VetteBabe1

Ok, I will try to make this short....

I don't have the title to my car yet. It's absurd. I bought the car March 4. It's now June 12. That makes nearly 100 DAYS. Now my temp tags are expired and I can no longer drive it. I am not a happy camper.

The guy I bought it from in Massachusetts (a Vette only dealer) got it from Fitzgerald Motorsports where it was supposedly traded in on a Viper by a guy in Indiana. Well, the dude "lost" the title. He had to go back through Fitzgerald and then they had to contact the original owner and get him to reapply for the title. Apparently they did not have power of attorney over the car. Well, it took them about 6 weeks to realize this. Now, they keep saying the title has been applied for, but that was 4-5 weeks ago???? How long does it take to get a replacement title in Indiana, anyone? The problem(s) is/are - 1. I can't drive the car now....2. The bank is going ape shiat because the don't have the title to secure the loan, and even though I've paid about $1600 already in 3 months on the loan, that still doesn't make it right. Plus the loan is in Lee, my fiance's name. So that brings him in to the whole problem. 3. The guy I bought it from really can do nothing, since it's all between Fitzgerald and the orig owner. I am not sure what to do. Should I just tell the guy to send me my money back and to come get the car? He admitted he did not know the title was missing till after he sold the car to me and it was paid for, so isn't that illegal to sell a car without a title? I am very distraught because it is the car of my dreams, but I can't drive it and I am not sure what will happen if the bank comes after Lee, that is not fair. There is still no answer as to when the title will be here. If I had a concrete date it would be fine, but all Fitzgerald's secretary can say is "the Indiana DMV says they have all the paperwork and it's in the process." What on earth do I do?? The guy I bought from said something about sending the money back and me sending the car back. I am deeply saddened at this notion but just not sure how much longer I should put up with this. Any ideas?? :sad:

What is wrong with me that I keep ending up in these situations? I can't imagine the guy would risk his business by selling a car w/ no title (plus I have a COPY of the title that he had either received or made himself, although he says he can't ever remember actually seeing the title really). I am sure it will come eventually, I assume, but if I decide to wait, what do I do about the bank? :cry I have the money to pay the loan off in a CD, but I don't want to put even more money into a car I have no title for. :(:(


[Modified by VetteBabe1, 11:45 PM 6/11/2002]

IMXCITD

Sorry to hear about your situation!! Anyway you can contact the owner that traded the car to Fitzgerald and make sure the title has been applied for thru the DMV? It's almost like your hands are tied and you are at the mercy of the DMV. Hope it all works out for you. :)

hotwilzz

Hi Jen, sure sorry to hear you can't drive your toy, but I can tell you this. I have had to do this before to sell another car that I lost the title to. You can thru the bmv and order an express title. I forget how much xtra that is but it may help resolve the matter a little more timely. The current owner would probavly have to apply for it though. If I can make any calls for you or help in any way let me know

cya, david

vader86

You just dont have any luck do you :(

I would start making heads roll if i were you.

VetteBabe1

That is very good to know. The problem I am having is that the orig owner supposedly, according to Fitzgerald Motorsports, has already applied for the duplicate title, like 4-5 weeks ago. You can't tell me it takes 5 weeks to get a dupe title. Express title huh? Does this apply to duplicates for lost titles? See, the problem is also, that Fitzgerald nor the orig owner are responsible for the loss, so they have to need to hurry up and do this. I feel bad enough for the guy who traded it in, that now he has to go through this. I will mention this to the guy I bought it from tomorrow. I left him a message tonight that says either he needs to produce the title or produce a check for the car. I don't want to get rid of it but I also don't want to somehow get screwed out of a chunk of money, or have to hire a lawyer and spend even more. :(

VetteBabe1

Hotwilzz, that is very kind of you. Do you know how long it took you to get that duplicate title? Like I said, they are telling me the dude (original owner) applied for the duplicate at least 4 weeks ago. In Va, you go down, tell them you need the title, the walk to the computer, press a button, and print out a dupe. This is damn ridiculous. I just don't want my fiance to get in trouble because of the bank situation.

Plus, if the guy gets it back, he'll just resell it for more once he gets the title...as when I bought it he said he had offers right after we agreed on a price of $3500+ more than I paid for it. He asked me if I wanted to sell it to that person and he'd split the $3500 with me. So I didn't think he was kidding or trying to play me. He's no dummy...he'll get it back and sell it again. Don't want to give it up. But at the same time I can't afford it if it breaks so maybe that is a good thing. I am torn. :( :(



[Modified by VetteBabe1, 12:10 AM 6/12/2002]

hotwilzz

I just pulled this off the Indiana bmv website. I cannot remember how long it took , but it was quick. If you want I can try to get some info from them tomorrow


How long does it take to get a title?


Speed service titles are mailed the next business day. The BMV cannot guarantee an actual delivery date as that varies and is determined by the U.S. Postal Service.
Speed service titles may be picked up at the BMV's Dealer and Special Sales Division, located at 6400 E. 30th St., in Indianapolis, from 1 p.m. - 4:45 p.m., Monday-Friday on first business day after application is made. Speed titles not picked up on time will be mailed to the address on the title. All speed service titles are assessed an additional $25.00 fee. Titles must be marked for pick-up at the time of application. Not all transaction types qualify for this service.
Assuming no extenuating circumstances arise, titles take between 7 and 28 days from the time application is made until the time they are delivered. New motor vehicle and most duplicate titles are delivered within 7 to 10 days. Again, the BMV cannot guarantee the services of the US Postal Service.

Kale

Keep it.. you were bubbling over when you got it, and you'd regret it for a very long time if you let it go.
:yesnod:

Good luck.

