Parts Car Title Advice Needed

I am looking to buy a donor car for an engine swap (Accord K24 for my Insight).

The price of the car is about the price of the engine on car-part. Car looks to be in good shape.

The downsides are: no title, no keys, have to take their word it runs. They have the title from the previous owner (not sure if signed or not) and a duplicate title for some reason.

Car is in South Carolina, I live in Georgia. Don't have plans of registering it.

I'm just trying to avoid any trouble or legal issues. Was planning on calling both DMVs in the AM.

Enable me picking this up on a u-haul trailer or tell me it's stupid and keep looking.

What would GRM do?

Presuming it runs, and presuming it isn't stolen - neither are good presumptions BTW - what are you going to do with the shell? A legit wrecker won't take it.

Look at the title, get the VIN and run it before you do anything else.

L5wolvesf said:

Presuming it runs, and presuming it isn't stolen - neither are good presumptions BTW - what are you going to do with the shell? A legit wrecker won't take it.

Look at the title, get the VIN and run it before you do anything else.

That depends on the state.  In TN,  after a certain age,  the scrapyards will take it whether or not it has a title.  

Personally,  I would buy it if it meets my needs,  but I have purchased cars without titles in the past.  Sounds like this one does have some paperwork, which is nice if it checks out.

If the title from the PPO is signed buy it without concern, and give that title to the scrap yard. If that title is unsigned, run the VIN to be sure it isn't on the hot sheet somewhere. Also verify the title VIN matches the car VIN. Do not bother to re title it in your state if you are not going to register it.

I scrapped out plenty of cars with no titles or no transferred titles.  Called around, eventually you will find a yard that will take it, or an hour with a sawzall will reduce it into little piles and then its not a car any more.

The answer of how big of a deal it is really depends on how much you care and how nosy your neighbors are.  At my parents' place out in the sticks no one cared, no one would come by to check.  If you live in a place with code enforcement and inquiring neighbors it would be bad juju to have a car with a dirty VIN.  

Thanks everyone for the input! I had done some prior reading and asked for the VIN in my message to the seller. They completely dodged my questions and just replied with "it's a parts car".  Just don't get a good vibe about the whole thing. How do you have a license plate on a car that you don't have the title for? How did your kids 'lose' the keys? I don't think it's worth the risk so I will be passing on it.

I did find another manual Accord (with a title and keys) posted for twice the price but local. Still a good deal, so trying to pick that up. I'll make a build thread after I acquire a donor. Hopefully it ends up half as cool as most of the stuff on here.