Sticky Suggestion - Vermont Title for "No Title" Vehicles

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Oh yeah, it's a huge moneymaker for Vermont. They absolutely love it.

My Coronet still has Vermont plates on it. Sincerely thinking about just leaving it that way for the cool factor, but at any time I can walk into a AAA office with plates and a vin verification form and transfer it to PA. This will also trigger PA to issue a new title for the car that supersedes all prior titles.

So I'd be the first owner of my 1953, even though I was born in the late 80s. ?

 

[Shran]

Used to be pretty easy in SD - fill out a form, send a letter, have letter and form processed, receive title. Now it's a mega pain in the ass and very expensive, no title vehicles can only be titled by the legal owner or a towing/salvage company. Very unfortunate because if you pull a '32 Ford out of a field where it's been sitting for 60 years and the owner died 59 years ago, you're basically SOL unless you take it to a towing company, have them obtain a title and pay far out the ass to buy it back from them.

It used to be very sketchy to buy no title vehicles because people would get title loans on them, not pay them back and then sell the vehicle with no title...so you'd get stuck with a lien on whatever you bought and no title. Title loans are really no longer a thing now so I imagine it's a little safer.

I'm curious though, what happens when I take a VT title in and there's already a vehicle with the same VIN registered to someone else. Say the vehicle was stolen at some point... the person it was stolen from would still be the owner, how do they handle that? Technically there would be TWO "legal" owners. I'd hate to be the guy holding the VT title, he'd be guilty of receiving stolen property at that point with a paper trail to prove it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

How Iowa does it:

Bonded Certificate of Title - Motor Vehicle Division - Iowa DOT

iowadot.gov

 

[Dirtman]

I have a little lock box with the vin plates and titles of every old junker I ever sent to the scrap yard. That's my backup for buying cars without titles...

I'm not even 100% sure my mustang has the right vin tags and title. With a 54 year old car how is anyone gonna prove it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

I'm not even 100% sure my mustang has the right vin tags and title. With a 54 year old car how is anyone gonna prove it.

It doesn't have a tag, it is stamped on the DS fender apron. There is a backup one on the other side but you gotta pull the fender to see it.

 

[Dirtman]

The entire front cip including the actual unibody section has been replaced so it ain't got no stamped vin anymore. Could have sworn there is a tag somewhere, I have a few 65 mustang tags.

Edit - just looked, the "tag" is just a options and paint tag with a number that looks like a vin, but it's a "warranty I.D."

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The entire front cip including the actual unibody section has been replaced so it ain't got no stamped vin anymore. Could have sworn there is a tag somewhere, I have a few 65 mustang tags.

There is a tag on the door but it doesn't count for anything. The "warrenty number" on the door tag is the same number as the vin but is not stated as the VIN and it is probably too easy to swap doors around. Only the three on the front clip count for the car's identity.

The visible one looks like this:

 

[Dirtman]

Yea nothing there anymore. All that was replaced with aftermarket panels. I guess my mustang is a ghost car.

there is barely any original steel on my car.

 

[19Walt93]

I did NH state inspections from 1972 until 2017 in a shop located a couple of miles from the people's republic of Vt border. We expected to spend a lot to get a Vt trade in to pass NH inspection because of their inspection rules but I never heard that a non resident can register a car in Vt, I suppose I shouldn't be too shocked because they allow illegals who come to Vt to work on farms to get drivers' licenses. They require insurance to drive and I don't know how you get a policy without a legal address. In NH, vehicles 15 years old and newer require a title and a vehicle 25 years or older can get one at the owners discretion(and expense). Between 15 and 25 no title. It doesn't have to make sense, it's the law.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

I did NH state inspections from 1972 until 2017 in a shop located a couple of miles from the people's republic of Vt border. We expected to spend a lot to get a Vt trade in to pass NH inspection because of their inspection rules but I never heard that a non resident can register a car in Vt, I suppose I shouldn't be too shocked because they allow illegals who come to Vt to work on farms to get drivers' licenses. They require insurance to drive and I don't know how you get a policy without a legal address. In NH, vehicles 15 years old and newer require a title and a vehicle 25 years or older can get one at the owners discretion(and expense). Between 15 and 25 no title. It doesn't have to make sense, it's the law.

Must have changed it, as of late, it's anything g older than 15 years.

