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where is the best place to title a humvee

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jjramrod

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***** This thread does not apply to the new GovPlanet and Govliquidation sales of OFF-ROAD only sales of HMMWVs *****

***** If you buy one of these trucks you are clearly agreeing to the terms that these trucks are NOT to be titled *****

***** If you talk about how to title one of these trucks you may be banned form this site *****




i got a bunch of paperwork from la when i bought the humvee but every place i get a hold of keeps saying they cant title and register a humvee i know it can be done just wondering where is the best place to go through
 
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Tanner

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Titling it legally or questionably? There is mucho info on the Forum dealing with titling questionable HMMWV's -
 
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Haasino

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What kind of paperwork do you have... and are you referring to Louisiana, or Los Angeles?

I recently went through the process of titling and registering a HMMWV here in California that only had one piece of paper: a notarized bill of sale from Alabama. I tried Mainley Title first... they assured me they could title it, then jerked me around for 6 months before they finally stopped returning any of my calls.

After Mainley Title, I contacted about a half dozen other title companies and was either told they couldn't title a Humvee, or was given another "assurance" that they could do it without any actual details being provided that I could verify. Overall, I got the feeling that those title companies were a ripoff... whatever method they had used to title Humvees before had ended... the loophole had been closed, so to speak.

Finally, after about 8 months of trying to rely on title companies, I got off my butt and drove up into the foothills to one of the smaller, more rural DMV offices. I spoke to a woman at the counter who was very helpful, and was told that all I had to do was take the vehicle to the local California Highway Patrol office and have their VIN Inspector check the vehicle and assign a VIN that the DMV computer could use as a "point of origin" to title and register the vehicle. The issue ultimately wasn't that it was a military surplus vehicle... it was that the vehicle didn't have a standard 17 digit VIN that the DMV's computerized system could recognize.

A few weeks later, I took the Humvee up to the CHP station to get inspected. The officer never asked for an SF-97 and was perfectly happy with the notarized bill of sale. After checking the truck to make sure there were no conflicting serial numbers... finding none, he riveted a metal CA Assigned VIN label to the body and signed off on the DMV form.

From there, I drove to the DMV office and gave them the signed new vehicle title application. About $2k in state fees and taxes later, I walked out with registration and license plates... the title arrived a week or so later.

So, I guess the short version is to avoid the title companies because they dont seem to know what they're doing anymore re: military vehicles. Find a small DMV office near you and go ask them in person. I would have thought that California, with all it's BS regulations, would have made it impossible to get a Humvee titled... but it was actually remarkably easy.

Find out from the source how easy or difficult your state is gonna make titling a Humvee... then go from there.
 

jjramrod

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titling it legally for road use of course. yeah i was told by mainly they cant do military vehicles now i have to get my money back. i know its legal guys came from the base and checked it out and it is legal the paperwork i got is from louisiana
 

Haasino

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dan says he can do it thanks alot
Don't think I ever tried Dan, but I'd still advise you grill him for more than just a "no problem" before sending out more money. One guy in Las Vegas that I spoke to after Mainley failed told me he could do it no problem... but then he sent me a Vermont VIN Inspection form. Problem was, Mainley had already tried and failed in Vermont... they had changed their systems earlier last year and could no longer title Humvees. So I called the guy in Vegas and grilled him some more... turned out he hadn't titled a military vehicle in over a year, and was unaware all the states that allowed non-residents to title older vehicles had changed their systems.

So make sure to ask questions before sending out any more money... find out what state he's planning to use... make sure he's successfully titled a Humvee or other MV recently (Like, 6 months recently)... and make sure they're not gonna try anything shady like fabricating a 17 digit VIN (which Mainley tried to do).

If Dan has titled MVs recently, then you'll probably be good to go... if he hasn't, or won't even tell you what state he's gonna try to use, might be better to cut out the middle-man and go straight to DMV.
 

jjramrod

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he has done one in the last two months he is in michigan he is a dealer and he is retired from the military and actually designed some features of the humvee and he doesnt want any money up front he doesnt want paid untill after it goes through so he sounds pretty decent to me
 

davidkroberts

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i titled a mercedes unimog on a swiss military release from service ( i think) im not sure what it was because it wasnt in english, no import paperwork, no title, no bill of sale, and the only thing i could read was the serial number

you should find someplace in the south somewhere
 

shannondeese

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Title it as a home built vehicle, I am originaly from Fl and it takes about an hour with FHP and DMV. They give you a VIN number and install it for you. I am now in Ca and have done the same thing there too. It's more expencive in Ca and you don't get a title that says its a HMMWV but you do get a clean title. Good Luck.
 

