Buying a car with a bill of sale only and no title

[Charger440RDN]

I live in Illinois and I'm looking at a Charger from Alabama. The seller has the bill of sale and certificate of origin  but he never titled the car when he bought it several years ago, he put it in storage. He said the state of Alabama does not issue titles for cars older than 1975.  

Has anyone here ever titled a car from Alabama or Georgia in one of these states like Illinois that require a title?  I was just wondering if it's safe to fork over the money on a car with no title. I don't trust the Illinois DMV at all.
 

[Daytona R/T SE]

I'm in Illinois. I used a title service to title one of my cars a few years ago.  The title service provided me with paperwork from Alabama. The Illinois DMV didn't have a problem with it at all, Sailed right through.  I believe the seller has the paperwork you need, worst case scenario is you may have to have him register the car in Alabama and then give you that registration to take to your DMV...I'd stop by your local friendly DMV office and ask them what to do.

[Vainglory, Esq.]

There is a court case that says that each state must respect the titling laws of each other state.  However, that does not mean that the Illinois DMV will not give you the run around.

I was in the same situation as you, and I went through the system for four months, and only now have I heard that Minnesota is issuing me a title.  I don't think you need to avoid buying the car; just don't put any money into it until you get everything squared away with the title.

[Charger440RDN]

I'm in Illinois. I used a title service to title one of my cars a few years ago.  The title service provided me with paperwork from Alabama.

What is the name of the company you used? I heard of one called Broadway title. The seller said he used something called a surety bond to get a title before on a different car.

[Daytona R/T SE]

International title service

[b5blue]

I have bought 3 vehicles with no title...2 of them, a 57 Chevy pickup and a 65 conv. Falcon had issues and were lost causes due to the numbers for I.D.! The 3rd a 1980 Dodge pickup cost 250.00 and took 3-4 months to get a Fl. title. I.D. numbers and verifying the car was never stolen or ownership deputed, abandoned, involved in an estate or mechanics lean, unpaid loan ect. are the pitfalls. I know of many cars sold this way and no problems at all but there is some risk. Allow for 250-500 for title and possible delays. Be certain that the car has all it's I.D. numbers as the first step...the step I missed 2 times as the car must be positively identified by these numbers to even start the process.     

[nvrbdn]

i bought one from michigan. i called the state and they gave me a web sight where they had the proper forms to fill out.then i mailed to them after i filled in the info. they did the checks in their state and mailed me the proper papers to take to illinois for a title. i dont think they charged much for the work either. made it easy and illinois had no prob. got my title quick.

[Brock Lee]

When I moved to Indiana, the DMV (called BMV here)  gave me a form to have a police officer fill out after he inspected the car and ran a VIN check. After supplying them with that paperwork, they gave me a registration and plate and my title was in the mail a few weeks later. The only "odd" thing looking at the title is it does not list a previous owner. It is blank there.

[ACUDANUT]

 What is up with all these a__ Holes not having a Title for their Car they want to sell.....STOLEN

[Brock Lee]

There are several states that will not title a car after it reaches a certain age. All they want to see is a bill of sale when you go register it. Show up with a title and they will hand it back to you. Most of these title companies have a branch or an office located in one of these states and register the car on the bill of sale, then transfer it to a title state.

[MRHWS]

When I moved from Alabama to Florida in '92, I brought my '56 Chevy along. Like said earlier, Alabama didn't start titling cars until later, like the 70s. I did have it registered and tagged in Alabama and Florida accepted the registration as the legal title. I did have to furnish pictures, a pencil trace of the vin door plate and give a value for state taxes.

[moparstuart]

When I moved from Alabama to Florida in '86, I brought my '56 Chevy along. Like said earlier, Alabama didn't start titling cars until later, like the 70s. I did have it registered and tagged in Alabama and Florida accepted the registration as the legal title. I did have to furnish pictures, a pencil trace of the vin door plate and give a value for state taxes.

new york state only has registation cards on older cars  no titles

i bought the birdible from long island and missouri gave me a title no problem

[694spdRT]

When these states use a "bill of sale" only is it a state issued form of some type or does scribling on a napkin count?  

BTW: Wisconsin DMV is not very friendly when it comes to "Title" companies.

[ACUDANUT]

When I moved from Alabama to Florida in '86, I brought my '56 Chevy along. Like said earlier, Alabama didn't start titling cars until later, like the 70s. I did have it registered and tagged in Alabama and Florida accepted the registration as the legal title. I did have to furnish pictures, a pencil trace of the vin door plate and give a value for state taxes.

new york state only has registation cards on older cars  no titles

i bought the birdible from long island and missouri gave me a title no problem

Stu, But I thought you lived in Kansas ?

[moparstuart]

When I moved from Alabama to Florida in '86, I brought my '56 Chevy along. Like said earlier, Alabama didn't start titling cars until later, like the 70s. I did have it registered and tagged in Alabama and Florida accepted the registration as the legal title. I did have to furnish pictures, a pencil trace of the vin door plate and give a value for state taxes.

new york state only has registation cards on older cars  no titles

i bought the birdible from long island and missouri gave me a title no problem

Stu, But I thought you lived in Kansas ?

I do live in kansas but I own a house in missouri and a buisness , so all my classic cars are registered in Missouri

[ACUDANUT]

 Sounds like a good option to have. 

[Brock Lee]

When these states use a "bill of sale" only is it a state issued form of some type or does scribling on a napkin count?  

BTW: Wisconsin DMV is not very friendly when it comes to "Title" companies.

It can be written on anything and they don't even look to make sure the signatures are different. Back home guys would sell each other old cars on the spot and the buyer would "make" his bill of sale before going to the DMV. The only info they really care about is the registrants personal info, VIN # and mileage.

[694spdRT]

When these states use a "bill of sale" only is it a state issued form of some type or does scribling on a napkin count?  

BTW: Wisconsin DMV is not very friendly when it comes to "Title" companies.

It can be written on anything and they don't even look to make sure the signatures are different. Back home guys would sell each other old cars on the spot and the buyer would "make" his bill of sale before going to the DMV. The only info they really care about is the registrants personal info, VIN # and mileage.

It would seem a valid registration then represents ownership. Is that correct?

What if there is no registration? How does ownership really get verified? I can't title anything in Wisconsin without an ownership trail.

[Brock Lee]

It would seem a valid registration then represents ownership. Is that correct?

Well, a current/up to date registration represents current ownership, but many old cars are traded without being recently registered. Often they are years out of registration and had several "in between" owners that were never official. They will run a VIN check, which is immediate. They check to see if it is currently registered, if so does the name match the bill of sale, if not currently registered, is it stolen. Once cleared, they create the new owners registration and hand you a set of plates...done deal.

This is a VERY flawed system. I had unrestored cars stolen from me I never registered (they were far from street worthy, and they had to be insured and pass inspection), thus I had no legal proof other than bills of sales stating they were mine. The police told me to talk to a lawyer. When I relocated, getting real titles for my cars was a major relief.