<VV> Stolen cars, was: Registering

[airvair]

Let's not jump to conclusions. "No title" salvage cars are one thing.
What I'm interested in is the ability to trace a vehicle thru ALL states
with just the VIN, something that can't be done (at least easily) now.
The bottleneck is the fact that states simply don't/won't talk to each
other when it comes to title transfers. If what I have in mind were in
effect, you wouldn't have had the problem with the Seville that you did.

On a related point, I once had to get a title service from GA resurect a
car that had had two previous owners that didn't file for a new title. I
had all the proper paperwork, but the state wouldn't accept the fact
that all transfers were legal.

Let's face it. The laws are a mess, and having 50 sets of titling laws
don't help. Especially since it seems that there's not a single
legislator that knows diddly about car collecting. Or seems to care.

-Mark

Harry Yarnell wrote:
> 
> I hope this law doesn't come to pass. At least as I understand it.
> I have saved many a car that had the title trail/search come up empty. Nice
> cars that were to be scraped without a title. Getting a salvage title made
> the car legit again, and it could be legally put back on the road.
> Case in point:
> I was offered a '94 Northstar Seville from my local salvage yard for $500.
> It was a nice car. Too good to scrap or part out. No keys; no title. Bought
> legally at auction for parts (because of the 'no title'). Well, attempts on
> my part to trace the vehicle thru the Maryland DMV, and the national data
> centers, including the VDP (vehicle donation program, from wence the car
> came), was futile. In this day of restricted personal information, nobody
> was able (willing?) to provide a 'last known owner'.
> Salvage title was applied for, and obtained. An interesting part of the
> salvage titling is the car has to be rollbacked to a State police inspection
> station where it's checked for proper vin's and any stolen reports. They
> sign off on the vehicle and you now have legal ownership.
> 
> harry yarnell
> perryman garage and orphanage
> hyarnell1 at earthlink.net

> ----- Original Message -----
> Subject: <VV> Stolen cars, was: Registering
> 
> > On that note, I too had a vehicle stolen once. Unfortunately, like the
> > Corvair, it didn't have the now-universal 17 digit VIN, so it's
> > untracable thru services like Carfax. A search for any stolen car is
> > hampered by the conglomeration of 50 state title laws, which also, among
> > other things, allow salvage vehicle titles to be washed. I see that one
> > of the things on the new Congress's adgenda is to get a uniform titling
> > law thru. Maybe once that's done, the stolen and salvage vehicle market
> > will start drying up.
> >
> > -Mark
> >
> > MACMGEO at aol.com wrote:
> >>
> >> Adding to airvairs remarks my friend and I about 6 years ago had 2
> >> greenbriers and an auto 65 cpe stolen within 8 months in front of our
> >> houses.  All 3
> >> were licensed.  Never showed up.  George, 3  licensed ,vairs
> >