Boy do I hate going to DMV

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gtgto

gtgto

FABO Gold Member
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I thought today's the day I'm going to DMV to register my Duster. Still working on making her safe to drive and hopefully later today after I put in the new Master Cylinder she'll be good to go. I went to DMV when they opened and it took a lot of the pain out of waiting forever. To bad when I got to the window and the woman looked over all my paperwork she had a problem. I do not have the previous owner of the car's proof of ownership which would be old registration or a signed title. He never registered the car which leaves the title which I have but not signed by him. Oh the pain. Since the PO lives across the country I texted him and asked if it would be ok if I give forgery a try. He had no problem with that idea so that what will happen and I'll give it a try next Wednesday.
 
The DMV does not have ANY signatures of file. They will have no way to compare on a title. I always thought that was a stupid requirement, have it signed by the previous owner.
 
I lucked out with my 65 Dart which had only lien paperwork when I bought it (apparently abandoned at a body shop). In CA, you must either bring the car to them or arrange for a Highway Patrol person to come to your house to verify VIN, etc. The later cost a lot and seemed a pain to arrange. A few years elapsed before I got it drive-able, so thought I would be hit with $$$ back-registration fees, but a nice lady at the DMV understood and said she used to have a 65 Dart, so set it as No-Op from the year I bought it ($25 once), plus the cost of current year's tag. It is good for states to support the old car hobby, especially in CA where they help define the state and they couldn't make movies without them.
 
I think if I were planning to conspire to commit fruad, I would not plaster it all over the Internet; )
 
dano said:
Mail it to him to sign. Take your time and do it right.
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^^^^ so there is never a problem in the future or ever.

AT least you have a contact info of the person you bought it from to text him and he is willing to help you out
 
well Mass has its bad points but when I went to the rmv to register a car that was over 15 years old all I needed was a hand written bill of sale from the owner, pay the tax, and the registration fee
 
Marcohotrod said:
well Mass has its bad points but when I went to the rmv to register a car that was over 15 years old all I needed was a hand written bill of sale from the owner, pay the tax, and the registration fee
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Just as easy here in N.H. All I needed to do was to get the VIN verified at an inspection station (a cop could do it too) and present the (handwritten) bill of sale. N.H. does not issue nor require titles for vehicles over 25 years old.

Since my town hall didn't issue antique plates, had to go to the DMV for that.

Registering as an antique is a no-brainer here. Registration is cheap, you only need to get it inspected every other year and no restrictions on how/where you can drive. :D
 
Worst case scenario, get Hollywood Title to get you a Florida title, then title it in your state.

Takes about 30 days for them to pull a storage lien on the VIN (you must provide enough documentation and photos to show the car was indeed purchased legally and that it's in your possession); at the end of the process you get a clear title from the title company.

I had a '72 Mustang that had never had it's original NY transferable registration changed to a Florida title; Hollywood did the job for me. $450 to get one directly in my name (it's cheaper if you don't mind the storage company's name on the Florida title, and then transfer it on your end). Same service as Broadway Title, just cheaper.

-Kurt
 
I have never seen one of these thread in which "legal injury" is contemplated.
Every state is different on how invent a car which does not exist. At least exist in the eyes of the stupid government's rules.
Ok, probably some states have rules that are the same as some other states'.
But everyone on this board that has been through this knows what I meant by each state having its own set of idiots in charge.
In my state, the police runs a check on the car, a "vin verification".
He signs off on the car and you get a registration.
The last car I saved from destruction had an 84 tag on it but the cop said it "Did not exist" in the system


If the previous "owner" of your car never registered the car, what makes him the previous owner?
Hypothetically speaking, the guy next door to you could have been the previous owner.
Take that as a hint.
 
Going to the DMV is a nightmare....always some problem that needs to be addressed...did about 10 cars and trucks in the last 8 years and not one transaction was easy...even bought a state owned truck at the state ran auction and took the paperwork to the DMV and there was a problem...M.
 
harrisonm said:
Don't forge the signature. It is not the right thing to do.
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That is true.

And yet, in a few other threads around the internet, people at the DMV have literally told folks with old cars in this situation to "find someone off the street" to forge the missing sign-off signature on the title. Yes, government workers telling people to do something technically illegal because of a faulty system. :banghead:

Go figure.

