Need a title....

[marianne]

I just picked up a 2wd Blazer with no title. Someone on the board suggested Broadway title to me. Any of you have some experience with these guys? The person told me that they locate the previous owner to get you the title. Does anyone know how exactly they do what they do? Any other suggestions or possibilities on getting a title? I already ran the VIN through the state DMV and nothing. Carfax, nothing. The Blazer even has the old SC tag last stickered from 1984. Ran that, nothing.

Help is needed ASAP, so please post info if you have it. BTW, this is my first 67-72 truck, so wish me luck. Thanks.

Curt

[N2TRUX]

Check with your DMV and see if you can file for a lost or stolen title. If you have a bill of sale you should be able to get a new title....

[marianne]

N2TRUX,

Thanks. Yep. That's all I got was a bill of sale. The guy I bought it from actually got it to put the body on a 4x4 chassis, he, he. Luckily, I got to it before he could do it. Oddly enough, I spent a good 20 minutes talking to the lady at the DMV with the shift supervisor looking on and answering questions as well. But for the life of me, I cant remember what they said about the "proper paperwork" needed. If the VIN and tag number cant be found in their computer, can they still run a title search? Anybody from SC who can give some info on DMV stuff here, chime in. I dread having to go down there and wait without a solid plan and question list.

Thanks.

Curt

[RunTMCfan]

If all else fails ask DMV if you make some type of claim on the vehicle "hey I paid money for it and if no one claims it in 6mo can you issue me a VIN."

In CA we have small owner operator DMV/car registration satellites. They basically go straight to DMV for you and deal with all of this for a fee. More often then not when you have a title problem and you hire one of these places, they call you in a few days and ask you to come into the office. Guess what's waiting??? Perfectly legit paperwork from DMV but without all the hassles and time.

They tell me "don't worry, we know who to talk too."

Rob

[marianne]

I sure as h*ll wish we had a place to walk into like that over here right now

Curt

[RunTMCfan]

Some would call it a "boondogle."

Rob

[marianne]

Anybody else got any info or opinions?

[tomatocity]

Originally Posted by marianne

Anybody else got any info or opinions?

I don't know how it is in SC but CA if a PIA to deal with because of the high volume of people. Last month I went to the DMV and registered a new to me truck with new plates and took my drivers license test in about 30 minutes total. A month earlier I went online and made the appointments.
Earlier this year I was trying to buy a truck from NE and I called their DMV twice and talked directly to who I needed to talk to, no call backs or transfers. Be patient, if SC is easy to deal with I suggest you call them and find out what exactly you need to do and what forms you need. Ask them if the bill of sale needs to be notorized. If SC is like CA the information of any vehicle drops out of the active database after seven years of not being registered. It does not mean it is not a valid vehicle though that it has not been registered for more than seven years. Hope this helps.

[marianne]

Went to SCDMV today. Ran the VIN again through NCIC, the DMV'S "old" software and their new software which covers a whopping ten years. Nothing
at all. The lady told me that the only other way to check the VIN is through microfilm in Columbia. Gave me a form 5027-A, "Request for Vehicle Information". I'm still trying to figure out how to fill it out......There is a six dollar fee for any of the 6 options to choose from. I would think that all of the items are necessary, but it asks you to choose ONE....

She also told me that SC is a title state only and that they only accept titles for transfer of ownership. The other day I was told it was either a title or "proper paperwork". If what she said is true, I wonder what people from Alabama or Georgia that have a 1974 or earlier vehicle do when they move to SC and want to title and register their vehicle here. And I am wondering how this will affect Broadway Title's paperwork, because they have said that they can do titles in SC. What gives?

....Going to keep plugging. This vehicle is well worth it.

Still waiting for ideas if ya'll have 'em...

Curt

[marianne]

Tomatocity,

Thanks for the post. You must have posted right when I did. They said it would be three weeks before I would get the request for vehicle info back. But, I thought "what if the person's dead"? So I might just go with Broadway.
Hell I'm still waiting to hear back from them. Got my application ready, left three messages, and still no callback. Gotta find out how they claim they can provide services to a title state when they don't actually provide you with a title. Hmm.....

Curt

[chickenwing]

Boy you are potentially screwed. Went through this myself when I was a bit more trusting of man in general. Traded my truck for another truck. Easy enough, except I wanted to keep my drive train since it was all new. I did ask if he had title and was told yes. I never demanded to see the title before the drive train transplant. Get done and this guy hands me a bill of sale and an application for duplicate title.

