Any one live in Alabama?
Alabama doesn't issue titles for vehicles older than 1975. How do you register it for the first time? How do you prove ownership the first time? What if you have a project that was never registered in your name and then you sell it to someone from out of state and they need a registration card to get a title in their state?
Bill of sale and/or a signed title from the previous owner for the first two questions and a bill of sale for the 3rd question would be my guess.
What TJ said. If you bring it in from a title state, you will need the title though. If you purchase the car in Alabama or another non-title state, you only need a bill of sale. It depends on where you buy the car. Also, if you buy the car out of state, you will need to take the car to the DMV with you. They do verify the serial number on the car and make sure it is what the papers say it is.
The problem is, and it's not really a problem, is when you sell a pre-'75 car from Alabama to someone in another state. There are a few additional forms to fill out.
How many people live in AL on here? I need cheapo parts connections haha
racerdave600 wrote: The problem is, and it's not really a problem, is when you sell a pre-'75 car from Alabama to someone in another state.
Guess which side of this dilemma I'm on. I have a BOS and a VIN verification from the police in my state. The problem is, despite having these and owning the vehicles legit, my state wants a title. I don't know if the cars ever had a title. They are mostly Model Ts that where bought at a live auction last month, BTW. I'd go through a title company, but they're expensive and I don't actually need an AL title or a license plate. All I need is a registration card - doesn't even need to be current. With that, I can file for a regular title on my own. Anyway, my only alternative is to either title them as "reconstructed", which they aren't, or never drive them on the street. It is a rural area so I could probably do that, but it's still a public road and they might be used is the occasional parade when restored. It goes without saying that I'm not a fan of the DMV.
If any kindly Alabama citizen would like to discuss this with me further, I would be very grateful.
racerdave600 wrote: What TJ said. If you bring it in from a title state, you will need the title though. If you purchase the car in Alabama or another non-title state, you only need a bill of sale. It depends on where you buy the car. Also, if you buy the car out of state, you will need to take the car to the DMV with you. They do verify the serial number on the car and make sure it is what the papers say it is. The problem is, and it's not really a problem, is when you sell a pre-'75 car from Alabama to someone in another state. There are a few additional forms to fill out.
There is also a form that you can get that the local law enforcement can fill out to verify VIN. I recently found out that this is now enforced more. Either drive/tow the car to the DMV or get the form filled out by local law enforcement. Now getting one to come over to do that might be a trick in itself.
I've already had the cops do the VIN verifications. I'm missing one thing - an Alabama registration card ...and it's screwing me big time.
I dont know if this will help or not but In GA its 85 and older for no title.
Unless I can find someone in AL to lend me a hand, I think I may have found a way to get a for say, a 1915 Model, that doesn't say "2010 Reconstructed Vehicle".
Virginia has adopted the "SEMA regulations". From what I've read, this allows replica cars to be titled as the vehicle they replicate. So, although the cars we have aren't replicas (and it would be pretty clear that they aren't), I could title them as such. I live about 15 miles from VA, so that route might be possible. It would be easier to just go through AL, though.
I'm not sure what you are calling a registration card is. My cars only have the registration and that is the current registration that makes it street legal and is issued with the license plate. It is a slip of paper and goes with the license plate. I'll put this bluntly. Not much us Alabamaians can do without having the car(s) in our possission to get the VIN verified by our local DMV or local law enforcement and the car registered w/plates in our name. Which means we would then have to "sell" it back to you. The days of titling old out of state cars in Alabama is over, VIN inspection by local authorities is mandatory and enforced now.
Yes, that's the registration card I'm talking about. I've had a VIN inspection in my state, but the DMW won't issue a title without a registration card and won't issue a registration card without a title.
So you're saying even if you don't need a license plate, the only way to register a vehicle is to get a VIN inspection and then you're issued a license plate/registration? How do you show ownership for projects that aren't on the road yet? My DMV won't accept a BOS alone.
Yes that's what I'm saying. Why would you need to show ownership of projects? I have a bill of sale for my project which is all I need to show ownership. When I want to register it I take it to the DMV (drive or tow) and let them inspect the VIN or I call the local law enforcement and they send someone over to my house to check the VIN and complete the form that I take with me along with the bill of sale to the DMV and walk out with registration and plates. For cars 1975 and before, we don't get a title. Just the registration and plates. If/when sold, then a bill of sale is made and the new owner has to have the VIN verified. Even with a current registration.
If your cars are that old, they probably never had a title in Alabama. Might want to try a different DMV in your area. Or look up the regs yourself and bring that with you to the DMV. Both your state and Alabama to show that Alabama never issued a title for that old a car. Sucks to do their job for them but it looks like you'll have too.
In WV, if you ever want to drive your project on the road, you need a continuous paper trail. If you don't have "ownership" of your project or there is a gap in the paperwork, you can never get a title. You can't drive vehicles here unless they have a title - even if they never had one. WV will generate a title....if you have the proper paperwork. Thus, my quandary.
I went to the WV DMV with the VIN verification, BOS, AND a letter from the Probate Judge in Baldwin County, AL saying the cars did not have a title because of their age. The guy told me I needed a registration card to show that the seller legally owned it. Even if the car is a restoration project that hasn't been on the road for 50 years, they want a registration card. It's a completely ridiculous circular process. I work for the government, so I'm used to the way things work, but I find this process particularly unnecessary and cumbersome.
A criminal wouldn't care about paperwork and a regular guy wouldn't think of requesting a title for a car that isn't legit - not to mention taking the vehicle to the cops for an inspection.
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