Lost car title?

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An Aurora

Senior Community Member
Normally it's not a problem. You file the paperwork & they send you a new one. But I would make darn sure they have filed that paperwork before you buy. We bought a car off craigslist last year, and the guy told us the title was at his bookkeeper's house and he'd send it to us...yeah we're pretty sure it was a stolen car he was trying to get rid of. Endless problems for us, but luckily we got the car super cheap so we weren't out too much money.
 

teekadog

Active member
It's a lot less paperwork and hassle in the end to get a replacement title than to find out after the fact that you've bought a stolen car...

The price is great, almost too great in my cynical view. Course my dh used to work at a police dept., so I've seen this sad story too many times before.

If someone has taken decent care of a car, they tend to keep track of the title, too, yk?
 

nisi

Senior Community Member
Without the title, how will you know they are really the owner of the car, and they can legally sell it to you? Maybe there's a way to check the VIN with the DOT? If not, I certainly wouldn't give them any money until you're sure it's legit. Their story could be true - people do lose titles sometimes - or it could be a scam.

Besides, I'm not sure how OR works, but in WI you need the title to sell the car. The current owner has to sign the title over to the new owner. The replacement title paperwork is for the current owner to get a new title. It won't do the new owner any good.
 

cpsaddict

New member
I don't think taking care of car has anything to do with losing the title. I have somehow managed to lose the title to two of my cars. Both were lost in moves. My sister just recently had to get her car licensed in Oregon and it had a lost title. The person that sold it has to file all the paperwork and have the title sent to them. Then they must sign the title and send it to you. You can get a trip permit from the DMV, but they only allow up to 30 days, so you pretty much have that much time to get the new title signed and sent to you.

Good luck! That is pretty cheap! Maybe run a Carfax on it. I think that costs $20 or so, but it might be worth it.
 

TheRealMacGyver

New member
No title-no sale in my opinion. The title and a bill of sale is the only thing that says you own it. If they are the owner, filing for a new title is no big deal, so why would you try to sell without one? I would ask if they have filed, and if so, how long ago. I would "be very afraid" of this deal.
 

scatterbunny

New member
Thanks, everyone. :) My gut said "no" and it's good to have some confirmation. I'm a complete novice when it comes to car-buying.
 

Niea

New member
Yup, I agree, don't buy a car unless the seller has the title in hand.

But that being said, if the car is legit the seller should have no problem obtaining a new title. When I traded in my car in January, I discovered that I had lost the title. A trip to the DMV and $30 later, I had my new title in hand.
 

Morganthe

New member
No title-no sale in my opinion. The title and a bill of sale is the only thing that says you own it. If they are the owner, filing for a new title is no big deal, so why would you try to sell without one? I would ask if they have filed, and if so, how long ago. I would "be very afraid" of this deal.

I wouldn't 'be very afraid' of this deal if the guy was willing to take a deposit on contingency of the title appearing within a reasonable time period. He can either go in person or do it online. You can also look at his registration & make sure that in the eyes of the STATE, he's an owner of the vehicle. It won't show if there's any liens.
I'd also pay a mechanic to check it out before purchase to make sure there's no major issues looming on the horizon.

Somehow, even with due care, our truck's title vanished some time after our move to Germany. It was registered with the Army and their registration has a bill of sale/title transfer. But the new owner WANTED the NM Title just in case he ever returned to the US. It took less than 2 weeks to arrive over there with the haphazard mail system. So it shouldn't take very long to get a new one issued.

There's so much paperwork these days to keep track of, so I can understand how things get lost in the constant shuffle even when there's dedicated secure places that are supposed to keep them safe. :(

Right now my medical record folder is somewhere in this house and I can't figure out how that Encyclopedic volume can be hiding anywhere :rolleyes:
 

southpawboston

New member
well there is more than one way to know if the car is stolen or not!

1) ask to see his (or his daughter's) insurance statement... it will have the VIN of the car on it!

2) ask to see the registration document... it also will have the VIN on it.

if he can't supply you with one or the other, then yep... car is most likely stolen! i mean, c'mon, how can you lose all three docs...title, reg, and insruance!

if you can conclude from one of those docs that he is legit, and you're willing to do a little bit of waiting, the car could be a great deal!
 

beeman

Active member
Take the liscence number in to the insurance broker and do a search on it. You'll be able to find out if it's legal and if the plate numbers right. Make sure they replace it before you buy it though. You might have a nasty time about putting it through a safety if its a Canadian car (it is in Vancouver, so I'd asume its got BC plates).
 

TXDani

Senior Community Member
I would call him and ask for other types of documentation that would show it is his car. Like SPB said proof of insurance or the registration. Seems like a good deal though.

Beeman~ Vancouver is a city in Washington state right over the bridge from Portland.
 

beeman

Active member
After reading what Southpaw said, if the title is not the insurance/registration certificate, I don't have them for either of my trucks, or my trailer. Here in Sask. SGI honors the registration and signed document of sale, so if he has insurance/registration documents, I wouldn't worry about the title.
 

southpawboston

New member
After reading what Southpaw said, if the title is not the insurance/registration certificate, I don't have them for either of my trucks, or my trailer. Here in Sask. SGI honors the registration and signed document of sale, so if he has insurance/registration documents, I wouldn't worry about the title.

in the US, there are three docs:

title: MOST important item. it is like the car's birth certificate. you can NOT register a vehicle without one. it is kept in a safe place, NOT in the car.

registration: not required to sell or buy a car, but required to be in car at all times if the vehicle is "on the road". it shows that the car is legally "on the road"... you get a new registration document every time you "put on the road" a new or used vehicle, and you usually have to renew the registration annually or every other year.

insurance certificate: pretty obvious, it also has to be kept in the car at all times (in some but not all states), but it is NOT the same thing as your actual policy which you usually keep in a filing cabinet in your house.



backstepping to my previous post... okay, even IF the seller can't produce any of those three docs, even a service station invoice for a friggin' oil change may at least have the license plate # on it... that would at least be evidence that the car was legitimately his (but i would be extremely suspicious if he could not produce two of the three legal docs).
 

didymama

New member
in connecticut the seller has to get the title. not a big deal. it is FAR easier to have the seller go to DMV and do it. some times that give it to you there to.
 

beeman

Active member
I hear what you're saying Southpaw. Up here in Saskatchewan Registration and insurance are sold as one (so you must have both). Extended policies are available. Before reading this thread today I've never even heard of a car title, and when I bought my trucks, I just took in the old registration and Signature of sale from previous owner into SGI. Thanks for clearing that up for the setup down there.
 

snowbird25ca

Moderator - CPST Instructor
Hmmm, the listing was removed by the seller, I wonder why?

p.s. Beeman - I was unaware of a car's title too... in Alberta it's a pink slip for proof of insurance and then registration that shows you're the registered owner. When a car is sold you sign over the registration to the new owner and that's considered proof of ownership.
 

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