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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / Car titles

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Posted By Discussion Topic: Car titles     MOXIE 12-14-2009 @ 12:36 PM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 102 Joined: Oct 2009 Is it me or what. I’m in the process of finding (buying) an old ford car. The first question I asked to folks that respond to my ad is, what about the title. Does the number on the frame match the title and they go “huh”, I do not know. These guys have no idea what I’m talking about. And I’m not talking about junk cars, but high dollar cars. One guy said yes, he was lucky enough to of found a title for his car and I said does the title match the frame number. He said no, but it is the correct year for the car. I told him you have a 1937 title for a ford but not the ford you own. He said yes I do. The title say’s 1937 ford. Am I the only one that wants the title to be tied to the car, or am I asking too much. nelsb01 12-14-2009 @ 2:01 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 976 Joined: Oct 2009 In some states, you can have a title to a car, and it will NOT be the frame number. Here in the frozen north, if you bought a car with a bill of sale and no title, you would have to have your local sheriff or highway patrolman stop by, verify that the bill of sale stated what the car was and verify that the frame number was not currently registered, and then attach a certified sticker to the door jam (go out and look at your modern iron) with the new title number selected by the state. The problem with this is, say you buy a non-running vehicle out of the junkyard. To get insurance on it it has to be titled -- well as you restore the vehicle, what happens to that sticker that was put on the door jam ?? No sanding, no sandblasting, no chemical dipping.......... 42wagon 12-14-2009 @ 2:11 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 584 Joined: Oct 2009 Moxie I think you are right on the money. You have a piece of paper that says you own a 1937 car, but how do you prove that the 1937 car you are standing next to is the car you own? Now I suppose you can go through the trouble of verifying that the car you are next to is yours as far as the state you are in is concerned. But what happens if that car was stolen somewhere else and the real owner shows up and confronts you sometime in the future and can prove that he has the correct title that matches the numbers that are buried somewhere under the body. That recently happened here in Connecticut with a Ferrari. Naturally the guy trying to sell the car doesn't care. As soon as you have bought it he no longer has to prove that the car matches the title. It will be your headache sometime in the future when you try to sell it. Better to pass up the cars that have title papers that don't match the frame numbers. ford38v8 12-14-2009 @ 5:51 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2739 Joined: Oct 2009 I agree with the need for a matching frame number and title. Any car not having these numbers match is not worthy of consideration in my book. Also, with the scammers everywhere these days, I don't buy or sell a car anymore unless it's done at the DMV with both buyer and seller there. It's so easy to forge a document anymore, why take a chance with the big bucks these things sell for? Alan trjford8 12-14-2009 @ 7:50 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 4203 Joined: Oct 2009 Moxie, as a retired law enforcement officer I can tell you that buying a car with a VIN that does not match the title can be a huge headache. It's especially bad if you live in one state and buy the car from another state. Alway make sure the VIN matches the title. If it doesn't match I would not touch it. As others have stated you possibly could be purchasing a stolen car and then you lose all the way around. supereal 12-15-2009 @ 9:42 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 In addition to the wise words above, check with your state to see if they offer a "bonded title". Here (in Iowa) we have these. When you register the car, and there is any question regarding the authenticity of the title, a modest amount (a couple of hundred at most) is placed with the DMV. If anyone comes forth claiming ownership, the most they can obtain is the bond. Our DMV's will not even look at a "title mill" document. In this day and age, you don't want some "Nigerian prince" showing up to demand the keys to your car. I used this procedure years ago when I was sold a car by a fellow who claimed he never titled it. My suspicions were confirmed when I learned he had given the car as collateral to several lenders. I did find the actual registration in a distant county, and transferred the title. When one of the supposed "owners" turned up. I told him to go see the county. He didn't, but without the paperwork, a freshly restored car would have been forfeited. As the saying goes "you can tell a car salesman is lying because his lips are moving"!

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