Discussion
Bit of a strange one I hope you US guys can help with?
A friend has a classic car he purchased in Florida about 10 years ago. He knows the person it was purchased from as they were the owner and he has the physical title document here in the UK but it still shows the previous owners name.
We think the title may have been transferred into my friends name but can’t find any record of it and he does not have a US address. In the past 10 years the car has been completely restored but the car and the restorer now seem to have vanished however we do know the car was finished. My friend still has all the invoices etc for the restoration works along with a bill of sale from when he purchased it.
From reading the DMV website it implies only the person on the title can get a duplicate or sell the car the vehicle but in reality is it possible for anyone to apply for a title and sell the car on? Can it also be taken out of state and sold?
We have tried Carfax reports etc but the chassis is pre 1981 and does not show up.
Any advice would be helpful
A friend has a classic car he purchased in Florida about 10 years ago. He knows the person it was purchased from as they were the owner and he has the physical title document here in the UK but it still shows the previous owners name.
We think the title may have been transferred into my friends name but can’t find any record of it and he does not have a US address. In the past 10 years the car has been completely restored but the car and the restorer now seem to have vanished however we do know the car was finished. My friend still has all the invoices etc for the restoration works along with a bill of sale from when he purchased it.
From reading the DMV website it implies only the person on the title can get a duplicate or sell the car the vehicle but in reality is it possible for anyone to apply for a title and sell the car on? Can it also be taken out of state and sold?
We have tried Carfax reports etc but the chassis is pre 1981 and does not show up.
Any advice would be helpful
As above I was thinking the physical title (document is here in the UK) is proof of ownership. We have also been in contact with the previous owner and he has not heard or done anything regarding the car / title since he sold it and is happy to try and help.
My main concern is the restorer somehow got / gets a title and has / try’s to sell the car on.
My main concern is the restorer somehow got / gets a title and has / try’s to sell the car on.
Hi,
Have answered in the quotes as on my phone.
Have answered in the quotes as on my phone.
Matt Harper said:
Having re-read this, it all sounds a bit odd.
Did your friend buy a car and receive a title document naming the previous owner - and then not do a transfer of title? He is the physical title signed by the previous owner but has not transferred it due to no US address and originally planning to export it to the UK. The plates (tags?) were taken off and surrendered.
Does the title have the previous owner, as the current owner? I believe so, his name and address are printed on it.
Has the vehicle now disappeared? At the moment it seems to have. We have now found someone more local that is going to visit and see if the business and more importantly the car is still there.
Are you still in contact with the previous owner? Yes
Unfortunately cars do get sold without title from time to time - and if it's gone out-of-state it may be extremely difficult to trace it. This is the worry.
Unless it is a rare, highly valuable and easily recognizable vehicle, it may well have just been spirited away. It is quite rare.
Was the restorer a recognized business, or just some shade-tree mechanic? He was recommended and has registered premises etc but we are not sure if he is still there. All seemed to be going well with progress updates, several independent inspections etc but now silence.
Did your friend buy a car and receive a title document naming the previous owner - and then not do a transfer of title? He is the physical title signed by the previous owner but has not transferred it due to no US address and originally planning to export it to the UK. The plates (tags?) were taken off and surrendered.
Does the title have the previous owner, as the current owner? I believe so, his name and address are printed on it.
Has the vehicle now disappeared? At the moment it seems to have. We have now found someone more local that is going to visit and see if the business and more importantly the car is still there.
Are you still in contact with the previous owner? Yes
Unfortunately cars do get sold without title from time to time - and if it's gone out-of-state it may be extremely difficult to trace it. This is the worry.
Unless it is a rare, highly valuable and easily recognizable vehicle, it may well have just been spirited away. It is quite rare.
Was the restorer a recognized business, or just some shade-tree mechanic? He was recommended and has registered premises etc but we are not sure if he is still there. All seemed to be going well with progress updates, several independent inspections etc but now silence.
@matt,
This is the case, we don’t consider the previous owner a problem as he is not making any claim to the car and will help with any paperwork etc, even helping selling the car in Florida if needed.
The main concern is the person who has the car and what they do with it. It sounds like it will be hard for them to sell the car on locally.
Hopefully should here back from the guy that’s going to make a visit and if the car is there we are going to work out the next steps to getting it recovered / repo’d.
Failing this is there any ways you know of to put the chassis on some form of watch list like Carfax?
This is the case, we don’t consider the previous owner a problem as he is not making any claim to the car and will help with any paperwork etc, even helping selling the car in Florida if needed.
The main concern is the person who has the car and what they do with it. It sounds like it will be hard for them to sell the car on locally.
Hopefully should here back from the guy that’s going to make a visit and if the car is there we are going to work out the next steps to getting it recovered / repo’d.
Failing this is there any ways you know of to put the chassis on some form of watch list like Carfax?
Thanks for input so far.
We have had someone check the business and it is still trading but the person who checked has not confirmed the car is there but she is going back next week.
Once we know the car is there we have a repo agent who is happy to take the job on (I keep thinking of that Lizard Towing program).
We have had someone check the business and it is still trading but the person who checked has not confirmed the car is there but she is going back next week.
Once we know the car is there we have a repo agent who is happy to take the job on (I keep thinking of that Lizard Towing program).
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