-Kurt
 
While I sympathize about the headache DMV can be, it is what it is. You have to play by their rules which are law. Here in Oregon you need titles signed and bills of sale. Without either you enter a process of the DMV sending a registered letter to the last known owner. If no response in 30 days, they title it to you. If your title and/or bill of sale is signed 30 day or more after the day you try and register there is a fine for late title transfer. But it sounds like some states DMV's are not all equal.

With the internet today, there really is no reason to not be prepared when you go to the DMV. All the information and forms are online.
 
CA DMV is worse than going to the dentist. I registered my 65 and it was off the road so long the VIN dropped out of the system, so they registered it as a 95, a 95 Plymouth Barracuda? So then they ask for a smog cert, yeah right! so I go back and forth with the DMV that said it was a 95 and finally the CHP inspector looked at it and cleared up the year (he never seen on himself, I had to show him the 64 casting on the taillight lens and then tell him it was a year newer. Then they had to fix the year on the title...bought my truck on a mechanics Lien sale, 49 state truck from WA. AutoClub couldnt do that transaction so DMV had to do it, and I got stuck with the smog test? still a PITA. I tell you what, the AAA's $78 a year subscription rate is worth it even if you only use the AAA to do your DMV BS. You go there in the morning, sit down and read a page of their travel magazine, they call you up to the window and they get stuff done fast. And they are nice! And my girl was hot, I challenge ANY DMV worker to be "hot"! I remember when they put the mag stripe on the back of your license, they were claiming that in the future, you could do your DMV stuff at a kiosk. I guess the DMV "fat ***" union local 96 bargained that right off the contract.
 
Well it took another week but I did it right and today my car is now legal to drive on the streets. All registered and my DMV trip this morning lasted about 45 minutes. I can go further than around the block. Psyched.....Now I need to fix my brake lights and blinkers. I have probably the only car that when you hit the blinker arm my hazard lights go on.
 
Our DMV is OK, and has improved some with computers. I just transferred title on the "more door" junker and the Scamp "why I bought it don't know" LOL

Trailered the moredoor down late afternoon on Wed and there!!! was several spots in the parking lot. (It's a small crowded lot)

For the Scamp I called, and she told me they would walk across the street if I could not park in the lot!!

So I went down about 8AM and it was quite empty. (Parts of courthouse opens 8:30) I was 9th in line, did not take long.

Biggest ***** I have here a bout this town and my birth town, is that they simply did not allow enough room in the parking lots. They have room for stupid "architechtural statements" but no for parking cars!!! Hell a LARGE percentage has to be taken up by a big central drainage basin.

This is the parking lot for the courthouse for the entire county. You can see it isn't very big. I parked clear down at the S end with the trailer
 

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I feel your pain! I just went through the DMV nightmare with trying to transfer a 68 Barracuda tittle. They are a royal pain in the A$$! Took me 5 tries and a lot of overnight mail to get it done.
 
I get the pain about the DMV. But would you really want it that easy for someone to steal your car and make it their own? Most are failing to see the reason some government bureaucracy is a necessary evil.

Oh and for those of you in WA. You can be arrested and jailed for not transferring a title in less than 46 days. Relax people, it's not that you will be - but you can be. Be a Richard to the law and see how fast can can become will. Bet it beats most of your 1/4 mile times.
 
gtgto said:
Well it took another week but I did it right and today my car is now legal to drive on the streets. All registered and my DMV trip this morning lasted about 45 minutes. I can go further than around the block. Psyched.....Now I need to fix my brake lights and blinkers. I have probably the only car that when you hit the blinker arm my hazard lights go on.
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I wrestled with the "cat whiskers" on my signal switch several times before I got it just right....
 
Mopar Tim said:
The DMV does not have ANY signatures of file. They will have no way to compare on a title. I always thought that was a stupid requirement, have it signed by the previous owner.
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there's no rhyme or reason for what they do, its like a cop giving you a hard time for an expired insurance card, even if you can pull an electronic "current" card up on your smartphone.
 
I ran into the exact same problem but luckily the lady said "don't worry about it, just don't let it happen again" when I told her the previous owner lived halfway across the country.
 
Yep-it really is up to the individual to make it almost impossible or just take your money and give you the title.
 
I had my 69 318 Dart GT stolen right in front of the police station. Really. Never saw it again. It was CHERRY!! A low mile survivor. I know it is registered somewhere right now, but no National Database on car registrations. This happened before Computers were in vogue.
 
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