This happened a few months ago and im still dealing with it. I bought a van from a government auction site without a title. I figured id fix it up, get a new title, and be good to go. Nope.
After a few months of work, ive finally fixed it up. Unfortunately, i cant do shit with it without a title. To get a new title, i had to fight with the previous owner to go to the dmv to get me the old title. Now the DMV is telling me to get a new title, i need the old vehicle registration, which they didnt tell me about before. Both the DMV and previous owner are being very snippy with me about “oh, you shouldve known” or “then you shouldnt have bought it”. Hindsight is 20/20 and i definitely regret buying it now. I dont wanna have to go to the previous owner again because they are likely gonna say no and its just very frustrating. I dont even want the vehicle anymore but i dont think i can even sell it at this point. the is probably the most expensive fuck up ive ever done. anyone have any suggestions or words of kindness? (im in NJ, btw)
TL;DR I bought a vehicle without a title and now i feel screwed
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I don’t think this is true that you need previous registration. They can assign you a title using the bill of sale I thought?
There’s an old saying, bro — “buy cheap, pay twice.” And yeah, sounds like you just learned that the hard way.
But honestly? Don’t blame the seller. This kinda thing’s on you to research before buying — DMV hoops, missing docs, all that jazz. It sucks, but it’s part of the game.
That said — don’t beat yourself up. This is how you level up. Next time, you’ll spot red flags a mile away and walk in like a damn expert.
We’ve all had that moment like, “ohhh that’s why it was so cheap.”
Lesson learned. Keep your head up. You’ll bounce back.
the auction house was responsible for providing you with all necessary paperwork as they are the most recent owner of the vehicle. You should be working with them, not the previous owner.
Try for a bonded title maybe
Yeah man, honestly vehicle titles are so incredibly complicated to get resolved anymore it’s like they are forcing us out of the second hand market. When my uncle passed away a couple years back his Saturn sat in a storage lot for a year before his widow asked around for one of us to come take it off their hands. She had no idea about the paperwork and it was a good six hour drive to go get the vehicle. I spent the next year trying to get it titled and ended up giving it to my landlord for parts.
I had an issue one time where I bought a car from a guy who had just traded a Mercedes for it and wrote on the title but it wasn’t in his name. Instead of a bonded or salvage title I ordered a new copy and contacted the previous owner to sign it over and I’d pay him $50. We set up a date and time and he wasn’t there. Luckily his mom had power of attorney so she signed it over and I gave her the $50 and said don’t give this to him.
It depends on where it’s happening but in California for example if the vehicle isn’t registered when you buy it you are responsible for all registrations and penalties from the time it was last registered.
Since you now have a title signed over to you from the previous owner you can look up states that have lenient registration rules/laws and register your car there. After 90 days (I think it’s 90) you can then transfer the registration to your local state. For example, if you register the car in Montana, let it sit on that registration and even drive it in that registration for a few months and then visit you local DMV and “import” the car from Montana with that registration
It all depends what car is this and if this is worth all the hassle
If the bonded title thing is a no-go or too much of a headache, you might have to consider selling it for parts. It sucks, especially after all that work you put in, but sometimes you gotta cut your losses. You could list the engine, transmission, body panels, anything salvageable on Facebook Marketplace or eBay. You might not get back all your money, but it’s better than having a very expensive lawn ornament.
Consider offering the previous owner some money to do the legwork. Not sure if you’ll be able to offer enough to make it worth their while, but you can try.
go to a title company. it will cost you about $700 but youll get it
If you didn’t get a title you didn’t buy a vehicle.
Whoever sold it to you owes you proof of ownership or your money back. Sorry about all the work you put into it.
If you have a bill of sale just register it in Vermont.
You didn’t buy a van, you adopted a DMV curse. Welcome to NJ, where the only thing harder than getting a title is getting empathy from the DMV. Honestly? Might be time to cut your losses, part it out, or sell it as a “project” to someone with more paperwork patience than you. Either way: never trust a government auction again without legal backup.
That’s a rough one, but you’re not alone in this mess!