HELP........Title question for ya'll.

[THE COLONEL]

I live in Pennsylvania, and don't know if all states are the same or if each state is different pertaining to titles for cars.  I have a friend that's found a Charger to restore, but there is no title for the car anywhere.  Here is my question.  Is there anyway to get a Title for a Classic car if you don't have one?  My friend has tried to get a hold of the previous owner, before it was stuck in a field to rot, with no luck in contacting him.  The guy that currently has the car on his property wants $4,500 for it, but my friend does not want to pay that kind of money for a parts car, but says he needs the title to put it on the road.  Any suggestions on what to do?

[bad1032]

Look in Hemmings or internet search, there are companies that will do a title search and issue a new title if valid and not stolen.

[694spdRT]

I would be careful using those title companies, some states are red flagging any title coming through those services. The state that are aware will not issue you a title, you are out the money, and you might have a little explaining to do.

This may vary some from state to state but, my DMV explained the legal way to do it is get a bonded title for the current value of the vehicle. You need to get a statement from as many previous owners as possible and explain the history of the car. The state will then issue a bonded title and after 5 years if nobody has came forward with proof of ownership the bonding is then removed from the title. In the case someone does claim ownership the bond is in force to cover the value. I don't know legally what happens if the person would actually want the car back after a restoration or money was spent on it.     

[bull]

You really have to weigh the good and bad that can happen with this scenario. I think if you do use one of these services it tends to require some amount of deception when it comes to registering the car, even if it is legal. I considered doing it too on a '68 4spd R/T that was for sale with no title back when I was in the market to buy. I just decided it wasn't worth the hassle. Back in the late '80s I bought a '68 R/T for $50 with no engine, trans or title but back then the laws weren't so tight and you could actually get the DMV to help you search for the last previous owner. I did that and drove across the state to find the last registered owner so I could get his signature. That doesn't happen now days.