No title, registration in California?

[NutmegCT]

A friend has a 1971 TR, registered in Connecticut.

He's sold it to a guy who lives in California. California considers this a "non-resident" vehicle.

Connecticut does not issue title certificates for cars manufactured before 1981. Thus, current owner has no Connecticut title document. Current owner does have valid Connecticut registration papers, and has completed the "transfer of ownership" form on the registration papers. Those reg papers will be sent along with the car.

Will having no Connecticut title certificate cause a problem with trying to register the vehicle in California? Does California need any other documentation other than the signed-over Connecticut registration papers?

Thanks.
Tom

 

[bobhustead]

Somebody will need tho check with Cal DMV before they both wind up disappointed.
Bob

 

[Marvin Gruber]

Alabama does not title before 1977. I get the local DMV to notarized a statement that the state doesn't title before 77. That goes thru everytime.

Marv

 

[TR3driver]

While it won't hurt to get the statement that Marv described, the "transfer of ownership" form should be enough. They have a list of "non-title" states.

For my 2nd Stag, the CA DMV actually declared the old title (from OK) to be invalid, because the VIN tag had obviously been tampered with. But they still let me title and register the car, after assigning a new VIN number to it (and I assume checking that there wasn't a hit in their stolen vehicles database).

I also had no title at all for the TR3, and they gave me a new title for it based on just my statement as to where, when and how I got the car.

 

[justin_mercier]

States are required by federal law to 'accept' the automobile titling practices of other states. When i sold my Wedge to a fellow Alan from NY state, Rhode Island does not issue titles for cars older than 2001 (yes, even cars from the 90s dont get new titles in RI) So I gave him a certificate of sale, an odometer reading declaration, and my last valid registration papers. NY had to accept this, and since NY DOES title vehicles that old, they issued a new title in his name for the car when he registered it.

If you have a bill of sale, the previous valid registration, and an odometer declaration, you should be all set for a car from CT. They will want the bill of sale so they can charge tax, the odometer declaration so they can issue a title, and the signed over previous registration for proof that the person on the bill of sale previously owned the vehicle.

 

[NutmegCT]

Thanks gentlemen. He has his valid current registration, which includes a transfer of ownership section, and a "bill of sale" on the back. He'll sign the transfer and bill of sale, and include a print out of the Connecticut DMV webpage showing titles aren't issued for cars manufactured before 1981.

Funny that the CT forms don't have any space for odometer reading. Probably a good idea if he adds that to the bill of sale section on the registration.

Tom

 

[TR3driver]

Funny that the CT forms don't have any space for odometer reading. Probably a good idea if he adds that to the bill of sale section on the registration.

Not necessary, IMO. Just check the "exceeds mechanical limits" box on the CA paperwork.

 

[JKB1957]

I bought my 1960 TR3A from a dealer in Conn. I had no trouble getting the car registered in Calif. with the paperwork you mention. But you will have to pay an out of state entry fee, or something or other. This anount is approximately the same as the tax you would have paid if you had bought the car in Calif. Sucks. But at least you don't have to worry about the car rusting in California, and you can drive the car 12 months out of the year. Good Luck.

 

[cheseroo]

Out of state vehicles will need the VIN verified so they'll want to bring the car with them. Current registration papers should be more than sufficient. If the VIN on the paperwork doesn't match the VIN on the car (i.e. CP12345L0 instead of CP12345LO - zero instead of "O" type error), then a DMV employee will have to do the VIN verification. Otherwise, the entire transaction should be able to be handled at a Auto Club/AAA office. CA has a "Statement of Facts" form as a catch-all for any type of weirdness.

 

[FordFiesta]

The old rules were that the DMV wanted:

1. Bill of sale from previous owner, preferably notarized
2. Current registration, same person as bill of sale preferred
3. Verification of the VIN by DMV, peace officer, or authorized AAA representative

As a dual resident of New Hampshire and California, I brought in un-titled cars many times and the documentation above was always fine.

 

[BobbyD]

Here's a link to the Tags & Titles toolbox that SEMA maintains on a state by state basis. You might find some useful into at

https://www.bipac.net/page.asp?content=tag_title_toolbox&g=SEMAGA

or https://tinyurl.com/bvakosz