I found this discussion at another forum and thought some soul might be able to use it. It details how to go about getting a title when you have no title. We have had many questions on this subject and this will answer most or at the least those of Texas truck owners.
It is only $2.30 for a title search, that is the first step no matter what you do. If you can locate the previous owner, they can apply for a lost title. Otherwise you have to apply for a bonded title. I recently bought a 1962 Comet S-22 from a salvage yard with no title for $750. I had a bill of sale from the yard. (Funny thing is, a salvage yard in Texas is not supposed to take a car without a title. They mentioned this at the "DMV" but didn't hold me up, luckily.) In Texas, you have to take whatever paper work you have to them, and in my case they gave me a letter of rejection. Then you have to get a bond to cover the value of the car. The bond is based on the NADA excellent resale value of the car, unless you get it appraised. The state will accept an appraisal from any Texas car dealer. The NADA value on this car was $17,500 (yea, right!) I know a local car dealer and gave him $50 in exchange for an appraisal for this car and a 57 Chevy pickup. I also bought with no title. (Both show to be appraised for $750.) All of the places I found charge $100 minimum for the bond. I then took the bond and application back to the "DMV" and paid $144 for a 5 yr antique registration (using original 1962 tags I got on EBAY) and tax, transfer fee, etc. For the truck, I paid $90 for the transfer fee and tax only. In Texas, it is important not to mention or fill out and part of the forms indicating the car is not operable, incomplete or does not have an engine as you then have to have a peace officer inspect the vehicle. IMO, it is also best to do several cars at a time, as it does not take much more time to do two or three cars than it does to do one. They gave me the receipt and said that I would get a bonded title in the mail in 3- 5 weeks. That was 3 wks ago, so the titles should be here soon. The bonded titles are transferable and stays as a bonded title for three yrs. After this I can apply for a regular title with no indication that it was bonded. The reason for the bond is in case the previous owner comes up saying the car was stolen, etc., even though the "DMV" check to see if it has been reported stolen before starting the process. The lady I talked to at the "DMV" said that there is almost no chance that a previous owner could make a claim, since it would have to have been reported stolen recently. RED TAPE!!![/quote]
