No Title - Sold on Bill of Sale

[Corey Bowcutt]

Thank you all for the advice and trust me I am taking it all very seriously. 

After doing much research it seems a bonded title is a nice way to go if you live in a state that does that.  Unfortunately, Maryland does not.  It seems the only way in Maryland to get a title for a car with no title is to petition the court for a court ordered title.  Does anyone have any experience with this procedure? 

These are the times when knowing a good lawyer would really come in handy.

Corey

[crossboss]

Thank you all for the advice and trust me I am taking it all very seriously. 

After doing much research it seems a bonded title is a nice way to go if you live in a state that does that.  Unfortunately, Maryland does not.  It seems the only way in Maryland to get a title for a car with no title is to petition the court for a court ordered title.  Does anyone have any experience with this procedure? 

These are the times when knowing a good lawyer would really come in handy.

Corey

Run from this car. Not worth the legal hassles.

[FL SAAC]

Move on boot, move on

[tesgt350]

There is a Dealer that advertises Monthly in the "Autobuy" Magazine that has a Red GT 500KR Convertible for $99K.

[67 GT350]

"Run Buddy, Run"

Bonded, my friend went through that, not fun.

OK LISTEN: Who was the last person to register the car?
Current owner, if yes, have him go to his DMV and file for a lost title or registration. If no, the current owner will have to contact the last registered owner and have them go to their DMV and file for a lost title or registration.
If the car was ever registered it had a title or registration at one point in one of 50 states, assuming it is from the USA. If the last registered owner is not here anymore, then the next of kin can get you that title or registration with the use of a "death certificate" BIG IF, if not effort is made to do this, then there are much better cars.

[Corey Bowcutt]

The final chapter of my title saga.  This 1964 1/2 Convertible with a 260 V8, power steering and automatic transmission was just too good of a deal for me to pass up.  It is an original Skylight Blue with Medium blue standard interior.  It is an unbelievably rust free mostly unmolested "barn find" (I know people hate this term as I do but do not know a better way to describe it).  I did a tremendous amount of research and found the car was not listed on any stolen vehicle reports or salvaged vehicle reports.  These would have been deal killers for getting a title for the car.

I petitioned 3 states for registration records including Maryland where I live, Pennsylvania where I purchased the car and Nevada because it had a Nevada plate on the front.  All came up negative for previous registrations. 

I then proceeded to file a case in courts against the DMV for a "court ordered title" (Writ of conventional Mandamus).  It was a pretty simple process that cost me $165 to file the case and then another $60 to have the sheriff serve the papers to the DMV.

The DMV filed a motion to the courts for photos of the VIN which I happily supplied.

I just received a letter in the mail from the DMV stating the car has never been registered in any of the 50 states and therefore they are going to issue me a title.

I really do not understand why it was never registered in the US.  I can only come up with 2 guesses.  One, some states may not go back 60 years with their records, or two it was a Mexican car?  It just seems way too rust free to be a Canadian car? I do know the original DSO was Buffalo whatever that means?  The car was extremely dusty underneath with cacked up dust/grime around the engine, transmission and front suspension.

Needless to say I am very relieved.  I took a bit of a gamble but with the research I did and the condition of the car I felt it was a reasonable risk.  Now I can enjoy the process of bringing the car back to life. Great retirement project for when I retire in 5 or so years.

Corey Bowcutt

[Bill]

Corey,

    Some states purge their records after 10-20 years, so not surprised they cannot find "any records" of a previous title or registration. As for the rest, congratulations, you rolled the dice and came away with what sounds like a great project. Look forward to watching the restoration process as you see fit to post.


Bill

[deathsled]

Make sure you get a copy of the judgment entered by the court. And if there is a provision in your state get the judgment certified by the clerk of the court.

[Don Johnston]

Hawaii DMV kept records on 6x9 inch cards in cardboard boxes until the late 1960s.  All files were then copied to microfiche. Records over twenty years were put in storage boxes in a metal warehouse.  Over time all the microfiche files disintegrated and were lost so no records before the late 1097s exist.   DMV will issue new titles based on available paperwork, public notice in the newspaper classifieds and petition. 

[tesgt350]

Has anyone ever used one of these titling services like Broadway Title or getnewtitle.com? They presumably for a substantial fee get you a title in 6 weeks.

The car I am looking at is a 60s convertible Mustang.

Corey

A friend of mine used a Title Service last Year.  Many Hoops to jump through AND it took 8 Months to get the Title 3 Weeks ago.  It was for a 1996 Bronco.

[daltondavid]

Pennsylvania definitely purges records as early as 7 years of inactivity.