Haasino

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Title it as a home built vehicle, I am originaly from Fl and it takes about an hour with FHP and DMV. They give you a VIN number and install it for you. I am now in Ca and have done the same thing there too. It's more expencive in Ca and you don't get a title that says its a HMMWV but you do get a clean title. Good Luck.
Did CA DMV stress over receipts for all the components? I'd read that going the kit car route required a lot of paperwork and makes you jump through a lot more hoops and inspections.

I just ended up going the assigned VIN route through CHP... no hassle, no fee, no equipment checks other than a check of the data plate, and they titled it properly as a Humvee... or as close to a Humvee as the system would allow (1991 AM General "Utility").
 

Chief_919

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Dan is no longer able to do titling at all so im looking again

Exactly what paperwork do you have?

Do you have a title from the seller?

Just a bill of sale?

Where did it come from? Private seller, municpality, or ???

There are lots of HHMWV's with questionable paper out there. Be very specific telling us what you have and we can give you better advice.
 

jjramrod

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I got it from a private seller near fort poll and the guys from fort polk said it wasn't stolen it was bought legally from the government I got a bill of sale and some other forms ill look them over when I get home and post exactly what I've got
 

Chief_919

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I got it from a private seller near fort poll and the guys from fort polk said it wasn't stolen it was bought legally from the government I got a bill of sale and some other forms ill look them over when I get home and post exactly what I've got
Who are the "guys from Ft Polk"? Just some random dude who works there won't know if it is, **** the MP's likely can't say for certain the origin.

Unless it was purchased a long time ago at the original HMMWV auction, it wasn't purcahsed legally from the government. If it was purchased then, it should have a title by now....

Just a bill of sale, absent either a title or a registration from a state that doesn't issue older vehicle a title, is pretty much worthless.

Has it ever been titled? If so, by whom? whose name is it in now?

If it was never titled, why not? Who supposedly purchased it from the government? When? How? Why didn't they title it?

Post the serial # and I will look up and see who the last owning unit was.

Just a hunch here, but going off your pictures and description I doubt you got a truck that was ever purchased from the government, but rather a truck someone built from parts they got from scrap piles or off post one way or another. That would explain all the wrong parts and the fact that they didn't provide you a legitimate title....
 

jjramrod

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The guys from fort poll were a investigation team looking for some humvees that got stolen from the base they ran the numbers on this one and said that it had been purchased with many others by an individual for scrap the units were to be destroyed but the guy sold some of them instead even though he wasn't supposed to but they said since it was a legitimate sale than it was legal from what I heard they are still looking for the guy that was supposed to be chopping them up
 

Haasino

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I thought someone on here did a deuce directly with the dmv of vermont or maine with a bill of sale.
Maine won't title military vehicles anymore... nor will Vermont. Those were the two states that 98% of those title companies went to since they would title older vehicles for non-residents with only a bill of sale. Both states stopped doing that back in 2010... likely related to the adoption of the NMVIT System that automated everything.

Now you have to deal with your own state's DMV, which is pretty simple depending on the state and DMV office... you just file an application for a new vehicle title. CA DMV only has an issue with the non-standard VIN (Computer system can't pull up a 7-digit serial number)... so in CA, you have to first fill out an application for a state-assigned VIN through CHP... then file the new title app with DMV. A lot of guys who bought some of the Barstow auction USMC trucks (with the SF-97s stamped "Off-Road Only") just tossed their SF-97s and used the notarized bill of sale to get it titled street-legal. There was at least one guy who used the SF-97, and DMV titled it for off-road only, just as the 97 said.
 

Chief_919

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Here ya go
Not an Army HMMWV.

Based on the registration # I am betting its an EX USMC truck.

Did you talk to these guys from Polk face to face?

Since you have what is essentially a scrap/toialed truck, you will have issues getting a title. Whoever sold it to you screwed you by not providing good paperwork.

At best you might get a salvage title from some state with that history. Maybe. By law once it was sold as scrap in most states a salvage title is all it is eligible for.
 
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