Hey. I just got this email from a lady... anyone have any information I can send her? Hi, I am having some problems with the state of FL...My stepson baught a 1972 Maverick from a broker who never titled the car to his business when he was 17 years old. He has taken 5 years to rebuild the car & now wants to put it on the road. The problem is he was 17 and never registered the car & has lost the title over the last 5 years. I have called Tallhassee with the vin # they are telling me the car does not exist!! I have no idea what to do...that car on the road was all he asked for for christmas...oviously thats not going to happen...so I promised him I would go online & see what I could do for him! Any information you could give me would be a great help!! Thank You-- Lisa
Worst case scenario is you buy a junk maverick with title and swap vins and viola you have a legal maverick16suspect ) just dont tell anybody
I think it would be worth getting one of the Marti reports on this car and taking it to the local tag office. I would also take a close up photo of the vin and take it too. I'm not sure how they operate in Florida but I'm certain that I could get a title for a car in Mississippi with that info. I know this isn't much help for Christmas but I think that is a little out of reach at this point. She just doesn't need to give up...there has to be a way. I wish her luck because the tax collectors can sometimes be very uncaring. If that happens to be the case, ask for the elected tax collector and show proof with the vin number and they can surely do something if they want. If a person can build a kit car out of nothing but a store bought body (Cobras for example) they have to create a vin in order to get it licensed. What I'm saying is they can do what needs to be done...they just may need a little prodding. Tell her we said good luck and don't give up.
You may consider a title company like this http://www.broadwaytitle.net/ Don't know anything about the process.
Maybe check with the DMV in that state for suggestions. Here is Wisconsin, we can apply for a "home built" vehicle. Car is treated like a kit car, and must be inspected and then it will be issued a new VIN number from the state.
I've had a similar experience in the past and the reason it didn't show was that it was last titled in a different state. If they know where it was last titled they might need to get ahold of someone in that state to get a lost title application. also go back to who he got it from if they're still there, ask them to help.
I had to go to DMV and file for lost title and they sent me a new one. Easy way to go tho is the junkyard vin idea... but like he said if he does it don't tell no one...
thanks guy, I'm gonna reply to her with your suggestions. I'll give her a link to this thread. I believe in florida you can do that with the build title. That was what I suggested to her, to see if she could just file for a build title. I would think that would be the easiest way to go if she can't get the state to recognize the VIN.
In Alabama we didn't have titles prior to the 1975 model year. If you have any friends or family in Alabama, they could write you a bill of sale and you could probably get a Florida title then by saying the car was bought in Alabama where a title was not required.
