3rd Party Title Service?

Jeffncs

Jeffncs

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 4, 2017
Location
Wake Forest
I was given a vehicle frame years ago that has an unknown ownership history and has been collecting weeds and rust for ~50yrs. I’ve since moved a couple times and lost the little bit of paperwork I did have along with losing contact with the gifter. The VIN is clearly legible on the frame and I don’t have any concerns about it being stolen or any other worries for it (liens, etc)..

I’m in a better position now to begin working on it but don’t want to lift a finger until I have a title for it. Has anyone ever used one of the third party title companies to research and re-establish a vehicle paper trail to title it? It originated from outside NC and is old, so it’s going to require involvement of the DMV Theft and Fraud.

Any recommended agencies? I want to do this painlessly and legally. Thanks!
 
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My neighbor just got a title from Vermont. Apparently for $300 you can get just about any vehicle titled there then transfer it to your state. I assume this is a desired frame. Like an EB?
 
Google form VD-119 for Vermont registration. It is one paper, $2500 valued vehicle would cost you about $300 IIRC, the paper is also the bill of sale, just fill out the bill of sale stating you bought it from whoever you want. Must be 2002 or older which I assume it is, but they will send you a registration/license plate (good for a year). You can transfer the registration to NC and get a title.
 
Tacoma747 said:
Google form VD-119 for Vermont registration. It is one paper, $2500 valued vehicle would cost you about $300 IIRC, the paper is also the bill of sale, just fill out the bill of sale stating you bought it from whoever you want. Must be 2002 or older which I assume it is, but they will send you a registration/license plate (good for a year). You can transfer the registration to NC and get a title.
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While this will work, I believe he will have a hard time titling in NC, if it is just a frame. Maybe it depends on the inspector, but I have seen them deny the original request, for a car that was only partially assembled. The interesting part, was the fenders were taken off the car, so that she could see the VIN plates. She looked at it, and said that they could reschedule after the car was complete.
 
paradisePWoffrd said:
While this will work, I believe he will have a hard time titling in NC, if it is just a frame. Maybe it depends on the inspector, but I have seen them deny the original request, for a car that was only partially assembled. The interesting part, was the fenders were taken off the car, so that she could see the VIN plates. She looked at it, and said that they could reschedule after the car was complete.
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With the VT registration, it acts just like a title when you take the paperwork to the DMV. A DMV inspector doesn't even come and look at them. Now, this works only for JUST a title. If you need a safety inspection/license plate then obviously it needs to be put together. I assume he may be looking to put the vehicle together and then title it.

I have seen guys have a license plate/registration in hand before their HMMWV even showed up from auction (using VT). If using the government paperwork to get a title they don't mail that out for possibly months after purchase.
 
Tacoma747 said:
With the VT registration, it acts just like a title when you take the paperwork to the DMV. A DMV inspector doesn't even come and look at them. Now, this works only for JUST a title. If you need a safety inspection/license plate then obviously it needs to be put together. I assume he may be looking to put the vehicle together and then title it.

I have seen guys have a license plate/registration in hand before their HMMWV even showed up from auction (using VT). If using the government paperwork to get a title they don't mail that out for possibly months after purchase.
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If it's an out of state title, they all require inspection by license and theft in NC over 20 years old. Might be 30.
 
Thanks for the comments.

This is a bare frame from an EB. I don’t have any paperwork at this point. As I recall, the truck was a rust bucket that got parted out with only the frame being left.

I want to be smart here by getting a title in my name through NCDMV before buying the first bolt. No point starting until I know they’ll title it…

I went through the Fraud and Theft inspection for another EB entering NC from out of state. They inspected paperwork and frame VIN. She also took lots of pics. NCDMV issued a title that indicated it requires a safety inspection prior to registration. It’s a legal title, just can’t get tags until after it’s built.

I’ll be in a similar spot later this summer with another frame, but that one is coming from AL with a notarized BoS. AL doesn’t issue titles.
 
paradisePWoffrd said:
You can always do a bonded title application for it.
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The last DMV inspector I dealt with was on a bit of a power trip. She was perfectly polite, but I felt like she was interrogating me for a crime. I had nothing to hide, but she was incessantly quizzing me. It got to a point that I stopped answering conversational questions. Are all of the Fraud and Theft officers like that? Or did I just get lucky?

Is the bonded title a simple process? I don’t know answers to half the required form questions. I want to do this the right way, but don’t want to get the 3rd degree either.
 
Jeffncs said:
The last DMV inspector I dealt with was on a bit of a power trip. She was perfectly polite, but I felt like she was interrogating me for a crime. I had nothing to hide, but she was incessantly quizzing me. It got to a point that I stopped answering conversational questions. Are all of the Fraud and Theft officers like that? Or did I just get lucky?

Is the bonded title a simple process? I don’t know answers to half the required form questions. I want to do this the right way, but don’t want to get the 3rd degree either.
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Everyone I have dealt with goes nuts when there is no title. I lost paperwork for a trailer, asked the local one who was at the shop and I thought he was gonna hog tie me for saying I had a trailer with no title
 
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