No title bill of sale

Glorious66Gloria

New Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2023
Messages
11
Reaction score
2
Location
Savannah Georgia
Hello friends and family, so here’s the scoop I purchased ole Gloria via Bill of sale (GA).
Now I’m getting around to disassembling for restore and a buddy says I need a title to solidify ownership before restoring, is this so? How can I get a title when the DDS says it can’t be titled? Is it a lost cause
 
That's correct, it's always best to get the car "officially" in your name before you start throwing money and time at it. I always do. That might save a lot of heartache down the road.

Best thing is to ask the folks at the Georgia DMV, but it does look like you can register and title on a bill of sale. At least that is what it says here: Register a Vehicle
 
In recent times, I've noticed that if a vehicle is sold on a Bill of Sale, the purchaser allegedly can only use the vehicle for parts. If sold with a valid title, it can be then re-sold later on, as an operating vehicle. Check your state laws for verification! They CAN change from time to time!

Rather than talk to people who might not fully know of which they are supposed to know, you can usually find any and all of the state licensing information on the state's website, as to vehicle titling and such. Might be more kinks and whinks there than suspected! THEN you'll know how to best proceed and ask questions.

Just some thoughts and observations,
CBODY67
 
Good info. Go to the website, the clerk you get may not know the steps. It's different on every state. I'd say why they do here but it means nothing to 95% of the readers here

We know fastenal will haul freight. So I went in to a local fastenal to ask a question about this. The guy went off and said no way they would haul 3rd party freight, that's just crazy.

Well he was the guy that did the paperwork when I brought in the pallet. He was vey apologetic. LOL
 
Go to the website, the clerk you get may not know the steps. It's different on every state.
^This, on both^.

I've had to ask for a supervisor a couple times now dealing with the New York State DMV. One clerk had never heard of a Plymouth!!
 
Can't fault them for "being too young to know".
CAN fault them for not looking it up, though.
This guy was old enough! I'd say mid 50's. He was either a new hire or had bid into the job. The problem was he kept pushing the paperwork back at me and saying "needs a title". The car was a '65, came from Connecticut where no titles for 20 year old cars and getting registered in New York State, which is 1972 and older don't have titles. I kept pushing it back and finally said "get your supervisor". The supervisor was really cool... and asked me if it was OK to take a few minutes as this was an opportunity for educating the clerk. Of course, I know to smile and say "yes, take your time", knowing things would go very smooth from that point, which it did.

The clerk did misspell Plymouth though... and I didn't catch it at the window, so when it came due, I had to take it back to the DMV to get it fixed. That was actually a fun time as that clerk owns a '65 Mustang. She wanted another form of ID though... Some new state reg for changes. I had my CCW permit and showed her that. That lead to a talk on how she and her husband were really into "cowboy shooting" and that was pretty interesting...

The last time I was in there, the computers went down and I left... Went back and there were more people wearing ankle monitors than I care for, so I'm probably going to the DMV on the other side of town from now on.
 
When I traded a motor for the Gremlin in 2006, I wanted to be sure it would be ours before I did a thing to it. A buddy of mine had recently purchased a '70 Charger, dropped a new motor and transmission in before the Police showed up and towed it away; it was stolen.

I did have a Title that was signed, but not by the guy who had the car. In California, they have a 90 day Title Check Program. It cost me about 60 bucks, but it was worth it. We received a clear Title in our name, then we started gutting the car.

Don't know if they have such a program in Georgia. Then again, we did have an old Title where you do not. Good luck.
 
In California, they have a 90 day Title Check Program. It cost me about 60 bucks, but it was worth it.

Never heard of that how does it work? Thanks
 
In California, they have a 90 day Title Check Program. It cost me about 60 bucks, but it was worth it.

Never heard of that how does it work? Thanks
Had the information of the car, photos of it, the VIN, door tag, and the old title. Also had the last registration from about ten years earlier. You ask for a Title Search, then fill out the forms as they give them to you. As I said though, we didn't touch the car until we had that clear title. It sat in my driveway for three months.
 
The vehicle is registered in my name have plates and tags also insured, police did a VIN check not stolen. I’ll have to go back in speak to someone else. Thanks All
 
The vehicle is registered in my name have plates and tags also insured, police did a VIN check not stolen. I’ll have to go back in speak to someone else. Thanks All

How did you register it in your name and get plates and tags without a title?
In your first post you said the DDS (whatever that is) said it couldn't be titled.
 
^This, on both^.

One clerk had never heard of a Plymouth!!
lol when I got my title in Michigan the clerk asked me “What’s a Furry?” I said “it’s like the van on dumb and dumber” she believed me. Then I said “no it is an old car made by Plymouth and pronounced Fury” she just laughed and said “I’ve never heard of a Plymouth either” Made me feel old.

Back to the OP all states are different so check with your dmv. I did buy an old Studebaker from GA once and the guy had to give me his old registration and a bill of sale stamped by the GA dmv for me to get a title in Michigan.

In Michigan all cars have to have a title before it can be registered. Michigan does have a bit of a loophole if you don’t have a title. If the vehicle is more than 10 years old and has a value less then 3K you can file paperwork stating you are the owner and why you don’t have the title. They then run the VIN and as long as it isn’t filed as stolen you will get a new title. I did this once before on an old Chrysler that my grandpa owned and the title was lost for years.
 
How did you register it in your name and get plates and tags without a title?
In your first post you said the DDS (whatever that is) said it couldn't be titled.
It is my understanding, from buying a car from GA, that they don’t issue new titles on cars older than 10 or 15 years they just give you a new registration.
 
Geargia says,
For model years 1985 and older OR vehicles such as homemade, boat or utility trailers weighing less than 2,000 pounds, for which a title is "not required", a Bill of Sale is used to transfer ownership and is proof of ownership.

I bought a Geargia car last year with a bill of sale and Arkansas accepted that and produced a title for me. State police did run a search on the car.
 
There needs to be a national standard for this problem. Some states don't need titles for cars over 25 years old, some states do. Beware if you live in Missouri, those folks won't cut you a break.

It's a common thing in the old car hobby to have "open" titles. Don't do it; don't accept a car with an open title. And if you sell a car, make sure the actual buyer's name is filled out on the title. Don't let them leave it open. Get a bill of sale as well.
 
How did you register it in your name and get plates and tags without a title?
In your first post you said the DDS (whatever that is) said it couldn't be titled.
Bill of Sale, was notarized and presented with a copy of the previous owners registration and Identification. Yet the clerk stated a title couldn’t be produced.
 
Back
Top