Instead of another transplant I went along with it. He just lost the title right? Wrong. DMV said the truck was titled to another individual. They gave me a new application for duplicate title, a release of interest form and the last known address of the title holder of record. So basicly if this guy refused to fill out the release of interest, he had a legal claim to the truck.

It worked out. Drove out of town for an hour to the address. Turned out the poor bastard was dead. His wife came out to reminesce about the truck *ewww* and explained the truck was indeed stolen by a not-distant-enough relative. She signed all the required paper work and I was good to go.

Read over your states dmv site. You are very similar to what I went through. In order for you to get a title you are supposed to have the OLD title. No old title you say? The prior owner has no title either? So the prior, prior owner is probably the title holder of record. Guess who you are going to visit bearing gifts of DMV forms. If the truck was reported stolen, you could be out of a truck.

All is not lost. The owner of record may not be located. If he is not located you will get a title pretty much by "defaut". But that is another form.

Karma, dude, karma. I saw the dirtball that hosed me over about a year later. He tried to ball up on me because his oil pressure tube (plastic) had severed and he blew out all his oil and seized his engine. I reminded him that there is 5 quarts of oil in the standard oil pan and the size of the sending tube is less than a 1/16" around. Meaning he had one hell of a smoking mess before he ran out of oil. Wich means not only are you a crook but you are an idiot too. ....luckily I did not end up in the hospital for my observations.

[littlee_domn8r]

I think I can help you here, since I deal with this for a living.

On vehicles coming from out of state, South Carolina (and all states for that matter) require what the previous state required. If it was not from a title state, you simply need a bill of sale and registration from the seller. I would keep dealing with the DMV until it produces no results for you, then go to a title company for help. Here in South Dakota, all you would have to do is send a certified letter to the last registered owner, which the state will provide you for a small fee, asking them to send you the title. If the letter comes back, you take it into the DMV and fill out a few forms and they will send a title. From the sound of it, they have started you down that path, so go with it. By "title only state", I'm sure the DMV clerk means that they will title the vehicle, regardless of age or previous state. I have a current NADA title and registration textbook here in my office, so if you need any other info, just ask.

[smokekiki]

When I titled my Blazer here in Pa,all I needed was a notarized bill of sale.The truck was from a state that didn't require a title(Alabama).I am the third owner,and met the original owner who had the back seat in his barn.I know the truck was not stolen.
I worked at a motorcycle shop in the mid 80's that was owned by a certain"motorcycle club".Some of the members would steal bikes,go through a legit title service in Alabama,get notarized bill of sale,and then register the bike,and sell it over seas!

[marianne]

Thanks all. I think I will try Broadway. I just talked with a guy who heads the Charleston/Summerville SC Chapter of the Antique Automobile Club of America. Said he has a friend there who got his Kaiser titled in SC through them with no problems.

Curt

[shortymac83]

boy, I guess the DMV gives everyone the royal runaround no matter where you are!


there's nothing I hate more than the DMV.

[CG]

washington state is what you call a title only state. but the thing i like here is the state licenses small privately run agencies to do this work for them. i seem to always be purchasing something i dont need and i use the same little place everytime for transfers and tabs etc etc. when i bought my 61 lincoln out of connecticut they only use registrations not title. i took in the signed over registration and the bill of sale and the state issued me a title. this is one of the few things they do right here in my state...had to get a little dig in there, dont want the state getting all puffed up

[krue]

I have a friend that works in the tax office (where they handle titles in Mississippi) that helps me with problems. Nothing illegal, she just tells me the easiest way to wade thru the state's bs.

[marianne]

Krue,

Yep. The guy in AACA told me they have a lady that works in the DMV that gives advice to the club on that stuff as well. However, I am not in with them that tight yet. Damn.....

Curt

[PanelDeland]

Sounds to me like the Broadway Title company is a result of someone who spent so much time figuring out the way the state title system works that he thought there would be a market for the service.Once you know your way around the DMV rules and regs and know the forms you can probably do this deal a lot quicker.Maybe the Broadway people were laid off from the DMV and decided to capitalize on their experience and contacts.Good luck on your title and we'll see you at Charlotte in the spring.