It is critical the OP goes in person and talks directly to their local DMV to get the scoop on how their States DMV will handle this.. It may be fine as is, or may need additional paperwork and fees.

My understanding of the original

post was that the current owner 

had the registration 

in his name but never applied

for a new title.

 

Hence my advice.

 

If - in fact - the current owner

doesn't have registration in

his name then he has no

legal proof of ownership

and cannot legally sell 

the vehicle.

 

Jim

[Ray62]

Since you are a NJ resident you may be able to get some help from the NJ DMV, as what I'm posting is only available to NJ residents. The local NJ DMV office will not answer their phone, even if you could actually find a phone number (which is nearly impossible), and they only handle things face to face if you first make an appointment, so bypass them and call the NJ DMV Special Titles/Foreign Titles Unit in Trenton. The phone number is 609-292-6500, when prompted enter extension 5064. I know this sounds amazing, but you will actually get a human, and it will be someone who deals exclusively with a situation like yours, and will actually be friendly and helpful. Good Luck 

[ABear]

1 hour ago, Trulyvintage said:

My understanding of the original

post was that the current owner 

had the registration 

in his name but never applied

for a new title.

OPs first post..

 

8 hours ago, StylishOne said:

Found a car last registered in ‘89 in Texas the owner is old and has registration but never sent in his title application .. is this hard to get? I’m trying to buy the car.

OP later added..

 

7 hours ago, StylishOne said:

I live in Nj and the car is rare but no Duesie. It’s in Pa. 

So, if we put the two posts together we get a bit more of a complete picture which could be interpreted to look like this..

 

"Car was last registered in 1989 in Texas by the current owner who is an older gentleman, he has a old registration from Texas that was never titled and registered in PA after the current owner moved to PA."

 

Better?

 

Of course my interpretation above is still a bit of wild arse guess but I suspect the current owner is the same owner that had it registered in Texas..

 

However, this does not change the advice to seek help from the OPs own State DMV on how to proceed, any other advice from forum junkies is not going to cut it no matter how you interpret the skinny details that may or may not be missing.

[Akstraw]

Agree with the general theme of the replies above.  One suggestion I might add is to actually read the applicable laws and ordinances of your state.   I was able to find the ones for my state online.  It took some reading, but you don’t need to be a lawyer to understand them.  It appears that the NJ MVC has a 12-step “Improper Evidence of Ownership” procedure that outlines what you will need to do in your state.

[61polara]

We get at least one of these posts a week.  If you want the real answer, go to your state's DMV and ask the question.  Based on what you find, go to the DMV in the state were the seller lives.  Any other answers are irrelevant because they will answer about their state, which most likely doesn't apply to the states your are dealing with. What California does in irrelevant to your post.

[John_S_in_Penna]

Membership in the American Automobile Ass'n

(A.A.A.) I have found helpful for transferring

registrations.  They can handle it for you and 

save you some of the difficulty.  They may have 

to check with the state for this situation, but

let them do the work!

 

And may you enjoy your new old car.

[ted sweet]

very illegal

[60FlatTop]

How many of you are in possession of a car that is not legally yours ?

 

Paper work still in the former owner's name or were there a few transactions in between?

 

Spending money on it? Or them?

 

Think about this stuff now. Twenty years ago I started putting everything I bought into my name immediately, even parts cars.

[DAVES89]

5 hours ago, 60FlatTop said:

How many of you are in possession of a car that is not legally yours ?

 

Paper work still in the former owner's name or were there a few transactions in between?

 

Spending money on it? Or them?

 

Think about this stuff now. Twenty years ago I started putting everything I bought into my name immediately, even parts cars.

Because of your numerous posts regarding title skips, I make sure everything is in my name, except for cars I'm parting out immediately, and then scrapping. By immediately I mean within the month of acquisition.

[64avanti]

19 hours ago, historical auto title said:

Lot of titles available if you're interested just let me know thanks. 

Buying a title that does not belong with a particular car and then registering said car using the VIN from the title is ILLEGAL IN ALL 50 STATES.

[StylishOne]

Guys you are getting way off topic into other areas. The guy has a registration in his name but never sent in the form for the title he is 86!  

I remembered some states only require a registration and I thought there were title services to get that done .. maybe I was wrong?   guess we just wait for the process via snail mail . 

[61polara]

42 minutes ago, StylishOne said:

Guys you are getting way off topic into other areas. The guy has a registration in his name but never sent in the form for the title he is 86!  

I remembered some states only require a registration and I thought there were title services to get that done .. maybe I was wrong?   guess we just wait for the process via snail mail . 

Let us know how it turns out

[64avanti]

Where in the hell are the admins??

[Larry Schramm]

34 minutes ago, historical auto title said:

Title and VIN 

 

That is not a title or a VIN plate.  That is a warranty book on the car and an original owner id plate that was used when the car went into the dealership for service.  I see the original owner lived in Yale, MI

[StylishOne]

Great.. but the car in question is from the 1950’s

[ABear]

20 hours ago, StylishOne said:

The guy has a registration in his name but never sent in the form for the title he is 86!  

I remembered some states only require a registration and I thought there were title services to get that done .. maybe I was wrong?   guess we just wait for the process via snail mail . 

The use of "out of state" title services are not well received or accepted by many states due to the process of doing so "washes" the title clean of defects like STOLEN vehicles, damaged/scrapped vehicles, odometer roll backs and pretty much every other illegal and questionable reason you can think of.

 

Most states now days will flag any titles recently issued in those States as bad which come from the "hot spot" States.

