No Title for Truck - What Am I missing?

[sigo]

I just don't get these guys that refuse to get titles for their vehicles. You have the SF97, get the darned title! I've gotten titles through, AK, MI, GA, and KS. It's always been easy and relatively inexpensive. Very little work was involved. For the seller in the OPs story it'd likely cost nothing since 98G would probably pay the fee just to get this over with.

Even in states like GA that don't like to issue antique titles I still got one for my 1970. 1952 was too much for GA, but they were willing to go back to 1962.

 

[quickfarms]

Registered my M35a2C in Bishop, California on December 2008 without any trouble using the following documents:

1. SF97 From U.S. Govt DRMO to Govt. Liquidation
2. Reassignment of SF97 from Govt. Liquidation to person I bought the truck from (the truck had not been registered anywhere)
3. A Bill of sale from Govt. Liquidation to person I bought the truck from.
4. A bill of sale from the person I bought the truck from to me.

Pictures enclosed:

Get these documents and register the truck in Bishop, California. Then take the California registration to Arizona where they will register it there without any problems.

I have done it in CA with only the form 97 and a handwritten bill of sale.

Do a title only in CA using the provided paperwork.

CA does not care since they will get the sales tax again. Skipping title is a form of tax evasion and that is the crime. But since GL collected the sales tax the state is happy.

 

[98G]

From the California DMV webpage:
*****
Updated on Wed, 7/30/2014

A certificate of title issued by the state of California is a document that proves legal ownership of a vehicle. A title must be obtained when an individual purchases a new vehicle. A title transfer must also be completed when a used vehicle is sold or gifted, or when a vehicle changes hands as a result of the death of the vehicle's owner. In California, a title must be transferred in 10 days from the date of sale.

*****
And also:

Title Transfers or obtaining a New Certificate of Title in

When you purchase a used vehicle, or obtain one as a gift, the title must be legally transferred into your name. This is done by obtaining the following documents, and submitting them along with the appropriate fees to your local*DMV Office. Remember to*make an appointment*to save time.

The California Certificate of Title, signed by the seller, buyer and any other lien holder.

****
Looks pretty straight forward. Seller was required to title the truck when he got it from gl and failed to do so. To subsequently transfer it to me requires a title with his signature.

 

[patracy]

Paypal is a joke when it comes to making things right.

I've been burned multiple times with them. But it's a "necessary evil" these days. Matter of fact, someone stole my paypal debit card number and was using it in Home Depots in MD the past two days. I called them up to report it. Basically I'm screwed until it processes. Then, they'll dispute the charge. But in the mean time $1215.08 might be sucked out of my checking account.

Oh and instead of putting the money back into my checking, it'll go into my paypal account so I'll have to pull it back out then too.

Lovely.

 

[Suprman]

Look at your states title requirements. Many don't require a title for a vehicle 20 years or older. If this is the case you should be able to walk into dmv with just a bill of sale. If the seller has the sf97 then the truck has never been registered and never in the nationwide dmv system. It would be different on an old Chevy they would be looking for continuity of ownership the bill of sale would need to come from the last owner. If it's never been registered dmv has nothing to reference. Don't even show them the sf97 it just complicates things. I know states you can walk into dmv with a copy of the paid invoice they will happily register a truck.

 

[spartan_185]

My best guess is that your seller is trying to skip title. I had the same thing happen to me a while ago when I didn't know any better. I bought a truck from a gentleman that was issued a AZ title from GL. He never transferred the title into his name and suggested that just signing GL title over to me would work.I went ahead with this and took the truck 450miles back to Oklahoma from Kansas. I later found out from my tag agent that he had to be a dealer to transfer the gl title to me. A quick call to my seller revealed that he had had this truck for about a year and the reason he had not transferred the title is because he had about $500 worth of penalties plus excise taxes to pay and go through a state inspection before he could register the truck. Of course he knew he was in the wrong and offered to pay for all of that if I agreed to bring the truck back 450 miles to his house. I was lucky and found one of those title recovery places that would get me a title for about what it would cost me to make a 900 mile round trip and a nights hotel stay. In the end it ended up costing me more than I liked but I guess it was a good lesson learned.

 

[Castle Bravo]

Look at your states title requirements. Many don't require a title for a vehicle 20 years or older...

Arizona requires a title for any vehicle of any age.

 

[quickfarms]

In ca you have to get the vin verified in order to get it titled or registered. This can only be done by people approved by DMV and costs money.

The second issue is if it a truck that was driven off if the base you need to pay the registration from the date you picked it up. This is another reason I have vehicles towed off the base to the shop, this way the registration starts when I decide to register it.

Where is the truck in CA

 

[Torisco]

In ca you have to get the vin verified in order to get it titled or registered. This can only be done by people approved by DMV and costs money.

The second issue is if it a truck that was driven off if the base you need to pay the registration from the date you picked it up. This is another reason I have vehicles towed off the base to the shop, this way the registration starts when I decide to register it.

Where is the truck in CA

It is true that in California you have to get the VIN verified on the never registered vehicle. Any California Highway Patrol Office will do this for you for free at any local office. You may have to leave the truck overnight. This is what I did when registering my M35A2C in Bishop.

