Question in need of quick answers (giving dead car away)

[Snowdog]

About a 5 years ago, I parked an ailing '93 Chevy Lumina in the back of my driveway in hopes of fixing up and donating. Since then, I have lost the title.  I couldn't even give the darn thing away to scrap shops without it. So there it sits, hogging parking space.

Yesterday, a fellow comes to my door and claims to live down the street (not that I don't believe him, I don't know all the neighbors) and said he's seen the car there for some time and was wondering if I was interested in selling it. 
I told him it's all his if he was willing to put in some serious work on the power steering and brakes to make it road worthy again. It turns out he wants it for parts/scrap and he's willing to take it without a title.

Here's where I'm a little concerned.  Of course I'm happy for anyone to come and haul this albatross from my driveway, but I'm wary about any possible issues down the road.  I don't want to receive a phone call from someone asking me to get my parted-out hull of a car from wherever and have to pay a rollback to haul it to the junkyard.

However, this might be my paranoia showing, as I've been told I'm a "what-if" type of guy.

What do you guys think?  Should I let this fellow haul off this car that I've been wanting to junk for the past few years? If so, what if anything should I print out to have him sign upon taking the car besides "this car now belongs to you"?

He's due to pick up the car at 0830 this morning (Friday, 5/7/10).

[Balog]

I'd google bills of sale for your state.

[KD5NRH]

Here's where I'm a little concerned.  Of course I'm happy for anyone to come and haul this albatross from my driveway, but I'm wary about any possible issues down the road.

I've had a dead car towed from an apartment complex, and got a parking ticket in the mail a year later from a city 50 miles away.  We gave away a barely-usable Ford last year and we're getting notices from the Tollway Authority that it's running up a lot of tolls 100 miles away.  At the very least, get all of his info and verify it, and make sure you keep the plates.

[Northwoods]

At the very least, get all of his info and verify it, and make sure you keep the plates.

Might want to remove/grind the VIN if you can figure out all the places they put it, and they're accessible.  Assuming that, unlike with guns, such is legal.  Otherwise leave all VIN's intact.  

[Boomhauer]

Might want to remove/grind the VIN if you can figure out all the places they put it, and they're accessible.  Assuming that, unlike with guns, such is legal.  Otherwise leave all VIN's intact.

Stipple, not grind.

[Balog]

What Avenger said. Although 1. they have like 87 freaking VINs on cars these days 2. it's really not needed unless you're planning on using your own car for a series of bank robberies or something. Keep the plates, bill of sale, maybe a salvage title if it's easy to do in your state, and you're golden.

[HankB]

You ought to be able to get a replacement title as long as you're the owner of record - with millions upon millions of cars on the road, it's certain you're not the ONLY person who's lost his paperwork. (And if the state has no record of your ownership, then it doesn't matter how you get rid of the car, since the state doen't know it's yours, right?  )

In some states (Texas, for example) when selling a car it's recommended that you go down to the DMV and fill out a form notifying the state that your vehicle has a new owner, and who the new owner is - that way you won't be liable for toll charges, parking tickets, etc.

[230RN]

People lose their titles all the time.  States will issue a duplicate or salvage title.  Call them up, ask for a dup, check with them on what the "salvage value" is in your state and what the implications of donating it as a parts vehicle are, ask whether you will need a VIN check from the state patrol (or whomever)  and how to get one if the car is immobilized.  The couple of bucks you may have to spend may well be worth it somewhere down the line.  (Most states have Bill-Of-Sale forms printable off their websites.)

(If the car was previously titled in another state, it may get a little more complicated than that.)

I don't think it's a good idea to try to obliterate the VIN numbers.  They put them everywhere for a reason. (I believe the rental truck used in the Murrah Building bombing was tracked down by a VIN number on a drive shaft or something found a couple of blocks away from the explosion.)  

He says he wants it for parts, but that's today.  My present daily driver was once a salvage vehicle.  It was fixed up pretty good, and you can't tell from looking at it that it was once a piece of junk. (I think the owner had a High School Automotive class go over it thoroughly.)

I got some good advice a couple of decades ago:  "Don't try to finesse The System."

Terry, 230RN

[mtnbkr]

This

You ought to be able to get a replacement title as long as you're the owner of record - with millions upon millions of cars on the road, it's certain you're not the ONLY person who's lost his paperwork. (And if the state has no record of your ownership, then it doesn't matter how you get rid of the car, since the state doen't know it's yours, right?  Wink )

and this

People lose their titles all the time.  States will issue a duplicate or salvage title

Chris

[T.O.M.]

Get the replacement title and do it the right way.  Replacement titles are relatively cheap (under $50 here in Ohio) and can be readily obtained from the county Clerk of Courts, Recorder's Office, or BMV (depending on your state's method of record keeping),  It's a lot cheaper than trying to prove after the fact that you really did dispose of the car when it's been used in whatever crime or ends up in a crash where you're being sued for liability on the vehicle.  The cost is small compared to the headaches you could get...

[230RN]

^

Replacement titles are relatively cheap (under $50 here in Ohio) and can be readily obtained from the county Clerk of Courts, Recorder's Office, or BMV (depending on your state's method of record keeping),  It's a lot cheaper than trying to prove after the fact that you really did dispose of the car when it's been used in whatever crime or ends up in a crash where you're being sued...

Right.  

Look on it as a one-shot liability insurance premium.  

Cheap at twice the price.

Terry, 230RN

[RoadKingLarry]

Whenever I buy a vehicle I just assume my wife will lose the title and when I sell it I will have to do a lost title. Of course without fail the old title will be found within 3-5 days of paying to get a replacement.

[grampster]

The courts have held that one maintains ownership and responsibility for an auto until the title has been completely transferred into the name of the new owner. 

[230RN]

Whenever I buy a vehicle I just assume my wife will lose the title and when I sell it I will have to do a lost title. Of course without fail the old title will be found within 3-5 days of paying to get a replacement.

That's called the PON Effect.

Oh.  "Perversity Of Nature."

Terry, 230RN

[sanglant]

Whenever I buy a vehicle I just assume my wife will lose the title and when I sell it I will have to do a lost title. Of course without fail the old title will be found within 3-5 days of paying to get a replacement.

not that i want to know the answer, but where do you keep your guns? now there should be a nice place there for a small stack of paperwork. if it's not in a safe you might want to but a small fire box to keep them in. i keep meaning to buy one of these, seems like if i can afford it i can't lift it that day. (when i'm dizzy if i pick up something heavy i fall over.)


oh chain lock around something heavy would be a good idea, some people think people keep expensive things in a box like that. i bet most of the time there full of paper.

[cassandra and sara's daddy]

va replacement title is 5 bucks  and they have what is called an open title  where you have relinquished it and the next guy hasn't registered it yet.  if when you sell it you fill out the lil part of the rigistration card and mail it in and keep your tags you are good to go here

[castle key]

This could end up as a stolen car issue with vin plate swaps.

Your dead car may be replated with clean vins, salvage title vins put on stolen cars, and many possible itterations of trouble that will boomerang back to you.

Replacement title is THE ONLY WAY TO GO!!

[mtnbkr]

I sense a pattern here...

Chris