 

[19Walt93]

Not in NH. I wanted to have a title in hand before spending money on the 93 I bought in 2019 and our town clerk questioned whether the state would issue one because the vehicle has to be over 25 years old so she gave me the form to apply my self. I got a title. I don't see why they wouldn't issue a title for anything with documented ownership as long as the owner pays the title fee.

 

[PetroleumJunkie412]

Pennsyltucky is horrible for this - without a title, your options are to let them rot somewhere (need a title to scrap it), or to sue the vehicle for a title in court (yes, a real thing).

 

[19Walt93]

I bought a 67 Corvette in the fall of 1973 from a man in Piermont, NH. It was sold new in NH, then sold into VT to a few different owners, then sold to the NH guy I bought it from. Between when it was last registered and when I bought it NH started issuing titles. I had just a bill of sale when I drove to Concord to register it, that's when I found out I needed documentation back to the original owner. I traveled all over Vt and NH and had bills of sale from every owner in succession on a yellow legal pad when I went back to Concord. The woman at the DMV saw what I had, leaned over the counter and very quietly told me that the bills of sale couldn't be on the same piece of paper. I handed her the rest of my paperwork and carefully tore the page into 8 individual strips which she accepted and registered my car. The guy who sold me the car had 2 1967 Corvettes, he kept the 300hp 327, 3 speed car because it was
"more rare" and sold me the 350hp, 4 speed car that needed a clutch. Typical Corvette owner mentality. I've had my Mustang 30 years and don't care what it's worth to anyone, if I step on the throttle and feel like I'm still 19 that's all I need. Yes, I titled the Mustang, too.

 

[Bgunner]

Vermont has more relaxed vehicle laws which is nice for those living in the state but the 15 year and no title needed for those trying to purchase a vehicle out of Vermont can be a pain. I live 3 towns away from Vermont and have a friend who, with his father, runs an inspection and repair shop in Vermont who was selling a '01-'03 Jeep Grand Cherokee that I was considering snagging and fixing. The only thing that stopped me from purchasing it was it had no title. Living in Massachusetts it becomes a pain to get them registered with out a title when it comes to Cars/Trucks.

My neighbor has a VT. registered vehicle here that would not pass Ma. inspection because of the lift but is able to get away with it in Vermont so that is where it is registered, legally. Sometimes the laws there are nice to take advantage of. Here is a pic of the fore mentioned truck that otherwise could never be on the road here in Ma.

Ford F150 / 4.6L / 3" body / 4"-6" suspension/ 37" tires. Passes VT inspection on 33" tires

Ma. lift laws are 3" body plus 1" in tire OR 4" suspension and 1" in tire. For toys VT is the way to go for sure.

 

[Josh B]

States vary, not much else we can say

I bought an antique Uhaul trailer axle for $25 on a whim thinking I could build a trailer with it (what a concept eh?) but it sat by the barn another 2-3 years. Then after a work injury my life took a tumble and my world came crashing down.

It wasn't easy with a bunged up back and shoulder but my father was getting in bad shape and I just decided it was time to go home so I finally started building that trailer.

It took awhile, and a lot of new words but that trailer finally got built, and in TN they had titles. How could I ever manage that(it took 6 months to find TN trailer requirements, lights placing, tow chain specs etc etc etc) but finally learned how.

It cost $25 and I had to be there when the inspector arrived so I just watched and waited. Woke up one morning to a TN Highway Patrol vehicle sitting in my driveway, got out there and he was Hammering(loudly!) on the trailer tongue (testing the welds?)

When I got there saw he had a set of type punches in a box and was driving a serial number onto the trailer. I signed a paper after checking the boxes, filling in the blanks (one asked if I had any reason to believe the trailer was not safe, which I checked anyway, knowing it was not).
He handed me a copy and left, and in a couple weeks I had a title in the mailbox, in my name, and in the box "type" it said HMD

The reason I felt it unsafe was the old Uhaul had a drop axle(not straight end to end) and just outside the leaf springs turned upwards about 4 inches and if I'd had a blowout the Ubolts would be digging into the pavement at 70 mph.

I had a new axle built(straight) for $150 and new wheels , another $150, and it was good to go
Funny that, I'd built a trailer around an axle, then changed the axle

After getting to OK and time to change my tags and titles the OK title office would NOT change my trailer title. I was proud of that little trailer and wanted my title!! haha, nope! OK doesn't use trailer titles, in OK they just use your truck tag #, which really makes no sense to me to this day

A few old shots of it (I was halfway through before starting to take them :/ )