 

The jist of how a title is washed goes something like this..

 

You "sell" the vehicle to the agent for a "fee", that agent then registers it in their name in their state through their states DMV, then the "sells" it back to and now you have a title to use to transfer with..

 

Grey area? Yes.

 

Legal? Doubtful.

 

As far as your acquisition goes, it really depends on what YOUR state requires for proof of ownership as to what you or the seller needs to do.

 

Some states may accept an old expired registration as proof, some may accept an old expired plate and registration, some only require the seller to sign off on the reverse side of the title, some require no title and some like PA, require the seller to sign on the back of the title in front of a Notary as a legal witness and have the Notary stamp and sign the title as witness.

 

Did you contact your local DMV and go in person?

 

If not, why not? Getting the info directly from your local State DMV can save you a lot of hassle and headaches..

 

If your local state DMV recognizes an old registration from a different state then you may not need to jump through a bunch of hoops to get a title.. There is no way for most on this forum will be able to get you an answer that your states DMV will accept.

 

If your state requires a proper title and won't accept an old registration card then the seller would need to go through PAs Notary's system with the proper forms and have a title issued in their name and current address.. This process may take a couple of weeks, but some Notary's have an expedite service that may help speed up the process. Shame the seller never bothered sending in for the title transfer to PA when they moved to PA, the fees have greatly increased over the yrs and would have been much cheaper back then..

[DAVES89]

I don't believe how many responses there are for a question that comes up too frequently. The single simple and correct response is contact your local DMV. 

[ABear]

13 hours ago, DAVES89 said:

I don't believe how many responses there are for a question that comes up too frequently. The single simple and correct response is contact your local DMV. 

While I fully agree with your assessment, I suspect more often than not, most folks want to try what they perceive as the "quick, cheap and easy" answer route by attempting to bypass the correct and direct route which is asking and dealing directly with their own DMV which does often take time and money.

 

The quickest, cheapest and easiest route is to walk away from any messed up, skipped, incomplete or missing title vehicles, period.

 

Don't know what the OP considers as "rare", but I can honestly say that very few vehicles truly fall in to that category. When it comes to the term rare, it has been over used, abused and dragged into the ground when it is applied to anything that has been mass assembled.

 

I own a single digit 1900 car which was hand built in low production numbers and only 6 of that early manufacturer which only existed for 2 yrs are know to exist and it is one of only two of the same body style.. THAT my friends IS RARE.. Not a 1960s, burnt orange mass production car with 400+ cu engine and 4 on the floor gear smasher box..

[StylishOne]

Or it could have been something where a memory of title companies that might be helpful rather than dealing with an 86 yr old guy might be easier to get done and  no one asked for cheaper. . Then there’s always what if your local DMV isn’t open often and requires appointments or it could be just a Holiday . I guess the “rare”word can be used for  maybe a Tucker or DuPont surely  I should have said merely  “interesting “.. ?  
As  it’s worked out (currently) grilling Grandpa under a hot spotlight  he lost the title he had and is attempting to get a duplicate! And yes we tried local who finally told us only Texas could do it .. 

 But ..Not orange with 4 on the floor.. thankfully just another old car to save ! 

 

 

[ABear]

1 hour ago, StylishOne said:

Or it could have been something where a memory of title companies that might be helpful rather than dealing with an 86 yr old guy might be easier to get done and  no one asked for cheaper. . Then there’s always what if your local DMV isn’t open often and requires appointments or it could be just a Holiday . I guess the “rare”word can be used for  maybe a Tucker or DuPont surely  I should have said merely  “interesting “.. ?

In the auto world, very few States DMVs would have had or used "title companies". Now if you are talking real estate, there are "title companies" which basically research real estate titles (IE land, house, building) for things like outstanding unpaid liens or taxes.

 

For autos titles you generally NEED to deal directly with your own States DMV, not a third party.

 

PA may be the oddball with that rule, because you actually deal DIRECTLY with a PA recognized Notary service who is a "third party" who acts as a witness to your signatures and fills out and sends the PA required paperwork to Harrisburg (where PA DMV processes that paperwork). There is no "title company" involved in PAs chain of paperwork, PA DMV handles issuing , tracking and storing all auto title and registration info of on road vehicles.

 

As I have said multiple times, how YOUR state handles the paperwork or lack of paperwork is most important and the ONLY way you can get that info is to go directly to YOUR local DMV no matter how "inconvenient" it is to YOU.

 

Most States now days due to title washing efforts of non legit "title companies" in several key states that are lax with the rules have pretty much blocked acceptance of newly issued titles from those States..

 

People have gotten so used to the instant gratification you can get from having instant technology in their hands, they have forgotten that not "everything" is 100% online or 100% instantly available.. Heck, even getting my 20 somethingish  Daughter to use the stupid smart phone as a phone (yeah, like someone actually uses those to talk out loud on???) has been a uphill battle at times..

 

There are things in life that should never, ever be placed online, auto titles are one of those items..

 

Good example of this is a big software company that supplies specialized software as a service to auto dealers was recently hacked, breached and data stolen and encrypted.. 15K+ dealers affected that could not process new, used car sales, nor access their own inventory data for new, used vehicles or even parts inventories.. Going on now 3 weeks and still down, may be several months before things get cleaned up..

 

If the car is "worth it" to you, then have patience and go through the proper methods and requirements that YOUR state DMV outlines as acceptable.. Any other way (title company) may result in you paying for a large paperweight that isn't register able or drive able in your State.