My mom recently relocated cities and downsized into a small home. Several 4 drawer file cabinets in her old home office were emptied and left behind.
We’re currently selling her car and can’t find the car title.
I’m on the Title too and went to the DMV with the VIN. I thought they’d pull it up in the computer and send a copy to the laser printer. Put the right form stock in the tray and press continue. Easy, right?
Nope, they are reissuing a new car title. Takes 4 to 6 weeks and will be mailed to my mom.
I called the buyer to let him know about the delay. $12,000 sale is on hold until we can get a piece of paper.
So spending hours searching through stacks of paperwork for this car title isn’t an option.
Nothing we can do but sit on our hands and wait for the mail to arrive.
Ironically this happened because my mom took the Title out of the safety deposit box and took it to the DMV to get my name added. It never got put back into the safety deposit box.
As for the paper, it’s pretty much asking for trouble to let every DFA office in the state have their own stock of title paper and a printer that works with it. Many other states work this way - you can’t just stroll up to a clerk and ask for a title. That’s a system that just begs to be abused.
The new Real ID driver’s licenses are the same way. When I got my first DL in AR, it was printed on site. Can’t do that with the new Real ID requirements. Again, it’s a logistical nightmare if just any county employee can print them. So, there are 3 regional offices in Arkansas where they can be printed.
Also, it probably won’t take 4-6 weeks. Last time I did it, it took about a week. It can take as long as a month, but they don’t want to say 1-3 weeks only for a delay to screw things up.
Last year I gave away an auto not really worth anything to a friend who really needed it. Couldn’t find the title so he and I went down to the DMV with the registration and my driver’s license, which matched. After explaining the situation the clerk said, “No problem!” and printed out a new one (charging me $25) whereupon we both immediately signed it and gave it back to her. She then printed out another one in his name, gave him the plate (mine was personalized) and charged him $25.
It took me over two years to get a replacement title from California. The theory is since the holder of the title effectively owns the car that having two or more paper titles out in the public is asking for trouble.
It is , to a point. But in my state and I’m sure others, you actually transfer ownership by signing over the title. So you need a paper copy for the buyer and seller to sign. And again, in my state and I’m sure others, titles aren’t printed locally. The states don’t want them to be able to be printed locally , because you want to limit who can print them. There are at least 15 DMV offices within 15 miles of me - maybe 10 of them do vehicle transactions. Say they have 10 clerks each- that’s 100 people. Now add in the other DMV offices outside the NYC area, and the county clerks offices that handle DMV transactions and you have to add at least another 200 people ( some of whom the state had no say in hiring) So 300 customer-facing people able to issue titles- how does that compare corruption-wise to three people in a back office in Albany issuing them? I’m going to say
It’s probably less likely that 1 out of 3 will be corrupt than 1 out of 300.
Less opportunity to be offered a bribe if not customer-facing
3)It’s easier to determine who is responsible if only a small number are capable of printing them
What happens if I move from Canada to the US with my car? There is no such thing as an auto title in Canada (or at least in Quebec). My registration is proof of ownership.
The problem is that if a crooked employee gets the title paper he can create a title that says anything he wants and do things like sell cars that he doesn’t own.
The following applies to my experience here in Connecticut.
When you take out a car loan, the title gets sent to the bank or credit union that is financing the vehicle. (They do this so they can repossess the car if you fail to make the payments.) However, when the car is paid off, they are supposed to send the title to you.
I had two different banks for two different loans fail to send me the titles when the loans were paid off, and I never thought to follow up on it at the time. When the cars died a decade or so later (totaled in an accident, and unrepairable due to a rusted frame, respectively), I therefore didn’t have the titles in my possession.
I had to get a letter from the banks attesting that the loans were paid off, and then go down to the DMV where they issued a new title to me that was printed on the spot. There was a big disclaimer at the bottom of the replacement title that stated “THIS IS A REPLACEMENT TITLE AND MAY BE SUBJECT TO THE RIGHTS OF A PERSON UNDER THE ORIGINAL CERTIFICATE.”
While I got the replacement title on the spot, I did have to wait my turn in a waiting room for nearly an hour. It felt like the waiting room scene in Beetlejuice.
When I paid my car loan off, the bank sent me some sort of certificate that the letter accompanying the certificate specifically said was NOT an ownership title. I have to get that from the MVA.
When we moved from Canada to the States (years and years ago) my Dad figured that would be too much hassle. He sold his car in Canada and bought a new one in the US.
NJ printed me one right then and there, on fancy paper and all.
Back in the day, lenders would always send you the title with “lien released” stamped on it. These days they probably just destroy them in NJ as soon as they are not needed, as a cost reduction.
I found this out as I tried to sell an old beater car and couldn’t find its title, only to find out that many don’t send them back. No worries, just sixty bucks and the standard DMV hurry-up-and-wait.
I live in Missouri, which is a Title state. I moved here from New York in 1966 with a car Registered in that state. New York was not a Title state. When I traded my car for a new one the dealer was confused when I couldn’t produce a Title, just a Registration slip of paper. I had to sign a form they made up agreeing that if they had any issues getting a Title in Missouri I would provide assistance including accompanying they to the DMV to get it all fixed up.
A google image search reveals that New York is now a Title state.
Takes 4 to 6 weeks and will be mailed to my mom.
