Is it tough to get one

 

Go to DMV pay $20 fill out the form, simple.

 

you can probably do it online..

 

If the title is in your name shouldn't be a problem. If it's not It's up to you to track the person on the title and get them to do it.

 

What if they are dead? Hmm?

 

Many moons ago (when I was much younger and 20 pounds lighter) I was a good enough boxer to work the regional circuit. For 2 months in 1978 I won my weight class against all comers. But the by the 3rd month it was won by another fighter. So my 1978 title is lost too.

 

I bought a Corvair that the owner had past and the family didn't wasn't to look through all the papers. Got a bill of sale, DMV states I needed a estimate value which I got from a car dealer I knew [ free ], Also needed a bond for the same amount , got that from my car insurance agent. [ $100 ] Took the stuff back to the DMV and got a clear title. Check with your DMV or check on line for your state as I'm sure there are different requirements.

 

Goes fast huh? LOL
Kickboxed for a few yrs still got the scars on the shin to prove it. Hard to work with broken bones. lol
It dont pay well sittin at home!

 

You need to check with your states DMV. Requirements vary quite a bit state to state.

Back in the day I was a lover, not a fighter. Lost my title as well.

 

Check your DMV. Connecticut doesn't need a title 20 years old and older.

 

if it is already your car, it is no problem. if car was last titled to some guy in texas 25 years ago, gonna be an issue. have you titled it to yourself in Minnesota before losing the title?

 

I'm in South Carolina ... Title laws vary wildly among states ... YMMV

some years back I bought a late model Lincoln TC with No title and got a title later ... but I had a plan all along.
Seller was new to SC from Illinois and he was a Pakistani citizen and Not a US citizen.
I drove the car & it ran out fine.

Next, a friendly LEO ran a check on VIN to see if:
(1) was it stolen ? ... No It was clean throughout USA
(2) was any Money $ Lien owed on it in South Carolina ? ... No it was clean in SC ... but I suspect debt/lien in another state ...
... but SC DMV concerned only w/liens registered at SCDMV

Only once both 1 & 2 were clear did I buy car.

I paid the seller $1300 for a car worth at least $8000 at the time.

Then I took car to a pal's bona fide auto shop and had him do a few small "diagnostic" things and pad the bill with "storage" fees well beyond car's fair market value.

Pal applied to local Magistrate's Office for Mechanic's Lien Title. I did all the legwork, paid all fees and ran requisite adverts in newspaper: I paid for all.

Public auction (aka Sheriff's Sale) held at pal's shop; as expected, No bidders showed up. Magistrate's Office issued a clean Bill of Sale ...
... I paid my pal a pre-arranged "thanks" of $500.

I picked up BoS at Magistrate's Office and took to SC DMV and applied for new Title and paid title fee. New, clean, clear SCDMV Title in my name arrived 10 days later.

At first & In total I had under $2000 and a dozen hours in this endeavor plus some 6 weeks waiting for thr "process." Today, some 10 years hence and ...
... another nearly 100,000 additional miles ... I still have car ...& have since spent about $4000 additional on several sets of Tires, oil-changes, self-repairs & parts ...
... all well under grand total $7000 ... a gamble that went well.
the ol' grey ghost is looking tired & she needs new rear axles & bearings (which I've had on hand for too long).

Clemson up 24-3 at half

-addendum-
Until I acquired above car, it had Not been titled in SC ... it was later determined the car had been last registered/titled in Illinois.

On the other hand, IF this car had been titled in SC, But had No liens, I could have followed through with Mechanic Lien process But I would have Also had to identify, locate and notify Titleholder via certified mail and titleholder would have had to satisfy Mechanic Lien (shop bill) and all prior costs in order to redeem car.

IF it had been titled in SC And IF it Did have liens, I could have followed through with Mechanic Lien process BUT I would have Also had to identify, locate and notify Both Titleholder and Lienholder (bank), then Lienholder or Titleholder or Both would have had to satisfy Mechanic Lien (shop bill) and all prior costs in order to redeem car.

To recap, my job was comparatively simple, as my car hadn't been reported stolen and had no prior SC Title nor Lien(s) registered at SC DMV. We actually did not know who car was titled to, thus those Legal adverts in newspaper were in lieu of certified mail and met the requisite notifications. Kind of a loophole but would NOT work with any vehicle reported stolen anywhere.

Clemson (12-0) defeated SC 38-3

 

I can tell you for a fact MN will not give you a title with a bill of sale. Go to the MN DMV with the VIN number and they can run it to see if it's stolen, if it has a lien against it and who the current name on the title is. If the named person on the title is dead you will have to work thru the heirs if any to get clear title. If you can't find the person on the title you can do a "bonded" title in MN. Your local car insurance place will sell you a bond for the value of the car and then MN DMV will issue a bonded title in your name. It's good for three years.
I went thru all this on a 67 Nova I purchased in CA and the title was signed in the wrong place. MN DMV said it was up to me to track down the person on the CA title to get it signed correctly. Couldn't find him so I went the bonded title route. Worked out fine.
The risk with taking the VIN into the DMV is if it finds out it's stolen the local law enforcement will be knocking on your door. If it has a lien against it I would call them and see if you can settle it for pennies on the dollar.

 

Im in VA, and this is how i handled it

Went down to NC, bought the car off of a guy who had just moved from CA to find out his wife was prego, hence selling the car. I got the car without much thought on looking at the title, got home, and noticed he bought it back in 2003, only never transferred the title in his name (i dont know why, it was a running and driving car).

No biggie, i thought, the PO had signed the title anyway. So i went into the DMV, filled out my portion, only to get denied because the PO to the PO hadnt signed off on the mileage.. I asked what my options were since i had no idea who this guy way (I told her I wasnt going back to CA for a signature - didnt tell her the PO had title skipped) - and she told me to do an Abandoned Vehicle Request.. Took around 2 months, and had to send certified letters to PO saying basically "come get it or its mine" - but that didnt matter because it had been so long since last titled and registered that no PO came up - so 2 months of waiting later I had a fresh title, total cost around $80.

Long story short - if you are the owner or it hasnt been titled to anyone in many many years like mine, do an abandoned vehicle request. Easy process. Cheap.

Best of luck,
VV

 

You live in MN like me, so you know all the issues our wonderful DMV is having. Hopefully you had it titled and registered in MN, then you should not have too many issues.