The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk title problems

I've heard people get'n titles and regestrations via the inter net to get their vehicles registerd in their names and leagal to drive,all I have is a bill of sale,how do I go about get'n the paper work to get my vehicle legal?outlaw'n and drive'n illeagal rods was cool a few years ago but now I would like to try and do it about half way right!

Here is one place that can probably help you:

http://www.broadwaytitle.com/index.htm

I think their procedure is you "sell" them your vehile, and they then "sell" it back to you. But they are located in a state that does not use titles, and you just take their paperwork to your DMV and get a title in your state, it is just like you bought the vehicle and brought it home. Supposedly legal. But hopefully your vehicle is not already titled in your state, nor reported stolen. I imagine there would a problem if so.

burntclutch,

Each state is different. In New York, you could take your bill-of-sale to any DMV and they will issue you a registration/title (for a vehicle older than 1972).

Call your DMV or see if they have a website.

Tim

Each state is different, and I would expect LA to be the most different of all, since the whole legal system there is different than the rest of the country...

Some states, including the one I live in (Washington), no longer accept Broadway Title titles as legitimate. I'd urge checking your local situation before spending any money.

Not certain about LA but perhaps one of the Bolters from there will chime in here. Here in GA they normally do not issue a title for the older vehicles unless you really want one. I considered this for the 59 but nixed the idea when they said I would have to surrender the original CA title. (aka Pink slip) I'd rather keep the CA title for historical reasons.

Call your local office where you would get your tag if you had a good title. Here in Kansas it's the county treasurer's office. They will advise you as to what you need to do to get a legal title. Anything else is guesswork.

Burntclutch:

Hi. I'm over in NW Louisiana. I had a bill of sale and the ID plate. I went the Broadway Title route last year and had no problem whatsoever getting my truck titled and registered with DMV. Good luck.

I have a title for a 52 1/2T.Stamped and inspection tag.Maybe I can solve all the BS for you .Give me a e-mail.There are ways to work around the system

Clint,thanx for that info man,gonna try that route!Dan-Pa ,many thanx,may have to go that route!and also I live in north east louisiana,not good ole sunny so.calif(any more).thanx again for every bodys help,untill next time

Another option may be what's called a "bonded title" - if your state has such a thing.

The bonding doesn't generally cost much - and you get a nice official piece of paper that allows you to register and insure the vehicle. After a certain length of time, the bond expires. The state will then mail you a regular title. (Had to go through that a few years back on an '87 F*** pickup because of a paperwork mess we couldn't straighten out.)

Word of caution: be careful using title services, especially ones that "buy and sell" paperwork. After the recent deal in CA, two of the bigger outfits are now under investigation for fraud. How far it trickles down, who knows, but there are still ways to title a vehicle w/o using them.

I'm in Cal and have a truck with no title and no bill of sale. I got it off of the eBay but the seller never sent the paperwork.

Has anyone done the Broadway title in Calinfornia? Or is there a better route to go?

Read what I wrote. Don't think DMV will even accept anything you get from them. Is there an engine in your truck? If so, and it's at the very least of the right "era", have those numbers run. If they turn up clear, apply for a new title (original lost) and start fresh.

From what i've read, outfits like Broadway Title have you send them a bill of sale for the vehicle, then they use that bill of sale in a state where titles aren't required and get registration information in that state.

They then "Sell" the truck back to you.. and in some states, that paperwork is all you need to get a title in your state.

Several states don't accept this documentation as proof of ownership for a title.. most of these places have a list of states their scheme dosen't work in.

I think legally when ever you present a document to a goverment or state agency that you know is bogus, you're comitting fraud. So "pretend selling" and "pretend buying back" a vehicle might constitute fraud in some states.

I can't speak for other states, but I can tell you that Mississippi did not title vehicles built prior to 73 or so. I bought a 67 Mustang in 98 from a fellow in Jackson, MS. who was the second owner. He had bought it from the original owner in Alabama where a title was never issued either. When I bought the car, all I got was a Bill of Sale and the Mississippi Registration. When Broadway issues paperwork they send you a Notarized Bill of Sale from a Licensed Dealer and an Alabama Registration. In Louisiana thatis all that is necessary from states where titles were never issued to vintage cars. In Arkansas, I'm told you can go the bonded title route. Same thing in Texas I believe.

If California is not accepting this paperwork, then buying a vehicle from a legitimate owner in states like Mississippi and Alabama must be impossible.

From Broadway Titles website:

Due to changes in their title laws, we are unable to due titles in the following states. Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Washington under ANY circumstances.

We Provide you with a Letter of Title Law from the State, a Certificate of Registration and a Notarized Bill of Sale. This is everything you will need to transfer the Vehicle into your name in your state.
NOTE: You will NOT receive a certificate of title from us!

My guess is that the states they cannot do buisness with are the ones that require a state title in order to transfer ownership.