VetteBabe1

Thanks for the info!! You have been most helpful. I just left a message for the guy saying exactly what you just posted, about 7-10 days. Like I said, it has been at least 4 weeks since I have been told "the title is in the process". F that, I am sick of this and Vader is right, I am going to start making some heads ROLL!!!! :mad I also feel like I should be entitled to some sort of compensation for not being able to drive the car due to no fault of my own. I think that is very reasonable. This is just stupid.

Bat Man

It took me 5 minutes to walk into the Va Dmv and get a new title for my old car. Simply ridiculous, imo.!! Go get them!

morphious

If I were you I wouldn't worry too much as long as you have the bill of sale with you in the car until things get worked out. You are not in the wrong at all and if you get pulled over all this info will shown on the officers in car computer. If this car was stolen you might get f#@ked, but I don't think this is the situation. Crapy for you to have to do the leg work, but with proper documentation the DMV will issue a new title to the true owner of the car, and in the mean time allow it to be driven legally by the true owner. Good Luck. :cheers:

Bat Man

You should recieve some payment deductions, but make sure you get it in writing, you have the worst luck. :)

VetteBabe1

I do have very poor luck.

I do have the bill of sale, and also a copy of the title. It would be ok to drive the car with no tags/expired temp tags? I figured that couldn't be right. Also I would think when the cop saw the date on the bill of sale, March 4, he would wonder what the heck was up with that. I am afraid to chance it. I will be calling later this morning to talk to the seller again and lay it down. Like I said before, he is kind of in the middle and I feel like his hands are tied, but who knows. I just think he should know that it doesn't take this long to get the title according to the state of Indiana, so maybe he is being strung along too. I don't think the car is stolen by any far stretch. I just think it's people dragging their feet because it's not their fault, but something fishy is definitely going on somewhere. There is no way the seller would risk his business by doing something crazy though. If it were an individual I would be a lot more scared.

Dale1990

When my dad bought his 86 in late March, he did not get the new title until mid- May. The license plates just showed up last Friday. I bought my 90 in early April and just got the title about 2 weeks ago. Lucky for me the car is registered to my dad under his Amateur Radio tags so all of our cars have the same plate. This means all I had to do to drive mine was to "borrow" the plates off my Firebird.

This is all with the Wisconsin DMV but I would guess they're all pretty slow. Instead of working on titles, they were all out cow tipping or something.

Torre

Ms. Babe,
I know that you are getting a lot of advise but mine is the right one :D
What you need to do is contact a Title Insurance company. For about $300, they will issue a policy to you that states that you are the legal owner of the car and that any other (floating around) title is no longer valid.
You then take this policy to your local DMV and they will issue you a new title and subsequently, your new registration. Then fight with the dealer to pay you back the $300!

I assure you that this is an accepted practice with all state DMV's
Good luck.

VetteBabe1

That IS good advice. Could anyone just go do that tho? Or what sort of proof do you need to get one of those policies? I have the bill of sale and a copy of the title, but that is it.

I talked to the seller right now and he is going to call again up to Fitzgerald and ask them WTF is going on, because we know it does not take this long to get the title, under any circumstance. I think they have just been taking their sweet time and have not done anything they said they were, or at least not when they indicated they had done it. I wish I could get up with the actual old owner of the car to see if he has even been contacted. :rolleyes:

96YellowC4

It sounds like just what you think is going on really is. My guess is that the seller had some really good offers on such an unusual car and is rethinking his deal. The seller of my car tried the same thing with me. After we got the car out of the car show where I worked the deal to take it for a test drive the seller started in with "I hope you are really serious, I have 3 other offers for more money than my asking price. They all came by after we talked and made our deal. You will have to get me my money quick!" I proceeded to remind him that I had a bill of sale already and that I had the money at my credit union and would get it for him the following Monday. He "offered" to just let me keep my deposit check...NOT a chance in hell was I letting him off!

I have lost one title here in Oklahoma. I just went to the dealership and got a certified copy of the original title and a form that they filled out...took that to the tag agent and it was done. If you have a copy of the title and a bill of sale, I would ask them if they can certify it and then take it to your local tag agent.

Good luck!

VetteBabe1

Well, I mean I have had the car for over 3 months now. I am sure he wanted to back out at first but it's a done deal now. He is just in the middle, because he did not have the title in his name, and neither did Fitzgerald Motorsports who he got the car from....so the guy on the title - the orig owner of the car - had to be contacted and they told him he had to go to the DMV and get a duplicate. That was like 5 weeks ago. So I think Fitzgerald Mtrspts is dragging their feet and really have not done what they said they were doing. :(

Bones LT1

I just went through the same thing here. Bought a truck in Feb, the dealer lost the title. They applied for a duplicate. It showed up last week.
Its legal here to drive the car with a temporary regs. You know the one that goes on the windshield. This truck had expired tags we have driven it for months with no problem.
The insurance company didn't like it though.
Chill out and wait it will show. Dealers have to guarantee title.

Nox

It's probably a matter of once they get the money in their hands, they don't have any motivation to go through any additional hassles. The original owner probably could care less because he got his money too. In fact the original owner is probably irritated that some incompetent boob lost the paperwork in the first place and doesn't think it's really a priority to help you out. If I sold a car and got contacted a few months later and was asked to go get a dupe title, I'd be a bit put out. First of all, I'd have to take the day off from work and then wait in the miserable lines at the DMV. All of it would be for a issue that really didn't affect me. I think a title could certainly have been obtained sooner. I just don't think anyone has any montivation. After all, they all got their money.