No Title?

I'm looking at a 1965 GMC pickup in Taos, NM; nice truck, all there, solid, no rust with patina paint.

Seller can't find the Title. I suggested getting a duplicate from DMV, he was evasive.

Is it worth all the cost of shipping etc. without papers? Can clean paper be had?

Dan

If the seller is the legitimate owner and NM bothers titling cars that old (some don't) he should have no issue filing for a lost title and getting a new one.

^^^^^ yes

914Driver wrote: Seller can't find the Title. I suggested getting a duplicate from DMV, he was evasive.

Sounds shady. If it was registered to the seller it is free to cheap to get a duplicate title. Might take a few months though.

In this area it is almost impossible to get a title for a car bought without one. Regulations in the era of identity theft have stopped DMVs from giving you the last owners contact info. It starts with a visit to the state police for them to see if it is stolen and that can take months.

We have a customer who bought a big Healey and did everything by the book. Towed the shell to the state police for inspection to start the process and proceeded to start the restoration. 6 months later he got informed it was stolen after he was already $10K into body work. He had no recourse and had to hand it off to the cops. Of course this is an extreme example and a very small chance of happening but it is a possibility.

Assuming NM does issue titles for 1965 vehicles...

I would never buy a vehicle without a title. Period. A title serves as concrete proof that the seller legally owns the vehicle and, absent of a lien, has the right to sell it.

Dear Mr. Seller: Yes, I know dealing with the DMV (or whatever it's called in your state) is a hassle and a headache. Too bad; suck it up and get it done. If you think it's difficult for you, be aware that it is 100x more difficult for a buyer. Sure, there are some buyers that will buy your vehicle without a title, but if you put in the time and effort to obtain proper title, you open up your market to many more potential buyers, and quite likely a higher price. Just go do it.

Does the ad also say "i know what it's worth"?

The official website doesn't mention anything about not titling vehicles older than a certain age, so I would assume that the seller either doesn't want to deal with the MVD or has good reason not to.

I see this all the time with cheap motorcycles. "Easy to get a replacement title." It's is? Then why don't you get one?

You guys are right, I just needed a little slapping off the cloud.

:- ( Dan

BTW pics when I get home.

NM does issue titles for all cars and, oddly doesn't recognize out of state titles. If you bring a car into NM from another state you have to get a VIN inspection done before you can register it. It's a real pain. On the other hand I can buy a hand gun with just about any form of ID. I like to think it goes back to the days of the old west when a man needed a gun and stealing a horse was a capital offence.

In reply to APEowner:

Pretty much the same here in NV. I don't think NV ever got past the Old West stage.

In reply to APEowner:

Hey, a fellow New Mexican!

NM does have a somewhat decent process for getting a bonded title - get a vin inspection at the MVD, take the paperwork they give you and go get a title bond, then go back and get it registered. I've done this twice for ATVs that were sold without a title, and haven't had any issues yet. Even if I did, the two ATVs were under $500 for both

I've successfully got titles for two vehicles without in the past. It's not impossible.

APEowner wrote: NM does issue titles for all cars and, oddly doesn't recognize out of state titles. If you bring a car into NM from another state you have to get a VIN inspection done before you can register it. It's a real pain. On the other hand I can buy a hand gun with just about any form of ID. I like to think it goes back to the days of the old west when a man needed a gun and stealing a horse was a capital offence.

There is a section there that is "say what" material.

Vermont will do non-resident titles for vehicles older than 1996, I believe. Crush the guy in negotiations because without the title it's basically scrap, get the Vermont registration, enjoy.

Osterkraut wrote: Vermont will do non-resident titles for vehicles older than 1996, I believe. Crush the guy in negotiations because without the title it's basically scrap, get the Vermont registration, enjoy.

Montana also.

Pretty much every state has some kind of process for obtaining a missing title. In my mind, that's not the problem. The problem is that the title is what proves that the seller actually owns the truck that he's selling. If he's not willing to do what needs to be done to obtain a title himself then one has to wonder if he does, in fact own it. If he does not then the buyer may very well have to give it back to the rightful owner when the title search is done.

$800. through Vermont.

patgizz wrote: Does the ad also say "i know what it's worth"?

Current owner is probably named Colton Costas.

BrokenYugo wrote: If the seller is the legitimate owner and NM bothers titling cars that old (some don't) he should have no issue filing for a lost title and getting a new one.

This.

I know i have lost titles for my personal vehicles and im pretty sure, atleast in Indiana, it cost something like $13 dollars to get a replacement title

In reply to edizzle89:

It was $6 in Ohio. My tactic was always tell the owner how cheap it is then offer him $50 for the trouble of getting it. That helps a lot.

Brokeback wrote: In reply to APEowner: Hey, a fellow New Mexican!

Hey - I'm a relatively new New Mexican having only lived here five years but I now turn up my nose at any cheeseburger that doesn't have green chili on it so I'm pretty well assimilated. I was down your way a couple of weeks ago racing at Arroyo Seco with the Southwest Motorsports group.

Guy is asking $3,000, it belongs to his friend and I should call in a week to see if he found the Title. Originally had a 238 V8 and powerglide, now sports a 327 with a TH 350.

The tides have changed.....

SWMBO and I are crunching numbers this week researching the possibility of moving to Sante Fe, NM. I know, I know; people come back from vacation all the time and say "Wouldn't it be wonderful...". We are definitely serious so lets see how it goes and perhaps buy something then. More time, more research, more contacts.

Dan

Wouldn't a GMC of the era have come with the GMC 305 V6?