BIG Title transfer problem!

[Darwin Maring]

Getting A to send you a duplicate title would be the absolute best thing to do.

Offer a CASH incentive for A to apply for a duplicate title and send it to you. By incentive, I mean something like $100 US Dollars.

Another suggestion: Can you get an abandon vehicle title?

[Mike Magee]

Originally Posted by Cyndivg11

Is it possible to say Man "B" never received the title?

Not if man B signed the title as he did. That proves he did receive it. But he should have taken it in and gotten a fresh title in his name.

I encountered a somewhat similar situation... Floyd bought a trailer and rebuilt it, then sold it to me. He never re-titled the trailer either; but then, he never signed the title... so it never presented a problem. (There was a different problem with the VIN not matching, but that's another story.)

The way it is now, the appearance is the same as if you got hold of a title and trailer that wasn't yours, and tried titling it in your name. So you can see why your state is proceeding with great caution.

[Bobbie Mayer]

It could be more of a problem. California requires the seller report the sale within 5 days. If Man A reported the sale to Man B, California now has a record of Man B owning it. You might want to call them and find out the status- did he report it or not, and if he did, what your options are.

Another potential complication- Oregon has no sales tax. California will want sales tax on the sale if it hasn't previously been paid. Or maybe even if it has, we need lots of $$ here!

[Bill K]

Rather than guessing just wait till Monday and call Pa. title place and ask them ?

Bill K

[RSchleder]

I believe your best shot is as suggested on an earlier post here. Get in touch with man A and ask him to get a duplicate title and sign it over to YOU. If you feel he needs some compensation, that's up to you and him. Good luck!

PS--offer to send him a copy of the bill-of-sale and the old title to prove everything is on the up and up. You might also have man B call him to verify your situation.

[Donna D.]

I like Bill K's answer. We can speculate all we want, but truth be told it's entirely up to your state's DMV what they require. Trying to get a duplicate title, dealing long distance with a prior owner, etc. could all be a moot point... or necessary. Talk to your DMV, then go from there.

[Francesca Knowles]

"Check for Clear Title" would be an excellent addition to the site's Buyer's checklist at http://www.fiberglassrv.com/buy-sell.html
I'd suggest it be given position #1, since it so often results in these kinds of complications, especially for long distance buyers.
This would be the perfect thread to include as a case-in-point reference there.
Maybe you, Cyndi, would agree to write a "what on earth was I THINKING" type essay detailing the torturous process required to straighten out this kind of mess. If it CAN be straightened out, at least to your satisfaction.
I almost hate to ask, but nowhere in this thread do I see an indication that the title in question was signed by
the California person who is by the laws of every state STILL the legal owner of the trailer.
There are several references to the Oregonian's signature- did Mr. California sign it, too?
I sure hope so, because it means that as bad as they are, your troubles could be worse.

Francesca

[Roger C H]

We had a situation when we moved to WA from WI. Our boat trailer did not require registration in WI. WA issued a plate but wouldn't title the trailer for 3 years, presumbably that was if it was stolen, that fact would show up by that time.

I would say that man B did not have clear title and therefore could not sell the trailer. You, unfortunately, made his problem your problem by taking the trailer off his hands. Have you consulted a lawyer?

By the time you get this straightened out, you may have new Eggcamper money in it.

[Panoz77]

PA doesn't require a VIN inspection, however Ohio does. I bought my CT-13 from a gentleman in PA, the title had a VIN # however the CT-13 did not. It had an aluminum plate with a spot for a VIN # but it was blank, that is until Mr. Dremel came over and the VIN magically appeared on the plate. Headache over.

[jen b]

For out-of-state vehicles PA does want to see the VIN. I have a tags-n-titles place that will let me just submit a photo of the VIN, but a lot of places require an actual visual inspection, though not necessarily by a state trooper.

When I brought Rucio back from Minnesota, I only realized then that the vin stamped on the frame didn't match the one on the MN title. Whoops! I didn't suspect malfeasance or anything, but I phoned the minnesota motor vehicles department to find out what to do and apparently the trailer had come from a third state that didn't require titles, so Minnesota had generated a new VIN (randomly, apparently, for reasons I don't quite understand) with the new title.

The easiest way around it, I decided, was to obliterate the old VIN from the frame and rivet a plate onto it with the newer Minnesota-issued VIN stamped into it. I guess it's going to work; I'm still in the waiting-for-new-PA-paper-title window so no final confirmation yet.

[Francesca Knowles]

Cyndi's main problem is chain-of-possession, and it's almost impossible to fudge your way out of that situation.
BUT, as if that weren't enough...
If it's the trailer in this forum at http://www.fiberglassrv.com/forums/f...eam-43061.html "1984 16' Fiberstream" she might have your VIN problem, too.
According to another member who posted in that thread, the seller was upfront about both defects, and willing to go to the Oregon DMV with the buyer to solve them.
And probably still is, except that Cyndi hauled it (unlicensed and uninsured) 3000 miles away from the nearest Oregon DMV office.
Quickest solution:
Cyndi must buy a short term trip permit permitting her unlicensed vehicle to travel on public highways and drive all the way back to Oregon where the seller will accompany her to the DMV office. I'm sure her insurance company will issue a temporary rider so that she needn't traverse the country again uninsured.

Problem solved!

Francesca

[Tom Trostel]

I do not know how other's vehicle insurance policies read, but my policy states that anything that I drive or attach to my vehicle; whether I own it, borrow it, or rent it; is covered for liability. Liability insurance is all most states require. It may not be correct to state that she is uninsured.

[Joe Z]

Originally Posted by Panoz77

PA doesn't require a VIN inspection,

Jen B is right.... Pa does require a personal VIN Inspection from out of state trailers. I live in Reading Pa and i went down to title the trailer locally that i purchased in Michigan and they made me go back to the house and get the trailer and bring it to them for VIN Inspection
Joe

[Vickie B.]

Cyndi---saying a prayer for you that you find out there's a simpler solution!!!!

V