Ok, so I found a great deal on a car that has been abandoned at a shop. As far as I know right now the shop has not applied for a mechanics lien and wants to sell me the car without title. The deal is pretty good and I only want the car for parts, BUT I am a newbie in the title-less car department. Convince me that all is well so I can buy this thing and make some money parting it out.
Find out if your local scrap recycler (or the guy that you'll give the hulk to to haul it off for you) will take the stripped car without a title.
If so...you're good. If not, you're in for a whole lotta cuttin' the car into little bits ;).
The Shop doesn't want to apply for mechanic's lein because it's too much hassle.
Keep in mind...you'll have pretty much ZERO legal protection in this case. Not that I think you'll need it, but I do feel you should know that.
Clem
Plan on at least cutting it in half if you don't get a title. Virtually all places will not take a whole car (even a shell) with out the title. I would check with them before purchase.
However with a sawzall this is really no big deal.. . . Actually it can be kind of fun. Just be ware of the brake and fuel lines before you start cutting.
Cut it in half as mentioned. Can be done with a Sawzall in about 10 minutes.
You didn't mention where you live. Every state has their own regulations about this sort of thing, so it's pretty hard to get reliable advice on a forum - go to your state's DMV website and poke around, they may have some information about what to do with cars without titles.
This is in Ohio and the shop has had the car for over 2 years. I understand that they don't want the hassle of applying for the lien so I have a lawyer friend that I can get to help this along if need be. The price is good enough that new sawzall blades will certainly be covered by the sale of the parts.
No title? No problem!
aircooled wrote: Cut it in half as mentioned. Can be done with a Sawzall in about 10 minutes.
I don't think I've ever been in any situation with a sawzall that only took 10 minutes...
;)
Clem
It all sound spiffy, until the blue lights start flashing.
What you are talking about doing is technically stealing and stripping a car. Generally frowned upon. Oh, that's most certainly not your intent, but legally, that's what you are doing when you take a car without the permission of the owner, take it apart and sell the parts.
The shop is telling you they own the car. They do not. They've never placed a lien against it, so it is not legally theirs. When you haul the car away, that's when the legal owner is most likely to start asking questions. Have no doubt that if things get hot, the shop will say you simply took it. No doubt they will testify that they told you to wait until they got the lien, etc.
So make sure you really understand what you're up to, and what the risks are. Btdt.
Cutting a car up does diddly as far as making it suddenly not a car and having no VIN for checking, etc. Scrap yards generally don't care if the car you show up with is in one piece or two. If they are concerned about a title, they will be concerned about a title, regardless of the one or two piece status. If they don't care about the title, they equally don't care about how many pieces the car is in when it shows up.
foxtrapper wrote: Cutting a car up does diddly as far as making it suddenly not a car and having no VIN for checking, etc. Scrap yards generally don't care if the car you show up with is in one piece or two. If they are concerned about a title, they will be concerned about a title, regardless of the one or two piece status. If they don't care about the title, they equally don't care about how many pieces the car is in when it shows up.
I think this is where the state by state thing comes in to play. I asked about this specifically because I lost the title to a car that I had been using for parts and wanted to scrap. They specifically said one piece is a no go. Cut it in half and bring it in two trips and there was no issue. They actually sited some law or regulation. I forget what it was it was so long ago.
Tow the car to your place. Wait 30 days (or what ever your state says you have to) and file for title. I think you have to publish an add in the paper or something (again a state by state thing). That way you will be all legal and have no worries.
If the deal is as good as you say it is why not get a title and drive it or is is a POS.
What is the car anyway and just how good a deal is it?
I wonder what the cost of this process is? Anyone done it recently?
in ohio - go to bmv with vin and tell them you want to file for an abandoned vehicle title. tell them someone left it at your place 2 years ago and never picked it up. they send a letter to the owner's last known address and if no reply within xx days you get title. then go give the shop the $ and tow the car home. unless you're near medina county then i can tell you where to take the shell to a good-old-boys type junkyard that will take it without title, but towing it and having it sit on your property is a liability.
If the car is worthy of the effort, find someone who wants to go racing. It will depend on which parts you're keeping, but last time I checked race cars don't need titles or VIN numbers. Possibly a future LeMons racer? Strip the car amd weld in a cage - presto, instant race car.
foxtrapper wrote: It all sound spiffy, until the blue lights start flashing. What you are talking about doing is technically stealing and stripping a car. Generally frowned upon. Oh, that's most certainly not your intent, but legally, that's what you are doing when you take a car without the permission of the owner, take it apart and sell the parts. The shop is telling you they own the car. They do not. They've never placed a lien against it, so it is not legally theirs. When you haul the car away, that's when the legal owner is most likely to start asking questions. Have no doubt that if things get hot, the shop will say you simply took it. No doubt they will testify that they told you to wait until they got the lien, etc. So make sure you really understand what you're up to, and what the risks are. Btdt. Cutting a car up does diddly as far as making it suddenly not a car and having no VIN for checking, etc. Scrap yards generally don't care if the car you show up with is in one piece or two. If they are concerned about a title, they will be concerned about a title, regardless of the one or two piece status. If they don't care about the title, they equally don't care about how many pieces the car is in when it shows up.
Seriously good advice. I couldn't have said it better. The law is the law and it will come after you if there is a problem.I don't doubt the shop would hesitate for one moment to throw you under the bus and deny all knowledge. Of course the minute you take it, the (real) owner will suddenly decide that he/she wants it back and I believe the law would view this as car theft. Best advice ever......do the right thing, whatever that may be in your state.
Thanks guys. I have consulted a lawyer friend of mine on this. The car appears to be good enough to serve as a driver or a candidate for flipping WITH the title. I will only say that this car is one of the 3 default answers on the board. I already have a race car so don't need another and thus this car is either a flip or a strip candidate for me.
Thanks again for all the info. This is in central Ohio so just wanted other opinions as I am pretty risk averse and sometimes miss these deals because of it.
patgizz wrote: in ohio - go to bmv with vin and tell them you want to file for an abandoned vehicle title. tell them someone left it at your place 2 years ago and never picked it up. they send a letter to the owner's last known address and if no reply within xx days you get title. then go give the shop the $ and tow the car home. unless you're near medina county then i can tell you where to take the shell to a good-old-boys type junkyard that will take it without title, but towing it and having it sit on your property is a liability.
Does anyone know how to get a title for an abandoned vehicle in TN? I've been storing a car for a guy at my house for over 2 years. He hasn't paid me any money and calls every 6 months or so and says he will come get it, but never shows up. I'm not a business, so can't file any kind of lien. I'd like to take possession if possible, but want to make sure it's legal.
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