GETTING A TITLE FOR A UNREGISTERED CAR

[dkelly]

I JUST BOUGHT A 68 CAMARO SS. THIS IS MY FIRST GO AT RESTORATION. THE CAR I BOUGHT CAME WITH A BILL OF SALE AND NO TITLE. THERE IS NO VIN NUMBER THAT I CAN FIND ON THE CAR. CAN ANYONE GIVE ME TIPS ON GETTING A TITLE? I'VE BEEN TOLD A BONDED TITLE CAN BE PURCHASED.

[elcamino72]

I hate to tell you this, but you just bought yourself a mess!

If there is not a VIN plate visable on the left (drivers side) dash and you did not get a title, you have a problem.

First off, I would call the person who sold you the car and demand the purchase price back along with any incidential charges such as transporation, etc.  You should also report this to the state highway patrol and have them come out and look at the hidden VINs on the car to see if the car has been reported stolen or if it was ever salvaged. 

Just buying a title won't do you much good as you still don't know whether or not you actually own the car you think you own.  It's a very real proposition that the car you have is stolen, salvaged or something else. 

Not a pretty picture any way you look at it.

[dkelly]

THANKS FOR THE RESPONSE. DO YOU KNOW WHERE THE HIDDEN VIN #'S MIGHT BE? IF I CAN FIND ONE I'LL HAVE A COP FRIEND CHECK IT OUT FOR ME.

[lakeholme]

Look at this CRG page:

http://www.camaros.org/numbers.shtml

When you talk to your cop friend, ask him about your state laws about purchasing classic cars.  Some states have very specific (and difficult for even an honest man) to help prevent the sale of those that are stolen, etc.

[dkelly]

EXTREMELY HELPFULL. THANKS FOR THE INFO GUYS. THIS IS A GOOD SITE!

[Gramps69Z]

Turn your caps lock off.  That makes it easier to read.

[opelitis1]

What happens if my car was stolen back in '87 and, having taken the theft insurance off it 'cause it was headed into winter storage in 3 days ,  I lost everything.
 Fast forward to this year and I spot, what I believe to be my long-lost "reported stolen" Camaro of over twenty years??   Is there a time period in which I can get back the car, or is the current unsuspecting owner protected now?
T.

[JohnZ]

What happens if my car was stolen back in '87 and, having taken the theft insurance off it 'cause it was headed into winter storage in 3 days ,  I lost everything.
 Fast forward to this year and I spot, what I believe to be my long-lost "reported stolen" Camaro of over twenty years??   Is there a time period in which I can get back the car, or is the current unsuspecting owner protected now?
T.

The current unsuspecting owner has no protection - you get the car back, and he's SOL. If it had been insured, the insurance company that paid the claim owns it.

[68Zproject]

I saw a recent article in our local fish wrapper that told of a woman who had a VW Van stolen 40+ years ago.  The insurance company paid the claim at the time and the car recently surfaced and was confiscated by the insurance Co.  The insurance company offered for her to buy the car back at today's value of over $26k!

[elcamino72]

Here is a link to a recent news report of a many reunited with his long lost '65 vette. http://www.azcentral.com/community/scottsdale/articles/2009/12/11/20091211corvette1211.html

[JohnZ]

I saw a recent article in our local fish wrapper that told of a woman who had a VW Van stolen 40+ years ago.  The insurance company paid the claim at the time and the car recently surfaced and was confiscated by the insurance Co.  The insurance company offered for her to buy the car back at today's value of over $26k!

That restored VW bus sold at auction last weekend for $35K, and Allstate donated the money to charity.

[68Zproject]

Sounds like a good thing to me. 

[lakeholme]

The really bad thing about all this is some states are passing laws to "prevent" the buying of stolen cars; and thus, they are making it harder on honest people.  But the moral of the story is still true: check everything out before you buy... and why buy if they don't have the title... or a VIN?!?

Kudos to Allstate for giving to charity!  That's a big part of most car clubs, too!