Why they can't do Alabama titles is probably because if you lived in Alabama, you could just do it yourself, since in Alabama, vehicles older than 1975 models (up through 1974) are transferred by a Bill of Sale & Tag Receipt only.

I still cant get over how it's not illegal to, for all practical intents and purposes, write up a fake sales reciept for something, sumbit it to a state agency knowing it's bunk in order to obtain state paperwork, then make up another bunk reciept and submit it along with a fradulently obtained state document in order to secure a title in another state.

Three cheers for Broadway Title, everytime I go to my local DMV with a problem I have an overpowering urge to take someone by the throat. That is if you can get someone away from the water cooler long enough to wait me. A prime example of my tax dollars hard at work. I love New York.

I have used Broadway Title in the past with good results.As for the New York DMV;same here down state as upstate sounds like!

The "changes in their title laws" reflect people that build a street rod, as an example, then they need numbers off an original '32 Ford, let's say, so their car won't be titled as a 2006 car, and therefore, needing to meet emissions testing and all that. This allows the builder to falsely claim the car is a '32 and not a 2006. In the October 2004 issue of Street Rodder magazine, there is a very extensive article about these title "services" and their use by high-visability rod builders like Boyd Coddington. The State of California raided Boyd and severa other builders to investigate title fraud, falsified VIN's, and more. This put Broadway and other such "services" out of business in California and the other states listed. I would be extremely wary of using such a service, regardless of where it is located. My rule or vehicle buying - if the vehicle for sale is in a title state and it doesn't have a title, I pass it up like a case of the plague! Your state DMV knows what states require titles and which do not, and what years are involved if they do or don't, either way.

Plus, you send them money for the priveledge of falsely "selling" the vehicle in question to them, then "buying it back" from them ($250 average), then you still have to pay money $anywhere from $100 - $400 in Oklahoma) for your tag and title!!!

What do you bet that's what happened to the Corvette that was on its way to Sweden, intercepted in California this week. It was stolen in NYC 37 years ago!!!

In my view, the reason Broadway Title is in business, is because most states do not have a sound plan in place to easily rectify a situation involving a vehicle that has no title. I absolutely agree that companies such as Broadway are involved in practices that are about as shady as business can get. But, if the states had a sound plan that would help and not deny a rebuilder options to obtain title these places would not be in business. Another problem is the inconsistancies that are at encountered at different state offices. After fighting with the people at the local court house, it is no wonder why people are so happy to due business with Broadway. I am sure that many ordinarily honest people, have felt they had no other choice but to falsify some records to comply with the demands of the clerk behind the counter. All I can say, is that there has to be a better way to obtain title, when one is not readily available. There are way too many restorable vehicles out there that are being chopped up and sold for parts because they have somehow been separated from the piece of paper that is supposed to prove ownership. I almost wonder if a Federal Agency of some kind needs to be set up, to insure that the states are all playing by the same rules. If a Federal vehicle registry was implemented it would put the shady title companies out of business. An agency that would verify and track antique vehicles could save a lot of hassles and actually help us car and truck lovers. Not to mention, it could help protect our interests if it was set up right.

OK, now I'll get down from my soap box.

I think all states should adopt the "if it's older than.. it dosen't need a title, just a bill of sale" system.

They should check the numbers against a national stolen car database, and if it comes up clean, then they issue the tags and registration.

I'm not trying to defend Broadway Title here, but I will tell you that I did not falsify anything, nor do I imagine that anyone on this forum has that has used Broadway. I legally transferred ownership of my vehicle to a company in Alabama. Possession remained with me in Louisiana. The company, a licensed dealer in Alabama then registered the vehicle in their name in Alabama. They then legally sold me the vehicle. Broadway was very up front that it was my responsibility to insure that the title was clear on my vehicle and not stolen before they proceeded. While I'm sure that some take advantage of the system, some of us don't. As I said earlier, I bought a 67 Mustang in Missisippi in 1998 -- without a title. 20 years earlier I could have bought it from the original owner in Mobile, Alabama -- without a title. Having been formally in land surveying and real estate, I can tell you that title to land is often transferred on paper, while possession remains essentially the same. As long as the chain of ownership is untainted, I see nothing illegal about Broadway's operation.

Hell, the LAST thing we need as enthusiasts is the Feds getting involved in a 50-state titling system. The universal cookie-cutter driver licensing system-cum-National-ID-card the Feds have browbeat the states into adopting is bad enough!

Broadway Title does exactly what you would do if you had a legal residence, (summer home), in a state that issues a registration from a bill of sale. If you follow the money (sales tax) you can see why the states are cracking down. Who here has been perfectly honest on a bill of sale?

More of us than you may realize.

I don't think the title service is the problem.They are providing a service without which alot of old vehicles would never make it out on the road again.I believe the crackdown mostly involved "kitcars" getting titled as the year they were copying as opposed to being a new car.The real problem is the registry expecting trucks and cars that have been out of service for a long time to have up to date paperwork.I was able to get my title after a bit of a runaround without using a title service but its nice to know there are alternatives out there.