Title hearing in Texas?

[69heavychevy]

I'm considering buying a truck without a title...was wondering if anybody has gone through a title hearing to obtain a title for a vehicle. I didn't know this existed until sometime last year it was on the news that a local Dallas county politician was using this process to obtain titles for un-titled vehicles he would purchase.

[laplander]

Hadn't heard of such a thing, but since we plan on moving to TX after the last one leaves for college, I'm definitely keeping an eye on this thread.

[mmiddle]

I think what you are talking about is filing for a lost title. The DMV sends a notice to the last known address to the last known owner. This person has like 30 or 60 days to respond. If no response then the vehicle is issued a new title to the applicant. I think it is even issued a new VIN that is affixed near the current VIN.

[mmiddle]

Oh... The New VIN thing is only if the titled owner does not respond. If the titled owner surrenders the title then no VIN is issued. The down side to all this is if the titled owner claims ownership the rights of ownership will have to be contested or surrender the vehicle. The best thing is to make sure there is some sort of paper trail to CYA

[69heavychevy]

No its different from filing for a lost title...In a title hearing you go before a judge and present the evidence you have that you are the said owner of the vehicle. The evidence will usually consist of a bill of sale or something along those lines. The judge then makes a ruling on the spot, yay or nay. Its free of charge therefore you save the money and headache of going through the bonded title process.

[amashal]

I bought a '72 blazer a couple years ago without a title. Guy told me he bought it from a body shop after seeing it sit in the yard for years. He gave me a bill of sale and told me the process to go through to get a bonded title. I went down and filed all the paperwork. Two weeks later I get a knock on the door from someone saying they received paperwork from the state of Texas and they think their blazer is in the garage. I showed them the blazer and they had a title in hand with matching VIN. They called the police who said it was a civil matter because they never reported it stolen. A year later we went to court and I had to give the blazer back since they had the title in their name. Luckily the blazer was a POS and I was only out $1,000. After the experience I had I wouldn't even think about buying another car without a clear blue title.

I'm sure many no title sales go better than my experience but I would do some research on the VIN before you buy it.
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[69heavychevy]

I'm just curious as to how strict or lenient they are with what evidence will suffice to establish ownership of the vehicle. My guess would be with trucks this old, especially a project, probably wouldn't be much?

[69heavychevy]

Originally Posted by amashal

I bought a '72 blazer a couple years ago without a title. Guy told me he bought it from a body shop after seeing it sit in the yard for years. He gave me a bill of sale and told me the process to go through to get a bonded title. I went down and filed all the paperwork. Two weeks later I get a knock on the door from someone saying they received paperwork from the state of Texas and they think their blazer is in the garage. I showed them the blazer and they had a title in hand with matching VIN. They called the police who said it was a civil matter because they never reported it stolen. A year later we went to court and I had to give the blazer back since they had the title in their name. Luckily the blazer was a POS and I was only out $1,000. After the experience I had I wouldn't even think about buying another car without a clear blue title.

I'm sure many no title sales go better than my experience but I would do some research on the VIN before you buy it.
Posted via Mobile Device

Yea that's a nightmare scenario, I keep telling myself maybe the deal is to good to be true...

[MikeyMan]

Originally Posted by amashal

I bought a '72 blazer a couple years ago without a title. Guy told me he bought it from a body shop after seeing it sit in the yard for years. He gave me a bill of sale and told me the process to go through to get a bonded title. I went down and filed all the paperwork. Two weeks later I get a knock on the door from someone saying they received paperwork from the state of Texas and they think their blazer is in the garage. I showed them the blazer and they had a title in hand with matching VIN. They called the police who said it was a civil matter because they never reported it stolen. A year later we went to court and I had to give the blazer back since they had the title in their name. Luckily the blazer was a POS and I was only out $1,000. After the experience I had I wouldn't even think about buying another car without a clear blue title.

I'm sure many no title sales go better than my experience but I would do some research on the VIN before you buy it.
Posted via Mobile Device

Wow, that really sucks!

I'd bet the original owner owed the body shop for repairs, and just walked away. Thus no theft report.
After sitting in the yard for years, shop sells it to your seller to recoup losses.
Your seller flips the sale to you, and makes you try to get it legal.
Texas informs the original owner, they get their Blazer, and you get the shaft!
I'd be so pi$$ed off. Should've stripped it for parts and give them the frame.

Expensive lesson.
To the OP, it's probably too good a deal to be true.

Thanks to this forum for educating buyers about titles, SPID tag, VIN numbers & VIN plates, original rosette rivets, and frame stamping. Do the homework.

[mmiddle]

It is just not worth the chance. Maybe, if you can get the current possessors original bill-of-sale and he inturn gives you a bill of sale and you contact the title holder before you drop cash. Just too risky beyond a parts truck.

[slow-1]

Originally Posted by MikeyMan

Wow, that really sucks!

I'd bet the original owner owed the body shop for repairs, and just walked away. Thus no theft report.
After sitting in the yard for years, shop sells it to your seller to recoup losses.

Here in NC they have a "mechanics lean" which allows shops to sell a vehicle when people don't pay. If done properly, you can end up with everything legal and titled in your name...unfortunatley so many people don't do it right to start with and then its not worth the trouble in the long run.

[MARKDTN]

Originally Posted by slow-1

Here in NC they have a "mechanics lean" which allows shops to sell a vehicle when people don't pay. If done properly, you can end up with everything legal and titled in your name...unfortunatley so many people don't do it right to start with and then its not worth the trouble in the long run.

Tennesse has an "Artisans Lien" which is similar. They put ads in the paper and try to contact the original owner. After that it goes up for auction. You end up with a clean green (good) title. I think it takes 90 days. I would never fix up a vehicle without registering it if I didn't have a title.

