New Jeep, No Title

[SubSonic]

So, a bit of background. I pickup up a 1990 Cherokee with a 4 inch lift, Manual Trans, 4x4, I6 for parts. (Because my Comanche is a manual tranny, 4.0 h.o. but not 4x4, which is blasphemous...)

 

Well after getting this thing running (hadn't started in 6 years, but only 140k) and kind of put back together, (backwards,backwards,backwards, I knoooow) I've grown a bit fond of the the thing. So my thoughts were, depending on how difficult title recovery is on a vehicle in which the previous TITLED owner is unknown--I may keep the thing. The fact that it hasn't been registered/inspected in almost 6 years may help my case.

 

However, if it's a huge PITA, or extremely expensive... so be it, I'll proceed with Plan A :D

[Dechion]

You know, some years backa friend of mine bought himself a basket case motorcycle. It was only about 80% complete, literally half of it was in assorted cardboard boxes and coffee cans. He planned on simply stripping the rest of it, using what he needed for his other bike and E-Baying the rest.

 

Then he changed his mind and decided (for reasons that still elude me) to fix it up instead. Many many hours and a medium sized wheelbarrow full of money later he had it all back together and ready to roll. Awesome right?

 

Well, it was. Right up until he did all the work to find the previous titled owner.

 

Long story short, the titled owner decided he wanted the bike. With no signed title to back himself up the best my buddy could do was take him to court for the cost of the repairs he had done, and even then only what he had recipts and such to prove.

 

The guy even had the stones to offer to sell it to him afterward for more than what the judge had awarded in repair costs.

 

Not saying it would happen to you. Just something thing you might want to keep in mind. People can be asshats.

 

If you plan to fix it up, I would highly reccomend getting a title before you do.

[webbjeepxj]

I did a ton of research on this. It can be a huge pain in the a$$. I had some title issues, but I was finally able to contact the owner and work it out. It really depends on how the vehicle was obtained, what condition its in, where it is, and what state its in. I have contacted a company in Maine that specializes in this and they also do Trailer Titling, which was the services I used. They were awesome, I didn't pursue the titling because I finally had made contact with the owner.

 

yea and reading the post above, just because you have the vehicle doesn't mean you own it. Having the title means you own it.

[terrawombat]

Back when I obtained a motorcycle with no title, I researched my options. I remember there being a place in Las Vegas where you basically sent them the VIN, $150 and they sent you back a title. Don't know how - didn't really care. I'll see if I can find them or if they're even still in business :rotf:

[jimoshel]

Get a copy of 'Old Cars". or just do a online search. There's a dozen companies can get you a title, as long as it's not stolen, for fees from $150-$500.

[JeffN]

I once bought a toyota celica supra off a guy and didn't get the title right away, fixed the engine and he called the police afterwards and managed to get the vehicle back. If you want to keep it as a driver make sure you get a clean title in hand first.

[SubSonic]

Yeah, that was my theory on the whole deal. Easiest thing would be to track back the previous owner. (Who to my knowledge lost the title, but sold it with a bill of sale to the person who was going to part it out before I snatched it.) Perhaps the person still has his number.

 

I was however, able to grab the Texas Title Number, too bad I can't link that to a name. It also helps my case that it hasn't been registered in over 5 years so the previous owner can't want it that much ;)

 

However, it runs like complete dog*ish, and I'm not too compelled to drop money until I get the title sorted. But if not, I'll have a bad @$$ comanche, so it works out.

 

Edit: And I rand the VIN#, it's not stolen. But it does need 2 recalls performed--O2 Sensor, and Brake Rotors :banana:

[maddzz1]

In Rhode Island anything over 10 years old does not require title.

[SubSonic]

I wish that was the case in Texas, that would make my life easier...