looking at buying car from alabama, no title. was told that alabama doesn't require titles for ownership transfers on vehicles older than 1981. just a bill of sale. my state requires a title. can anyone shed light on this issue?
car title required?
- Thread starter oldsmobile joe
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Go to the Alabama DMV and look for clues. It should spell out what you want to do in black and white.
Don't buy a car without a title. You won't be able to register it in your state with only a bill of sale, at least not without jumping through a ton of hoops and exploiting a few loopholes. Without a title, for all you know, the car might be stolen. It's opening a can of worms, steer clear.
What you need to do is contact whatever state agency handles car titling in YOUR state and ask them.
It is true that AL does not title older vehicles (35 model years and older). http://revenue.alabama.gov/motorvehicle/title_faq.cfm#titlefaq1
The catch is that for many years there were title companies based in AL (broadway title being the most famous) that would "work around" not having a title and, for a fee, provide you with dubious paperwork to title it in your state.
HOWEVER, most states caught on to this and came to a position that they would not honor this "documentation" from Alabama.
Doesn't matter what anybody on this board says is "how to do it", you need to know what your state agency requires. They may be OK with the AL registration, may not. Proceed accordingly.
FWIW, there are legal means to obtain title in most states, but it usually is not cheap or quick. I just did a postal Jeep here, cost me $350 to straighten out the title mess prior owners had created.
It is true that AL does not title older vehicles (35 model years and older). http://revenue.alabama.gov/motorvehicle/title_faq.cfm#titlefaq1
The catch is that for many years there were title companies based in AL (broadway title being the most famous) that would "work around" not having a title and, for a fee, provide you with dubious paperwork to title it in your state.
HOWEVER, most states caught on to this and came to a position that they would not honor this "documentation" from Alabama.
Doesn't matter what anybody on this board says is "how to do it", you need to know what your state agency requires. They may be OK with the AL registration, may not. Proceed accordingly.
FWIW, there are legal means to obtain title in most states, but it usually is not cheap or quick. I just did a postal Jeep here, cost me $350 to straighten out the title mess prior owners had created.
I did this I bought a car without a ownership and title just the used car package either you jump through hoops or do some research and maybe find the title from a past owner. Like Facebook or telephone book or in my case i found the past owner son on Facebook and got everything I needed
Except Alabama DOES NOT ISSUE TITLES for cars over 35 model years old. Registration is considered legal proof of ownership for older vehicles.
I bought a car in Connecticut without a title and was able to register it no problem. I had the previous owners registration only. Connecticut doesn't issue title for cars that old. I bought a 1980 Monte Carlo so that's all I could get the previous owner. Hope that helps.
wow, fantastic responses. yes, my state requires bill of sale and proof of registration. i do have the vin, i will call alabama and verify it is not stolen. i will post my adventure as it goes.
so i pulled the trigger. wasn't sure if i was being played in a long, slow con game, but drove down to alabama last week and picked up my 79 calais. he gave me all sorts of paper work, bill of sale to me, his bill of sale of when he bought it, registration paper work from Georgia, and Georgia paper work stating vin has not been altered on car. i work in a new car dealership, so i gave all this paper work the lady that handles this for us. she called the state and processed the info. i received my new plates the next day, thursday. just waiting for new title to show up from my state, which in my state can take 6-10 weeks. a lot easier then i feared.
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