[Tx Firefighter]

Do a bonded title process. You're looking at 3-400 dollars for the whole deal, but you're also fully protected by the bond so you don't have to worry about something happening and you losing your truck. Once the bond is issued, the truck is yours no matter what.

Don't be disheartened. The bonded title process is straightforward and one of the few government processes that works well. Fill the papers out, buy a bond, and they issue you a title.
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[farmall]

I would be interested in knowing more about the hearing.

I have a chevy that I lost the title for and it has not been regestered in 25 years. I went to TX DMV to get another copy and they said they do not keep records back that far. They said I would have to have a Trooper look at it and then give me a marked title which is not cool considering the thing could be worth 50 60 grand.

[amashal]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

Do a bonded title process. You're looking at 3-400 dollars for the whole deal, but you're also fully protected by the bond so you don't have to worry about something happening and you losing your truck. Once the bond is issued, the truck is yours no matter what.

Don't be disheartened. The bonded title process is straightforward and one of the few government processes that works well. Fill the papers out, buy a bond, and they issue you a title.
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This is the process I started. Got the bond through my insurance agent and went and filed everything with the DMV. The registered owner coming forward with a clear title wanting their car back wins every time. At least that's what the judge told me.
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[69heavychevy]

Just wanted to update you guys on my title hearing process. Went Downtown to request my hearing and was turned away...

Turns out that here in Dallas County they have changed the rules for title hearings. You can only request a title hearing if you purchased the vehicle from a licensed dealer...Which is a bunch of BS because no licensed dealer is going to sell you a vehicle without a title, they risk losing their license.

It seems that Dallas County (and other counties) wants to do away with the title hearing process, which they CANT do because its state law...but the rules regarding the title hearing process is left up the individual counties. As I stated above, by limiting it to dealers they pretty much do away with title hearings...

So pretty much left with the bonded title process, which takes three years for the title to be free and clear...OR you can file a petition with a Justice of the Peace for a court order to have the title issued to you...I'm going to look into this, but more than likely it looks like I'm going to take the bonded title route

[69heavychevy]

BTW the vehicle im trying to title is an 80 step side, and once I get it titled I'll be getting rid of the 69.

[slow-1]

Man, I know that is really frustrating.

This must be a really special truck you are looking to buy...if your heart is set on it, looks like the bonded title thing is your only option.

I would be searching for another truck with a title if it were me.

[da-burb]

I did a bonded title for a 65 SS Impala. Everything went well. Just so you know the "Bond" is an insurance policy to protect the state that issues the title, not the owner of the car with the bonded title. If the original owner and title turns up you lose the vehicle and everything you put into it. If they sue the state for issuing you a title then the bond is there to cover the state's damages. That's how the rules read in the mid 80's and in Minnesota anyway.

[jkeady]

Is there no process there for locating the current title holder? I put a hundo down on an old Ford once that had a lost title, then (and granted, this is Oregon) sent the state DMV office my bill of sale and a notarized affidavit saying that I believed the seller had authority to sell the truck to me. A couple of weeks later, the state sent back a printout with the title holder's name and address.

Seems to me that would be the best way to start this process, trying to get the legitimate title holder's OK on the thing.

[69heavychevy]

Originally Posted by jkeady

Is there no process there for locating the current title holder? I put a hundo down on an old Ford once that had a lost title, then (and granted, this is Oregon) sent the state DMV office my bill of sale and a notarized affidavit saying that I believed the seller had authority to sell the truck to me. A couple of weeks later, the state sent back a printout with the title holder's name and address.

Seems to me that would be the best way to start this process, trying to get the legitimate title holder's OK on the thing.

You can do a title inquiry which cost $2.30. Tells you who the last registered owner was and whats the address on file. That didn't help me any since the last registered owner has been dead for over 10 years.

[69heavychevy]

As far as advice I can give about buying a vehicle without a title, more specifically a vehicle that's 25 years or older (this mainly pertains to TX) is you shouldn't let that completely turn you off especially if its a good deal. In my case I paid $400 for an 80 short bed step side, all original with no rust. Now truck will need a lot of TLC but its a very solid project. With a title this truck is easily worth $1200 around here anyways. The bond process will run me about another $400 so at the end of the day the truck is going to end up costing me $800 which is not bad IMO. I'll probably just getting running, and then wait for the bond to clear to really start dropping $$ on it (bond takes 3 yrs to clear). The only bad things I have to say about this whole process is that Texas title laws seriously need to be updated...Its much easier to throw that classic American car into the crusher than to try and get a title to it...

[Bluechevy68]

This is the same type stuff I ran into in KY. Everytime I talked to someone at the DMV/clerks office I got a different answer. It seems that no one really knows the proper way to handle this. I made sure that the truck had a clear title which ended up being in SC. No body would tell me the name of the last person who registered it so I could not contact them. I was even willing to lose what little I had in it if they claimed it. I finally just sold it off for parts. According to the VIN and model # it was a '72 GMC SWB. Unless I am just gonna use for parts I will never buy an old car/truck again without a title unless something changes.

[franken]

The Texas DMV website has all the correct info.
Talking to DMV people will get you as many answers as there are DMV people.

Figuring out how, and then getting a bonded title took me maybe 4 hours. It's not hard.
A mechanic's lien is another possibility.

All the info and forms are on the web site. There's a pdf about titles that will have lots of info.

www.dmv.tx.gov

You can enter the VIN there as well to see what they have to say about the vehicle. I didn't try it...

[Bigdav160]

Check with Lawrence Title

They are in Texas and can help you.