No Title in MA

I realize that this is a huge pain, but....

A friend of mine has a Civic hatch that's been sitting in her mom's driveway for at least 5 years, maybe more like 10. She doesn't have a title, has a vague idea of who it might be titled to but has no contact with said person - and there's some family drama that precludes contact.

I looked up the VIN in MA's tool and it's at least a clean title with no liens - the registration was cancelled in 2012.

How can I get this into my driveway with a legal title with the minimum of hassle? Any easy ways to do so? None of the involved parties actually want the car - but it's rust free, and I've always wanted one of these.

Are you involved in the drama? If not, get the owners name and address and write them a letter.

I was able to buy a Rhode Island car to bring back to Mass without a title.

Maybe that doesn't help but it may.

I'm not involved in the drama, but I don't think she has a full name and address, and since I'm not a private investigator, I can't request that information from the state.

Does ma do mechanics liens?

I also knpw that a landlord in nc can get a title for a vehicle left on property to sell it to pay for debt of tennants.....

cmcgregor wrote: I'm not involved in the drama, but I don't think she has a full name and address, and since I'm not a private investigator, I can't request that information from the state.

Maybe check what a PI would charge to get the info ?

Do you know anyone who lives in ME, NH or RI? They should be able to register the car with only a bill of sale. Then you can use the ME/NH/RI registration plus a new bill of sale to register and title the car in MA.

In reply to PseudoSport:

search massachusetts bonded title.

PseudoSport wrote: Do you know anyone who lives in ME, NH or RI? They should be able to register the car with only a bill of sale. Then you can use the ME/NH/RI registration plus a new bill of sale to register and title the car in MA.

Kind of true if the vehicle is older than a date specified by state law. I looked in to this a while back.

I would go down to my local police station and explain the situation and see if they can help you out with contacting the last owner.

I think your mom could file for title for storage fees on an abandoned vehicle. If you do the leg work and the paperwork all she would have to do is sign some forms and you may have to get them notarized. I think you have to file some documents and possibly put an add in the paper for 30 days and if no one steps forward you can file and take title to the vehicle.

All this is dependent on that you mom owns the property it is on. It is not rental or leased property.

In Ca I believe you take a bill of sale from your mom to dmv, they attempt to contact prev owner who can either release title, nor respond (which gives it to you after X amount of days) or say it's theirs.

If Mass issued a title, Mass is going to want to see either that title or a duplicate. Thats the easy way. All of that other stuff involves the courts. If it is old enough that it didn't have a title, then you need a registration or excise bill, or something showing the person selling you the car actually owns the car. If none of that will work for you, find someone in Maine to buy it and sell it to you. Pretty much anything goes in Maine.

Check the glove box! if there is a copy of the last reg then you just need a paper from the land owner saying remove it, take that with last reg to registry and a RMV1 form.

PseudoSport wrote: Do you know anyone who lives in ME, NH or RI? They should be able to register the car with only a bill of sale. Then you can use the ME/NH/RI registration plus a new bill of sale to register and title the car in MA.

Connecticut no longer issues titles for cars older than 1997 now. It was a recent change.

Thanks for all the feedback. I will try and find a registration, that might be possible - if not I might look further into an out of state sale. It's a 1998, so Connecticut is out, but NH or ME might work.

Oh and if it were my mom's property - my parents would have scrapped it long ago, haha. I only know the daughter of the landowner, which makes it a little complicated.

Of course, all of this is also contingent on my wife signing off on a new driveway resident - which is not a given.