Ask the seller to Drive the truck to any California Highway Patrol Office with a one trip driving permit from California and get it titled only. He may have to leave the truck a night or two due to the vin registration verification which requires the vin to be located on two places. (The frame on the drivers side, and on the data plate would be sufficient.) I titled and registered my truck this way in Bishop, Ca.

 

[98G]

Ask the seller to Drive the truck to any California Highway Patrol Office with a one trip driving permit from California and get it titled only. .

Response: "You've got to be kidding."

 

[quickfarms]

How is it ok for GL to reassign the form 97 but if an individual does it you are calling it title skipping?

Based on this logic GL is also title skipping.


I seem to remember there are a couple if states that do not accept a form 97. I also seem to remember that AZ had this policy.

 

[quickfarms]

What am I missing?

It is true that in California you have to get the VIN verified on the never registered vehicle. Any California Highway Patrol Office will do this for you for free at any local office. You may have to leave the truck overnight. This is what I did when registering my M35A2C in Bishop.

Ask the seller to Drive the truck to any California Highway Patrol Office with a one trip driving permit from California and get it titled only. He may have to leave the truck a night or two due to the vin registration verification which requires the vin to be located on two places. (The frame on the drivers side, and on the data plate would be sufficient.) I titled and registered my truck this way in Bishop, Ca.

This is real bad idea and could get the vehicle crushed.

Not all CHP facilities have VIN officers. You need to call and talk to the officer and set up an appointment.

There is one in Southern California that refuses to do military vehicles.

God forbid if he does or can not find the frame vin. A lot of commercial trucks do not have frame vin's due to age or frame replacement. On a commercial truck the frame vin was not required until a couple of years ago. Before that the manufacturer used it during assembly and that is why it is upside down.

Do not be cheap and just pay to have a vin verifier come to where the truck is stored and verify it.

 

[Castle Bravo]

How is it ok for GL to reassign the form 97 but if an individual does it you are calling it title skipping?

Based on this logic GL is also title skipping.

GL is a dealer, maybe that has something to do with it.

I seem to remember there are a couple if states that do not accept a form 97. I also seem to remember that AZ had this policy.

AZ does accept SF97s.

---

I do recall something about auto dealers in AZ are not allowed to sell vehicles without a title. I suppose our $60 SF97 fee beats a $395 doc fee if they started to behave like an auto dealer.

 

[Warthog]

How is it ok for GL to reassign the form 97 but if an individual does it you are calling it title skipping?

Based on this logic GL is also title skipping.

GL is indeed a dealer and is allowed to reassign the SF-97

 

[jhooah]

I see all sorts of advice, I'd start with a walk down to YOUR DMV and ask the litle old lady behind the desk if you can get it titled or registered and end any debate. It's too hard to ask everyone "what they would do", and short of a call to GL with the SF97's sale lot numbers and a request for a title to be issued by them, the local DMV your going to have to deal with would be my 1st step.
W Winget

 

[98G]

I see all sorts of advice, I'd start with a walk down to YOUR DMV and ask the litle old lady behind the desk if you can get it titled or registered and end any debate. It's too hard to ask everyone "what they would do", and short of a call to GL with the SF97's sale lot numbers and a request for a title to be issued by them, the local DMV your going to have to deal with would be my 1st step.
W Winget

3 calls to AZ DMV got me 3 resounding "no"s.

Obviously if there was a way to title it I'd have no problem...

 

[98G]

Ebay: "military trucks not eligible for any kind of purchase protection."

Keep that in mind when looking there. Disregard the part where it says all vehicles will be sold with titles.

 

[urdrvideo]

who is the ebay seller.... we all need to know

 

[redneck20]

i went thru the same issue with mine. unless you get the previous owner to title the vehicle first you don't have anything except a really expensive pile of parts, i spent several month, multiple trips back and forth to CA, several hundred gallons of diesel , and a lot of DMV visits.
the SF97 is ONLY good to the original purchaser. the letter that GL provides with the SF97 is the " power of attorney " to transfer the sf97 from GL to your name as the original purchaser. you can NOT get a power of attorney over a POA. luckily the PO of my truck was willing to work out the issue with me and offered to split the final cost of getting the title done.

DONT EVER BUY A TRUCK WITHOUT THE TITLE!
unless they are a dealer the original buyer must title the vehicle first.

feel free to call or pm me if have any questions as I've been thru this situation recently. i have a hard time explaining these type of these in text

 

[quickfarms]

i went thru the same issue with mine. unless you get the previous owner to title the vehicle first you don't have anything except a really expensive pile of parts, i spent several month, multiple trips back and forth to CA, several hundred gallons of diesel , and a lot of DMV visits.
the SF97 is ONLY good to the original purchaser. the letter that GL provides with the SF97 is the " power of attorney " to transfer the sf97 from GL to your name as the original purchaser. you can NOT get a power of attorney over a POA. luckily the PO of my truck was willing to work out the issue with me and offered to split the final cost of getting the title done.

DONT EVER BUY A TRUCK WITHOUT THE TITLE!
unless they are a dealer the original buyer must title the vehicle first.

feel free to call or pm me if have any questions as I've been thru this situation recently. i have a hard time explaining these type of these in text

The problem is with AZ