Lost Title Woes

[BillyBud]

My Spridget was titled in NJ way back in 1970 and I have lost the paper and it seems anything else connected to it. No registration, insurance papers etc. Nada.

I’ve had many calls with NJ DMV and they can’t find anything that old, which I guess is expected but also a little surprising to me. It just doesn’t exist as far as they are concerned.

So, I think I have to start the long and arduous ordeal of getting a new title in Colorado through something called the bonding process. Ugh. I got a packet that looks like I am going to need a lawyer to decipher.

Anyone else gone through a similar problem and can offer advice? I know there are title recover companies out there to help with this and some kind of loophole of going through Vermont, but not much else. This may end up being the hardest part of getting this car back on the road.

 

[NutmegCT]

Bill - earlier you said you'd had the car since 1974. So you've never changed to a Colorado title since then?

State registration systems often get "creative" in assigning registrations. Each state has its own computer-format for VIN, title, etc. DMV clerks often just guess at VIN and old title data.

Has your DMV search all the possible interpretations of the "VIN" for your car?

Here in CT, sometimes clerks will omit spaces between letters/numbers, chop off the end of the number, disregard the letters at the beginning of a number, etc. And titles are not even required (or recorded) for cars over 25 years old. You only get a certificate of "no title".

https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/DMV/titleletterpdf.pdf

You might get something similar from CO DMV.

Tom M.

 

[Gliderman8]

About 25 years ago I had a similar problem with a motorcycle. I ended up using a title company in Texas. The short story was that I sold them my motorcycle for $1. They then registered it in their name in New Hampshire where all they required was a bill of sale. Once they got the New Hampshire title they signed it over to me and I was able to register it in Pennsylvania.
Since then I believe that this "loophole" has been closed. Good luck getting it titled.

 

[BillyBud]

Nutmeg, nope, never titled the car since I put it in storage around 1975. So the only title was the NJ one in 1970. I have looked through every piece of paper in my house and not found much, not anything that would establish ownership. I even managed to find the name and address of the guy I bought it from in 1970 and as luck would have it he just died in 2018! I think Vermont even requires a bill of sale, so that's out. I tried all the variations of AN5L/10500 with the NJ DMV and they had nothing. Typically they leave out the "/".

 

[NutmegCT]

Bill - was it ever listed on any insurance? Was it ever listed on a property tax statement?
Tom M.

 

[pdplot]

Do you even need a title for a 1970 car? Maybe you can bluff your way through the process with the MVD. The guy/gal you talk to may not be familiar with old cars. Act like you know what you're doing. It might work. My title has an extra digit.

 

[Madflyer]

Try a wrecking yard to get a salvage title as if you bought it from them. Some people drop off old cars that still run. DMV will need an insp. to get back on the road but paper work will start. I knew a guy that was the only cars he bought when they quit just tow it in for another one. It's a try. Madflyer

 

[BillyBud]

Nope, somehow I have zero official records. I think I am going to have to go through the Colorado title surety bond process, much as I hate to I think I'll just suck it up and move on.

 

[LarryK]

Some southern states don't require titles, Georgia, for old cars. Might get a bill of sale from one of those states. As, most states know who has titles and who doesn't. Here in Illinois, you cannot register a vehicle for the road from a salvage title. A rebuilt title has to have receipts from a verified shop for the rebuild and then inspected by a Secrtary of State motor vehicle inspector. Illinois also, whenever you by a car from an individual, get a witnessed bill of sale, as Illinois looks up classic values and charges tax as if it is perfect. I would do the Georgia route, if you have a friend in one of those states, Alabama is another, see if it is feasible. Better than the bonding process. Illinois wants some % of car value for bond and holds it for 3 yrs., and you only get it back if no one claims the car.

 

[BillyBud]

Interesting that the bugeye guy will take your title and stamp up a new vin plate to match it. He charges a lot to do that though, $75 for a stamped plate that would otherwise cost around $20. For another $20 I can get a stamp set from Harbor Freight or elsewhere and do it myself like he does. He also mentions that the plate is supposed to face outward, I.E., be readable from the outside of the car. Mine isn't that way, it's upside down when viewed from outside the car. Doesn't look like it's ever been removed either. I wonder.