Did plenty of research on it, just wondering if anybody personally has done it on here…
Here’s the scoop. I’m planning on buying a roller car located in Rochester for my next project. I’ve checked it out and it is clean, as is the carfax. However, the current owner never put his name on the title or registered it. The car was last registered to the guy he bought it from in Ohio. The Ohio guy has signed for the transfer of the title and it was stamped by a notary.
I wanted to check this out with the DMV before i did anything. They were far from being clear and concise, and just seemed like they were leaving out important information.
Then i went on the NYS DMV website and stumbled upon:
“How to buy or sell without registration” Situation 4
-SELLER must submit to DMV affidavit of sale or transfer (MV-51)
-SELLER must supply to buyer with proof of ownership and a bill of sale that the seller obtained from the previous owner
I talked to the guy, and he agreed to take care of these items at the DMV tomorrow. I’m assuming he’s going to make up a “bill of sale” and fill out the MV-51, frankly IDC what he does as long as i can legitimately purchase the car from him and title/register it in my name. I want to register it right away as a non-operational vehicle just for piece of mind before i dump time/money into it. i also don’t know how long it will take for the MV-51 to take affect so he can then sell it to me.
BACK TO THE QUESTION… I originally had planned to have the guy sign the title, then sign a bill of sale stating that he never registered the car and was transferring ownership to me. It seemed as though this would be sufficient in accordance to what the DMV was telling me. The DMV also (verbally) told me that since the car was a 1999, that they did not require a bill of sale. Thats all well and great, but if when it comes time to title/register and the story changes, no good. Have any of you ever done this before?
there’s an easy way to do this, and the RIGHT way to do this…
the right way: he signs title, writes bill of sale stating he never put it in his own name during his ownership due to it bot being a complete/running vehicle yet…then you actually have to title it to HIS name, Reg it and insure it in YOURS, then wait for the title to come to him and ask him to sign the new title(in his name) to you and then you re-title to your own name. This is the ONLY RIGHT way to do it, otherwise it’s considered a “title-jump” and illegal.
The easy way: sign the title yourself when you buy it and go to the DMV and process it that way, assuming there was never a paper-trail of it being in the current seller’s name. forge a bill of sale from the owner on the title to yourself and sign his and your name on it. take it with you, but don’t present it unless they ASK for it…considering they told you on the phone it doesn’t require one due to being a 1999.
Ya, I really don’t want to forge anything or do anything that could bite me in the ass. Not worth it.
He is going to create (I assume) a paper trail between the last guy and him. I’m just confused why you say i would register it while he is still waiting for the title in his name to arrive. I’m also worried that the process of him obtaining a new title so he can sell it to me is going to take a while. Also, while i do want to register it immediately for piece of mind, i want to do it as a non-operational vehicle so i don’t have to insure or inspect it.
Either way, he said he’s going to hit the DMV tomorrow to try to take care of things on his end. I will also visit a different DMV for some more clear direction.
I read somewhere that you can register it as a non-operational vehicle. At this point my head is spinning with all the difference references and scenarios I’ve read through. It is a stupid problem to have, but it’s a good deal so I figure a few days of frustration will be worth the trouble. I just don’t want this to get pushed back due to paper work.
Hopefully it is cleared up tomorrow after a DMV visit from the seller and myself.
The issue with getting the car in the guys name first is time and money. Now the seller has to pay sales tax as well as wait on the title to come in. Focus hit it spot on.
Doesn’t NY charge you an assumed value on a car now too?
My fear is that I’m going to take this $1200 car, put an expensive cage in it, and expensive paint job on it (everything else is transferable), then for whatever reason be screwed after a few years of BS&T when going to register it. I hate to prolong it, but prefer to ensure everything will work properly in the end. I know you guys are probably right, I wish I could give it a whirl before fronting the money.
So you “own” and drive a car registered in a random person’s name? I’m not trying to be a wise ass or calling BS at all, I just don’t see how that would work.
^Exactly. I’m speaking from experience here, multiple times in fact. This is a pretty common problem with vintage motorcycles.
they really won’t give a shit I promise…so long as the VIN doesn’t show up red-flagged for a theft or something there will be no repercussions. The only other way is wait for the current owner to go to the DMV and process the MV-84 as a TITLE ONLY transaction ($50 plus tax on purchase price). Then wait the 4-6weeks for the title to arrive at his home to which point he calls you up and makes the sale/transfer to you. Chances are though, his price is going to go up on the car for his time and money and hassle of doing the title in his name. It will be faster and cheaper to skip him in the paper trail.