Need help locating the previous owner!!

Before doing anything I'll check with them as well. I would like to do everything correct without having to jack around too much.

 

Come on, Craig - your memory is better than that!

What about just filing for a lost title with DMV? There is no lien and there is no DMV record, but you do have the VIN and are in possession of it, no?

 

The title company I called said I absolutely needed an old title and a bill of sale. I'm going to try calling around and seeing what else I can come up with. Thanks for all the help.

By the way, the only thing I can come up with for "Steve Pence" in Indianapolis Ind is a bunch of articles about someone by the same name being murdered in 2009 and an obituary. Hope its not him.

 

I'm not sure. Its been so long since I bought it. I guess this is the price I pay for not titling it right away.

 

okay, without a valid Indiana title, in order for it to get titled here in IL i would have to do it bond for deed. I would need to get in appraised and then insure it for twice the amount of the appraisal. This could take up to several months. Hmmm... time to find an appraiser.

 

When I lived in NY state, I owned a '66 Mustang convert without proper papers. Bought it from a guy in Connecticut and I didn't examine the documents carefully. According to the rules, there was no way I could get a title in either Connecticut or NY.

I went to a small town DMV office known for friendly service and explained the dilemma. The helpful cleark got on the phone with the guy in Albany that had the authority to bend the rules. When he said, "issue the title" I got a title. Otherwise I would have had a very expensive parts car. It only worked because of that clerk. She could have just continuted to explain the rules to me.

Don't know if something like that would work for you, but if all else fails you could try it.

Now when I buy or sell a car with a private party I like to do it AT a DMV office and get thru the process with both buyer and seller present.

 

Thats what I'm gonna do. I don't see why I can't just apply for a lost title. It hasn't been registered or titled in over 5 years. And I know that most states only keep records of vehicles for 5 years and then purge the records. Gotta try to go up to the DMV and explain what all is going on instead of over the phone.

 

Applying for a lost time probably won't help. You would have to do it in the state of Indiana and they will likely only send it to the last owner on record.

 

Yes....they will.

Here is what I would do. Contact the Indiana BMV and do a TITLE SEARCH for the last owner.

If the car was here in Indiana and it was a car I bought, and I requested a title search, here is what would happen. I do a title search. If it comes back nobody here in Indiana shows up as an owner, then the Indiana BMV would make me do a title search for the 4 surrounding states. If nobody shows up in those 4 states...then the car is mine and they issue me a title.

You just need to contact YOUR state's BMV and see what they say.

 

You could go to fordmaverick.com and ask Matt if he can look back that far. I thought that old email addy you posted belonged to David Moore but I'm not for sure on that one.