Here’s what happened: I signed over the title to my van last December to my sister. The idea was that the van would be fixed and then my sister would have it… the problem is that there is no earthly way to get this thing to pass emissions in this state. So I’m selling it to a junkyard. My sister gave me the title back, but it still shows that I sold it to her. The registration was never changed, though, because we couldn’t get the van to pass emissions no matter what we did.
So can I sell the van (to a junkyard) with the title situation the way it is? Because the registration itself is still in my name, does the fact that I “sold” it last December count, or not?
Just call your local junkyard and ask. The title and registration procedures are different in every state, but it is not at all uncommon for a car to have a lost title by the time it reaches junkyard condition. Usually even junking a car with a completely missing title isn’t that big of an issue, and one where you filled out the title but didn’t send it in shouldn’t be a problem. Your local auto recycling professional should be well-versed in exactly what to do with a sub-optimal title situation in your locality.
Thanks! I hope that they’ll just take the title as is… the registration never got changed, after all. And my sister is working 80 hours a week, so it wouldn’t be the easiest thing to have her there. This salvage yard actually sends someone out with a tow truck, though (a lot of them seem to do that around here.)
IMHO, the title is MUCH more important than the registration! Title conveys actual ownership; registration simply means the vehicle can be driven on public streets and highways.
~VOW
I just sold my truck to junk yard and I was told that anything older than a 2003 didn’t need a title. I’m sure all states are different but you may not even need it. I had the title so it made it easier. One of the forms I had to sign had multiple boxes to check as to why the title wasn’t available and the tow driver said he is used to it.
Does your state have exemptions for vehicles that don’t pass emissions? Where I live you have to spend I think it’s $400 on repairs and if it still doesn’t pass you get an exemption for one year.
No. There are absolutely no exemptions if the vehicle is 1996 or newer (the van IS 1996, of course), and it doesn’t matter how much you spend. The van passed in Tennessee, but it will never pass here. After all the time and money we spent… the whole thing is just so vile that I want that thing out of here so I don’t have to be reminded of the nightmare!!!
Anyway, I think I’m going to call the DMV to find out exactly what we would have to do.
All states will offer an emissions exemption after a certain amount of money is spent on emissions repairs. In Maryland it if $450, less or more in other states. It may be an economical way for your sister to have a car.
I wish so much that were true here… but we have tried and tried and tried everything, and it’s not. The only exemptions are for motorcycles, etc. No regular vehicles. I found the kind of exemptions you’re talking about in Texas and Maryland.But it is just not available here. This is all they have:
The waiting list is six months, few people will qualify, AND the vehicle still has to have clear engine codes that test as “ready,” which they will not tell you until you’ve spent an hour on hold with the DEQ and finally get to talk to someone. That’s the first problem we had-- we could never even get the van to that point.
Also, here’s this info:
Is the van otherwise in good shape? It shouldn’t be that hard to get a 1996 model year car to pass emissions. It’s not like back in the bad old days of inscrutable electronic carburetors where a car required constant fiddling to keep properly tuned and keep all the smog gizmos working right. It sounds to me like you just need to take it to a different mechanic, maybe one that’s more of an emissions specialist.
Wow. I recently had to pay to have my catalytic converter replaced so that it could pass the emissions inspections. I THOUGHT that I had found lots of other states that offered waivers, but I guess I did not. I find it mind boggling that the government would require someone spend more than a car is worth so that it could pass this test.
I know that. And in fact at least two states who had taken part (in order to obtain federal money) asked for and received waivers…their residents no longer have to throw away money as we (Marylanders) still do.
I bought the van originally for $400. So, yes… it would be a lot more than it’s worth! You’d really think that all states would offer a waiver, but no. (Or, as they say here,“yeahno.” That was the final opinion of our mechanic… (the van needing a new catalytic converter, that is. PROBABLY. Maybe. There’s no way to be sure, because the codes never cleared.) Anyway, this mechanic is really good and has caught a lot of things other mechanics didn’t… so I doubt that’s it.) The other thing is that my sister’s been stuck fixing old, crappy cars for 20 years, and she tried everything. It was miserable. She spent her entire vacation wrestling with that van.
The way the van passed in TN was by a tailpipe test, but here, anything 1996 or newer has to be computer-analyzed and clear a number of codes. MY opinion… which could be biased at this point… is that if there are no waivers and no limit to the amount of money the owner has to spend (before finally sending the vehicle over a cliff), then the cutoff year should be more recent than 1996. (I wonder if a video of a van going off a cliff would be worth anything??)
I’ve lived in a few states, and in each one a title has blank spots on the back where you can transfer it. If the official title from the state has her name on it, can’t she just sign it over to you? I can’t imagine that emissions testing or anything else is important simply for ownership to turn over to the junkyard. That stuff is for driving on the roads…
You’d really think that all states would offer a waiver, but no. (Or, as they say here,“yeahno.” 
That was the final opinion of our mechanic… (the van needing a new catalytic converter, that is. PROBABLY. Maybe. There’s no way to be sure, because the codes never cleared.) Anyway, this mechanic is really good and has caught a lot of things other mechanics didn’t… so I doubt that’s it.) The other thing is that my sister’s been stuck fixing old, crappy cars for 20 years, and she tried everything. It was miserable. She spent her entire vacation wrestling with that van.