question about 28/29 titles

Ghost of elmirage

Ghost of elmirage

Senior Member
The next thing i need to save up for is a title for my 28/29 roadster pickup. So my question is this. How much should i expect to pay without getting ripped off and how do I know if the title is legit before I buy it?

thanx ladies and gentlemen and happy new year!!

Geoff
 
It would be good to post your location. Regardless I would suggest your state DMV as I expect a crack down any day on the titles.

Charlie Stephens
 
Especially if you're in Calif. Whole procedure should be on DMV website. The only legit title for "your" vehicle wold be the one issued to it by the issuing body (DMV), NOT someone else's title and you changing your vehicle's number's to match their title.
Also, in some states, depending on the age of the vehicle and when last registered there may not be a "title". Also, , again depending on the age of the vehicle, you may not get a new title when registering unless you specifically ask for one AND pay extra for it. JMO
Paul in CT
 
$400-500 seems to be the going rate. I guess u have to take their word as to if it's valid....
 
Thanks all I am in the leberal hell hole of Massachusetts.....the title issue is beginning to bother me especially as i put more and more money into my car.....


Geoff
 
Geoff, we recently registered our A and applied for title in Massachusetts. We used the engine # as the VIN; this was different from VIN used for previous registration in another state by prior owner. Registry required that we have our local police department inspect the engine # and sign a form the registry gave us. The registry employee told us that the form should be available from our insurer, but we never investigated that. It as straightforward in our case as we had the previous registration and a bill of sale; not sure what hoops you'll have to jump through to register your car, but I think getting it titled once you register it may be fairly straightforward.
 
Geoff - I grew up in Westborough...... I know another Model A owner in town as well. I'm in PA this weekend....will be back in Grafton early in the week. Will send you a PM. Dave
 
Im a transplant to Westborogh I lived in Grafton after I got of active duty and then moved to Westborough about ten years ago SMALL WORLD Fordbarn is lol. Anyway, yeah PM me when you get back that would be great, Have a safe trip back

Geoff
 
The only title that is "valid" is going to be the one issued to you by the DMV. Any other will at first seem easier but will always have that possibility of becoming much more difficult. Check with your DMV as to how to properly register your automobile, seems title laws are getting stricter nation wide. Much less stressful to go through a bit of simple bonding and paperwork than try to recover a precious car from the general impound lot before it gets auctioned off. Good luck.
 
Wuudie said:
Curiousl why you would say this, have you read any artilces anywhere to indicate this?
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I have not read any articles indicating this. All states and especially California where I live are after all the money they can get since the average person if fed up with taxes and the well intended politicians want to keep spending. The purchased titles often enable people to avoid some taxes. Recently there was a major car builder here in California that got caught trying to bend the rules. Then there are the cases where purchased titles are used for stolen vehicles. Although sometimes cumbersome and time consuming I believe all states have official procedures to legally create a title (usually involving posting a bond). The final nail in the coffin is that the selling of titles is becoming more and more blatant on the internet inviting a crack down. Of course all of this is just my opinion based on observations and I could be wrong but I would not like to bet my car on it. Then there are fines and jail time if they want to push.

Charlie Stephens
 
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eeeeeeeewwwwwwwww, I would have got that title before I put all that $ into it. You may get it done and try to title it and have it confiscated. That happens here in KS. I saw it happen herethe title was reported stolen, that guy was pissed. Lost the whole restored '40 Ford Coupe. Besides if you can title and license it when it is worth a whole lot less, the license and taxes would be cheaper.
 
My free advice: Go hat in hand to your DMV (headquarters is best - might eliminate intermediate steps), but first find out when their less-busy hours are. Ask if there is someone who can help with getting a title to an old car. Maybe someone specializes in that. Bring any documentation that you have. You might be lucky, and get some step-by-step guidance, plus the name of a real live person to go back to. Go in with an attitude, and the civil (?) service drones will give you a quick lesson in who has the power.
I live in Montana and bought a '31 coupe from Iowa that has a title with a number made-up by the Iowa DMV. Montana DMV accepted it without any inspection or verification, and even allowed me to correct the vehicle description from having a 6-cylinder engine to a 4-cylinder, but that's all the further I wanted to push my luck.
Stay calm, do anything that they ask, allow lots of time, and you will end up with a good title, sooner or later.
 
montanajohn said:
My free advice: Go hat in hand to your DMV (headquarters is best - might eliminate intermediate steps), but first find out when their less-busy hours are. Ask if there is someone who can help with getting a title to an old car. Maybe someone specializes in that. Bring any documentation that you have. You might be lucky, and get some step-by-step guidance, plus the name of a real live person to go back to. Go in with an attitude, and the civil (?) service drones will give you a quick lesson in who has the power.
I live in Montana and bought a '31 coupe from Iowa that has a title with a number made-up by the Iowa DMV. Montana DMV accepted it without any inspection or verification, and even allowed me to correct the vehicle description from having a 6-cylinder engine to a 4-cylinder, but that's all the further I wanted to push my luck.
Stay calm, do anything that they ask, allow lots of time, and you will end up with a good title, sooner or later.
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thanks John for the advice. You are absolutely right about going into a place like and being as nice as possible. The minute you cop an attitude the doors start to close and you get nowhere

Geoff
 
In Massachusetts part of securing the title is paying the sales tax on the vehicle. If you purchased from a licensed dealer the purchase price is accepted as the basis for the sales tax. If you purchased from a private party the usual procedure is that the RMV bases the tax on a "book" value. If your vehicle is an unrestored heap you can appeal the valuation with proper documentation of its condition. The RMV acts as an arm of the Department of Revenue in collecting the sales tax so it is the Dept of Revenue who handles appeals. Also the sales tax regulation states it has to be paid within I believe 21 days of purchase or the penalty is 18%, and last I knew the interest due on the delin quency was also 18%. By not paying tax and applying for title immediately after purchase you have opened a sales tax can of worms in addition to going thru the title process. It is NOT necessary to register a car when applying for a title. Get the title, restore the car, then register it.
 
I would consider looking into a "mechanics lien" if you have companies in the area that specialize in title problems. What they do is; research the last known title for the vehicle, then send a registered letter to the address listed on the title. They include a bill for the repairs you have made on the vehicle so far. If the original owner still lives at that address and they want the car back, they have to pay the bill to get it. If the letter comes back unclaimed, you can register the car in your name with a fresh, clear title. I can't speak for your neck of the woods, but this is a fairly common practice here in Texas. I would even go so far as to call it "fair". It's worth looking into, at the very least.
 
I have sold a few old cars in Mass.They have some strange ways of doing things.I sold a kitcar,I had gone through the N.H.antique special title process to help the buyer out.No matter what the sale price was,they wanted to tax him on the value of a restored MGTD. They placed the value at either $16.or $18,000.He wanted me to reapply for another N.H. title,as a reconstructed VW. In N.H. they title antique/exempt vehicles as the year they most resemble.They don't do reconstructed vehicles(new replicas are another story).I wound up 'gifting' him the car.Seems Mass.has a provision for people who have cars given to them by family,friends,etc.An attorney advised him on it,he brought me the form,and I filled it out.No checks or anything had changed hands and his bill of sale said $350.to begin with.That is one tidbit they will not offer to tell you.Here in N.H.they don't really care because we have no tax.The town gets $6.and the state gets $6.An antique title,by request,costs $25.I have been doing all my antiques just in case I ever want to sell them out of state.They are marked around the border,exempt vehicle,titled by request.That used to be stamped diagonally across the title in red but that scared people out of state.
 
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