Does anyone know anything about getting titles for a car?

The guy that I am buying the car from only has a lien packet. Can I get a title from this?

If I can get a title by having the lien packet, what do I have to do and what should I make sure is in the packet he gives me?

Also, does anyone know if the registration fee will be outrageous because it hasn't been registered since 1987.

 

well if the car is paid off, the owner should have the title. so when you buy the car from him, he should just give you the title by signing the back, aka pink slip (or, if youre 2 fast 2 furious, you could race him for pink slips).

or if he hasnt paid the car off yet, and you are paying the whole thing in cash, then you could get the title from his bank/financier when you pay it off.

and if you are simply taking over payments, then you cant get the title, the financier still holds it.

 

Its an old 72 el camino that I would be buying in cash for a big amount of $500. I don't think it is going to happen (doesnt run and is 1.5 hours away and I don't have a truck or trailer) but I'd still like to know this.

 

oh, then most likely its paid off. so when you go buy it, he should just give you the pink slip. and if he doesnt have it (e.g. its in his safe deposit box or something), then wait until he has it in hand, and then give him the money.

 

I don't know what a lein packet is.

For cars that have leinholders on them, you have to be careful. If there is still money owed to
the bank for this car, then they can still take the car away. It does not matter who is in possession of
it or who the registered owner is. The bank (or whoever) is the lienholder and they are the ones
who really own the car.

Now, given that it's a 1982 car, the chances that money is still owed on it is probably slim.
You can/should contact the leinholder and ask. In most cases they will just give you the title.
Or better yet, tell the seller your not going to buy the car without the title.

About registration, yes, that could be a problem as well. If it's registered non-operational, then
it's only the regular registration fee. If someone just put it in their back yard and did not pay
the registration for 10 years, then you are going to owe some money.

 

He does not have the title. That is why I was asking this.

All he has is "a lien packet from the towyard". He bought it from a towyard.

 

what confuses me is why the seller would not have the title. i mean, if he bought it from a towyard, and he does not have the title, does that mean he borrowed money from his bank to buy it from the towyard, which would mean his bank has the title? or he financed it from the towyard and they have the title, which is impossible.

either way, tell him you wont buy the car until he has the title in hand. meaning, its in his possession and he could give it to you. or what you could do is show up with him at his bank to pay off his loan, which would allow the bank to release the title to you.

 

you can always call DMV and tell them your situation and they'll tell you what forms you'll need. most likely you'll just fill out a "Duplication/Transfer Title" form.

I recently purchased an used vehicle and the guy just finished paying it off so he doesn't have the title. AND the DMV record still shows a lien on it. So we fillout the "Duplication/Transfer Title" form and had his bank fillout the "Title Release" form. And we also did two Bill of Sale (one from me and one from DMV). We walked in, turn-in the paperwork and it was done. Well, I had to go back later, because smog was done more than 90 days ago. But after that, I got the registration with my name on it and NO lien holders.

BTW, DMV can always tell if he really has the title or not and if there is a lien on it or not. If he has the title (even no paper title) according to the computer and if the record shows no lien holder, you are good to go!

Hope this helps, and good luck!