Car Title / Registration

#1
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Hayezb

Vols to the Wall
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#1
Well, on Saturday I picked up a 1990 4Runner that was meant to be a woods-mobile and never see the pavement. After cleaning/tweaking we realized the 4R was in till in great shape so I figured I'd register it and drive it.

I knew buying it that the title was "messed up" but didn't care because I had no intention on registering it. Here is the issue, and it got a little weird.

The back of the title says Jane Doe sold it to Tom Smith on 12-17-16 and when they were filling it out they did it incorrectly which my DMV said voids the title. Then apparently Tom Smith traded for it with the guy I bought it from, but he never registered the vehicle.

Now, the weird part is I found a registration slip in the car showing it registered to another person and it's valid from 3/18/16 to 3/31/17. I call that person because their number is listed on the registration, they claim to have never owned a Toyota and don't know what I'm talking about.

So.. I'm lost and my DMV is absolutely helpless. Any way to get this thing on the road or do I have to stick to my original parts-car plan?

Edit:

Aint she bootiful :)
 

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#7
#7
From Tenn. Code Ann., Section 55-3-103:

(e) (1) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter to the contrary, a person may apply for a certificate of title to a vehicle lacking proper documentation, if the vehicle has a fair market value of three thousand dollars ($3,000) or less and the person submits a certificate of ownership signed under penalty of perjury on a form prescribed by the department. The certificate of ownership shall be accompanied by the following supporting documentation:


(A) Return receipts from certified letters with a return receipt requested sent to all known parties with a legal interest in the vehicle, requesting an assigned certificate of title or, in the event the previous owner is unknown to the applicant, evidence of notification, in a publication of general circulation in the county in which the application is being made, of the applicant's intent to apply for title on the vehicle. The notification shall contain a description of the vehicle, including make, model, year and vehicle identification number, and a request to any and all parties holding an interest in the vehicle to contact the person in possession of the vehicle by certified mail, return receipt requested, within ten (10) business days of the date of the publication;


(B) Verification of the vehicle identification number (VIN) by a law enforcement officer or licensed dealer;


(C) A notarized bill of sale from the last registered owner or a notarized statement from the seller stating why the vehicle was not titled or registered in the seller's name;


(D) In the absence of documentation pursuant to subdivision (e)(1)(C), a licensed motor vehicle dealer appraisal of the value of the vehicle;


(E) Photographs of the vehicle in its pre-repaired state. If pre-repair photographs are unavailable, then post-repair photographs shall be submitted, along with a notarized statement from the applicant that no pre-repair photographs are available and that the person was unaware that pre-repair photographs would be required before the repairs were made. If no repairs were made, the statement should so state; and


(F) In the event a vehicle was purchased new and never titled and the manufacturer's statement of origin has been lost and a duplicate of the original manufacturer's statement of origin cannot be obtained from the manufacturer, a complete copy of the original manufacturer's statement of origin, certified as true and exact, shall be required.
 
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#8
#8
continued:

(2) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter to the contrary, a person may apply for a certificate of title to a vehicle lacking proper documentation, if the vehicle is at least thirty (30) years old and the person submits a certificate of ownership signed under penalty of perjury on a form prescribed by the department.


(3) Upon submission of a complete certificate of ownership form with the required supporting documentation and payment of the appropriate fee, a certificate of title shall be issued and the county clerk shall issue a license plate to the applicant upon acceptance by the county clerk of the submitted documents and payment of the appropriate fees. A certificate of title issued pursuant to the provisions of this subsection (e) shall not relieve the registrant of civil or criminal liability resulting from possession of the vehicle as otherwise provided by law. Issuance of a title or registration under the certification provisions is solely dependent on the applicant's ability to provide satisfactory evidence of the applicant's legal right of ownership and conformity to all related provisions as prescribed in 55-2-107.

looking at (e)(2) your best bet may be off road for a few years and then go for a title in 2020.
 
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#12
#12
Well.. that was easy. All I had to show my DMV was I tried getting ahold of the two previous owners and their phones were disconnected. They submitted my paperwork to Nashville and gave me my tags!
 
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#13
#13
Hayezb said:
Well.. that was easy. All I had to show my DMV was I tried getting ahold of the two previous owners and their phones were disconnected. They submitted my paperwork to Nashville and gave me my tags!
Click to expand...

Stay on them about the title. The tags are the easy part.

It should show up in a reasonable amount of time, but that isn't always the case.
 
#15
#15
Hayezb said:
Well.. that was easy. All I had to show my DMV was I tried getting ahold of the two previous owners and their phones were disconnected. They submitted my paperwork to Nashville and gave me my tags!
Click to expand...

I knew there was a solution to this that didn't require waiting years and only driving it off road.
 
#16
#16
I'd still stay proactive about the title. Even if you think you'll never need it, you'll want it at some point.
 
#17
#17
WallyBalls said:
I'd still stay proactive about the title. Even if you think you'll never need it, you'll want it at some point.
Click to expand...

Cops don't ask for the title when they pull you over so he'd probably only need it if he wanted to sell it again.
 
#18
#18
Coug said:
Cops don't ask for the title when they pull you over so he'd probably only need it if he wanted to sell it again.
Click to expand...

I know that.

Which is why I said:

Even if you think you'll never need it, you'll want it at some point. Its stupid to go on like you don't need to the title to a vehicle you own.
 
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