I want to say this has been covered before, years ago, but I couldn't find anything through the search feature, so please bear with me. I bought a Mini years and years ago and or course didn't do anything with it. Dragged it with me through many moves and many changes in life. Finally got to where I could start giving it the attention it deserves, but before I start I want to sort the title and put it in my name. Of course I can't find the title and the PO is long gone. Florida doesn't like this and says I'm pretty much SOL. I checked Broadway Title, and they want $895 for a title through Maine. I had thought around $300, so of course I was a bit shocked. I figured I'm not the only one who has been through this, so I'm asking for some guidance from the collective. Is there another way I can deal with this? Legally of course. :-) Thanks guys and gals.
Some states, I think Georgia, do not require cars older than 15 years old to have titles.
What I think you need is someone from Georgia to sell you the car. I think that bill of sale for a rightful Georgia resident will then allow you to get a FL title.
EDIT: I should note that I am not from Georgia so I have no first hand knowledge but I suspect some rightful, good ole boys from GA will chime in to prove me right/wrong.
Robbie
UltraDork
7/6/16 3:46 p.m.
years ago (and in colorado) I dealt with an issue like this. Turned out, there was a process I could follow to claim the title of the vehicle. It included me paying the DMV to give me a report of the last registered owner and their address, my paying to send a certified letter to the last known owner at the last known address, me waiting 45 days or whatever for them to never respond, and then filling proof of all of that into some sort of process to get me the new title.
It was a hassle, but it did the trick.
Thanks John and Robbie. When I bought an old car from Georgia the PO had to have a bill of sale and had to have registered it in Georgia for me to get a Florida title. Florida used to have a process like you described Robbie, but did away with it. Just my luck.
Yes you can get FL title with a GA bill of sale and current GA registration. I was told by a little bird that the person in GA just needed a bill of sale and proof of insurance in anyone's name for the car to get registration in GA.
In MI you can get what's called a "bonded title", basically putting your money where your mouth is that it's legit in the form of a surety bond worth like 2x the vehicle is (the bond only costs a couple percent of the value), a quick google seems to indicate FL will do that.
Thanks Stampie and BrokenYugo. Broken, I specifically asked about a bonded title and was told no way. I'm beginning to suspect that a different office may be a bit more helpful. Stampie, I'll have to check into that :-) Thanks guys.
If you can find the rules online and print them out then take them in with you for bonded title, you'll have better luck. I did a bonded title in New Mexico for an ATV and it was not that bad, but I had to teach the people at the MVD how the process works 
I didn't spend alot of time looking, but if this exists... https://www.flhsmv.gov/dmv/forms/BTR/82026.pdf
yes, do not think that any one DMV office holds all the answers. They are just people and prone to the mistakes of being human. I would definitely do all the legwork for them and show up with the statutes needed to show them that you can do a bonded title or a title search or some such
Like everybody else has said, do their work for them. This applies to pretty much everything you do across a counter. If they don't do it daily, be ready to respectfully walk them through it, have all relevant info/numbers ready.
It's a total die roll if I walk into a parts store and say "Thrush turbo muffler dimensions such and such", I'm guaranteed to be out in 5 minutes if I say "I need part number XXXXXXX, it's a muffler".
I always seem to bump into the previous owner in the DMV parking lot, and he signs the papers for me.
Then I go back in and get my junk registered!
Here in Jacksonville the DMV you go into makes a huge difference. I've found the best one to be the one downtown. Not as many people because parking is a pain and I always safely flirt with them once I get up to the counter. On particularly questionable ones I bring my 8 year old and play up the cute kid angle.
You might also search the Factory Five and kit car boards. Those guys know which are the friendly DMV offices in a lot of areas because of the variation in titling kit cars.
Do what you want, but just making a strong recommendation to stay away from places like Broadway title. Most states consider what they do illegal. I've seen people get nailed.
I had to get a bonded title for my current car because no one signed the title in the past 2 or 3 owners. Although I physically had the title it was easier saying i lost it. That was Mississippi so YMMV but still wasnt a bad process at all
Just FYI since it comes up here regularly, Georgia requires a title for sale or registration of any vehicle 1986 & newer. I was just looking at that info because I've lost the title on the '97 Exploder I'm about to sell.
Checkout vermont. The dont require a title on vehicles older than 15 and you can apply for the title yourself.
Thanks guys! Very helpful info! I did read up on the Florida statutes and it looks like I can get a bonded title through Florida after all. The bond will cost a couple hundred dollars and stays on the title for three years, after which I still have to apply for a regular title (Florida always gets their money). The bonded title can be transferred if I were to sell in those three years, so I am a little concerned about how that might affect the value of the car. Have any of you ever bought a car with a bonded title, and did it affect how you valued the car? I'm also going to check on the Vermont process. Thanks again.
According to this link (like 4 posts down) says that you can do it all through the mail with VT. http://www.chinariders.net/showthread.php?t=11743&highlight=vermont
Just has to be at least 15 years old. Other than that, just has to have a clean VIN. Seems pretty cheap.
JohnRW1621 wrote:
Some states, I think Georgia, do not require cars older than 15 years old to have titles.
What I think you need is someone from Georgia to sell you the car. I think that bill of sale for a rightful Georgia resident will then allow you to get a FL title.
EDIT: I should note that I am not from Georgia so I have no first hand knowledge but I suspect some rightful, good ole boys from GA will chime in to prove me right/wrong.
Georgia's rules allows 1985 and earlier cars to be registered with no title. 1986 and later, though, you need a title. I've registered three vehicles that way.
foxtrapper wrote:
bentwrench wrote:
I always seem to bump into the previous owner in the DMV parking lot, and he signs the papers for me.
Then I go back in and get my junk registered!
Yep!
Once the Illinois DMV told me (for family purchase sales tax discount) that if my mother-in-law happened to be in the car she would allow me to walk the form out and get it signed.
I know in Alabama cars over 35 years old aren't issued titles, and don't require more than a bill of sale (and the car present) to be registered. I am sure people bring cars into Florida from states with similar rules all the time, sans title. Do they then require a bonded Florida title too?
It would seem that a potentially straightforward solution to get the car registered is to sell it to a friend or relative out of state, let them register it, then buy it back. Or am I missing something?
About 10 years ago I bought a 60 Cadillac in Georgia with a bill of sale and registration. Drove straight to the DMV once I got into town and it was actually one of the easier transactions I've done there. No bonded title just a normal FL title in the mail 2 weeks later.
