Hey guys!

I need advice on a car that I am in possession of and would love to restore for my nephew by this fall, when he turns 16 and gets his license.

Car is a 1981 Corvette.

Story behind it, My brother (Kids father), owned a motorcycle during a divorce/bankruptcy/time in prison period in his life. Motorcycle had no value to wife and no value to bank so it was not sought after during bankruptcy. Brother trade motorcycle for 1981 corvette just before going to jail and losing his wife. During bankruptcy the bank had an interest in the car which was registered (we believe) in his wifes name. We believe it may have been titled over to a friend in the family, but the wife is too into drugs to remember or be any help. Whilst in prison he lost his wife, house, boat, truck etc. But the car has been at my house during this entire thing.

I am trying to find out who has this title, and see how I might be able to get title into my name so I can fix this for my nephew. Mother does not have nor does father. I ran a carfax but it does not give me any names. As is the car is not worth selling because I can only get between $500-$1,500 at best IMHO. The car ran to where it sits today and ran out of gas. I'm sure with a little TLC on the engine, and redoing the entire interior, the kid will be content with it but I need to know where I have to go from here to obtain a title.

Is there any "squatters rights" since it has been on my property for almost 9 years? Any loop holes to get it legally registered without title? Any way I can find out who the title truly belongs to without contacting mother any more than I have to? Mother did agree to sign title over to her son if there was a title, but she will not make a call to DMV or have any involvement other than signing. I am currently living in New York, but vehicle is in Massachusetts at parents house.

Thanks for the help

 

I would not spend a dime on the car unless you get a clear title to it. I'm sure it's different in each state, but can you put a mechanic's lean on it?

 

The current state that hold the registration will have records at the DMV office. I'm not sure how much information you can get from them as you are not the registered owner. Perhaps if you sat down and explained the situation you might get a lead on how to handle it. File for lost title perhaps?

 

What is a mechanics lean and how could I get one for this vehicle as a private home owner?

 

Unless the car has some real sentimental value, I would look for another one that needs little or no work. It is so VERY easy to drop a bunch of coin in the repair and maintenance of an old Corvette. Most of us do it out of a passion for the breed or sometimes out of just sheer stupidity. Unless the car is in very good condition, you could probably buy one for less than what it would cost to fix that one.

I speak from experience. My 80, which is now a very decent driver-quality car, is not my first attempt at "fixing up" an old car. I spent so much on getting it to where it is today that I bought two more Corvettes to give my wife something else to complain about (actually she is pretty forgiving about my bad habit).

 

Check with the DMV in the state in which you wish to register it in.

 

Will the local police do the title search for you if you tell them somebody dumped a junk car on your property and that you'd like to notify the owner - to give him a chance to reclaim it - before you have it hauled off. Hopefully it wasn't reported stolen.

 

Since the car has been involved in a bankruptcy, it is possible the bank or other creditor(s) could have a lien on the car. Bankruptcies are public records. An attorney might be able to help you get to the bottom of things.

 

Lots of people pointing me in the right direction. Found out today that the local police cant legally do a title search but they recommended that my insurance agent do it and they did. I now know who owns the title and that there are no liens on it. At this point is looks like my nephew might need to make the painful phone call to his mother and see if she will request it for him. Unless I find someone who works at the DMV, I can't request it myself.

 

#1 Rule on Project car.
Do nothing until you have legal owneship,
any money you invest, ..you may loose.

 

any money you invest you may also lose.

Ok, so you've found the "legal" owner. Honestly, this sounds like drama-trap. I'd walk away from this one, and think about getting your nephew something else. Another vette perhaps, perhaps something... uh... reasonable for a teenager. Just my opinion though.