NEED HELP! Need to register car I bought. No title.

[esar20foo]

Long story short, bought an s13 from a friend that he had for maybe a year. Now it turns out that he never registered it under his name and says he can't find the title he got when he bought it. He doesn't have the owners phone number, but he says we can go to his house and "see if he still lives there" I'm starting to think he's full of shit and we may not be able contact the original owner. I guess I'm looking see if anybody here has been in this situation and what they did to register the vehicle. Or if anybody has some expertise in getting titles for a car. I really wanna keep it. Going through the trouble of pulling my sr and other parts out so I can return the car demand my money back is really last resort.

[ManoNegra]

You are fucked pretty much.
'Friend' has your money so he doesn't really have the incentive to do anything about the situation.
Let this be a lesson, never hand out money without getting a title back on the spot.
You'd be surprised how people you thought you knew well act once money is on their pocket.

[esar20foo]

Lesson learned for sure. But what now? The car is just never to be registered again. There has to be another way. Like when people find abandoned cars. Or cars that are left at a shop with unpaid work. I'm thinking like a lean sale or something.

[Primo's Silvia]

Hmmm just get the vin and try to see if the dmv can help you, just be prepared flr those fees..

[Frank_Jaeger]

The following is theoretically possible and I don't condone it:
Make friends with someone who tows. After they "impound" your car for a length of time, they can get a new title from the state. At least that's how it works in FL. Then transfer it into your name, pay some taxes, and you're good to go.

Assuming the car is rightfully possessed (i.e. not stolen) I don't see anything morally wrong with such a scenario.

Also if your "friend" knew he didn't have the title or never had a title then he's not your friend.

[2slow2go]

yeah i think an abandoned vehicle is after a couple years of not being registered or something. but yea... never buy a car without a title come on..

[Rustys14]

In most states you can file for an abandonment title if you follow the a set process and submit the correct forms outlined by DMV guidelines. I have titled and flipped several vehicles that people were pretty much giving away due to lost titles. In most states the general process is as follows.

1. After the vehicle has been on your personal property for a certain amount of time (in VA its 48 hours) you file a form notifying of your intent to remove the vehicle that is then sent via the DMV to the last known owner of the vehicle in DMV records.

2. You then wait a period of time (in VA it is 10 days) for the last known owner to respond and remove the vehicle, if there is no response and the vehicle has not been removed you then file a notice of intent to auction that is posted on the DMV public domain for another period of time (usually 30 days).

3. After the scheduled auction date passes you can then take the receipt from the certified letter along with the forms you filled out for the intent to auction and the DMV will give you a title for the vehicle. In some states it will be an abandonment title (similar to a salvage title) and in others it will be a clean title.

However, since you are from CA your pretty much screwed. In CA an abandoned vehicle can not be registered and given normal plates after a notice of abandonment has been filed. You can however register it with historic plates if the vehicle qualifies for such plates. Here is the section code that applies:

An abandoned vehicle disposed of pursuant to VC §22851.3 may not be reconstructed or made operable unless it qualifies for Horseless Carriage or Historical Vehicle license plates. (VC§5004)

Here is a link to the CA guidelines for vehicle abandonment if you want to check it out:
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/portal/wcm/connect/df58b076-6c1c-42f9-bcc4-3075dba6cf94/chapter5.pdf?MOD=AJPERES

I haven't lived in CA for awhile now and I'm too lazy to fully read through the guidelines above to see if anything has changed but I doubt it has...

Fun fact: If I remember correctly, the only caveat in CA that would allow an abandoned vehicle to be registered with normal plates again would be to send it to a state penitentiary to be restored by inmates for donation to families in need.

[esar20foo]

Very useful information rusty. Thank you very much. Reading through the Ca guidelines, it seems that after declaring it an abondened vehicle is to scrap it or sell it to a dismantler. So filing for a lien sale due to unpaid services or storage seems like the way to go. The vehicle isn't stolen or anything so i may try this route if we cannot contact the original owner.

[Rustys14]

No Problem! I'm feeling generous today so here is a link to the California lien process as well as whats needed to register the vehicle afterwards. Enjoy!

https://apps.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/reg_hdbk_pdf/ch18_Lien_Sales_Abandoned_Abated_Vehicles.pdf

[esar20foo]

Awesome. If you were local I'd buy you beer.

[cixinmrigle]

You'd be surprised how people you thought you knew well act once money is on their pocket.http://goo.gl/6OBlWi

[esar20foo]

Update on this incase someone runs in to the same problem. Got the tags for the car and the new title is on it's way. When i went to the dmv they couldn't do shit for me without the title or a signed and notarized release of interest form from the last registered owner. Not being able to contact the last owner, I would have to send a release of information form to main dmv office in Sacramento. They would then send me the current address of the owner and i would have to send him a release of interest form in a registered letter. He would either sign it and send back, contest the claim, or it would have be returned unopened if he no longer lived there. If i did not receive anything back i would have to wait 30 days after sending the letter before starting the process transferring the title to my name. So it's not impossible it's just a pain and could take months.
I skipped all this bullshit. I went to a guy that runs his own dmv registration service. He took care of it for me and had the tags at his office the day after I smogged the car. If any of you guys need any help with a similar situation pm me and I can send you his contact info.

[sw20>>s14]

That's pretty awesome. I'm guessing there's a bit of shady stuff going on too, but who am I to judge. Does this guy do legwork remotely too or only for locals? Might be good to have his info handy.