Randy Harnish wrote:
> B Kelly wrote: I would be interested in hearing other peoples experience in
> obtaining a new title.
>
> Well here goes..
>
> I purchased my MB in Ohio and brought it home to Indiana. It came with a
> good Ohio Title, but had one bothersome error. It was titled a "1959
> homemade car". The previous owner related that in 1959 he purchased it
> almost totaly disassembled and that he restored, reassembled, and had it
> titled. When he applied for a title (it had never been titled before) he
> made the mistake of saying he "put it together himself," thus the
> designation "homemade car". Over the years it had undergone another
> restoration and was very correct and authentic when I purchased it.
> Thinking this was an unjust and undeserved label to have attached to it, I
> started out to have the title rectified. Mercy, Mercy, what an experience
> that was! My local Indiana liscense branch said it COULDN'T be done, that
> they had to title it just as it was titled before. Rules you know, she said
> my only recourse would be to get Ohio to correct it before they do the title
> transfer.
> Sorry, but time won't allow for a detailed transcript of the dozen or so
> conversations I had with Ohio DMV employees from the sellers local liscense
> branch, to the State agency. (you probably wouldn't believe me anyways).
> The bottom line was, technically It was titled correctly at the time,
> therefore the "homemade car designation" would follow it to it's grave.
> (their exact words). As a last resort I trailered it back to our local
> branch and asked the manager if she would please follow me to the parking
> lot, I had something to show her. Reluctantly she followed (she was a part
> of the "it can't be done" decision. I must say she was in awe when she laid
> eyes on the MB. For what ever reason she was so impressed with the fact
> that it didn't look "cobbled up" and embarked upon telling me how she was
> given a ride in an army jeep at our local National guard armory as a little
> girl. She also saw the shame in a title so degrading in it's description of
> a historic vehicle. Although her hands were tied she stated "a friend of
> hers at the state level of the agency owed her a favor and now was as good a
> time as any to try and collect". (Now were on the right track!). She called
> me the following day and said ok, here's what your going to do. I won't ask
> what you paid for it, but I will tell you, it was $2500 or less, got that?
> Now, call the seller and have him send you a bill of sale for the vehicle at
> that "magic figure" or less. Ask him to somehow mention in the bill that
> the vehicle was never titled. In your phone conversation with him, get his
> assurance it was NEVER titled in Indiana. When you have his bill of sale in
> your hand, tear up the Ohio title, throw it away, and pretend it never
> existed. Since your vehicle was "never titled", and is worth very little
> money, (2500 or less, remember?) you can now apply for a new title. She
> said a thief wouldn't go to all this trouble over a "cheep" vehicle, thus
> the provision for not allowing this procedure on anything worth more than $
> 2500. (OK, I guess that makes sense.) She sent a trooper out to verify the
> VIN, take pictures, and fill out a form or two. The trooper said, now take
> these back to "Mary" with your bill of sale and she'll take it from here.
> About a week later I received a Title in the mail for a 1942 WILLYS MDL MB.
> . . . . Gosh, I wonder who sent her that nice floral arrangement the next
> day? Unfortunately my visions of having this "friend at the Bureau" who
> could "fix" my title woes were soon gone. In my subsequent visits, as soon
> as we make eye contact she turns away pretending not to know me.... Oh
> well, it was great while it lasted. A few years later I sold my MB to some
> old rich guy who new absolutely nothing about military jeeps. When I
> pointed out proudly he was getting a very correct title, (that most are
> flawed in some way) he said "oh.... how do I get back on the interstate from
> here". Something tells me he would think I was off my rocker if he had any
> idea how much effort I put into obtaining that little piece of paper.
>
> Randy
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Bob Kelly <rkelly@firstunion-reit.com>
> To: mil-veh@skylee.com <mil-veh@skylee.com>
> Date: Friday, October 08, 1999 10:07 AM
> Subject: [MV] Obtaining title...
>
> >Hello all,
> >
> >As I have already said, I finally brought my un - titled1942 GPW home. One
> >of the first things I did was to get insurance... JC Taylor had some
> >reasonable coverage and the restrictions can be lived with. The next thing
> I
> >did was call many local DMV offices to get an idea of what it would take to
> >get a title and registration. I am in Ohio by the way. I called the Ohio
> >State Registrar, they dont know anything of use and they forwarded me to
> the
> >State Highway Patrol. The "Statey" had a little bit of an attitude and
> >immediately told me that as the vehicle was purchased out of state, they
> >would have to inspect it. When I asked him for the inspect6ion "rules"
> >(thinking it was a roadworthiness inspection) he said that they wanted to
> >see if the vehicle was what I said it was and that I wasn't trying to "pull
> >one over on them" - his words. He then proceeded to tell me that although
> >they would have to inspect it, they wouldn't do it without a court order.
> >When I politely asked him for more information, which was difficult as the
> >guy really was pretty rude, condecending and not helpful (I practically had
> >to pry information out of him), he referred me to my local county
> >courthouse. At this point, I am starting to think "F**k it" and use an out
> >of state title service. After I calmed down a bit, I decided it wouldn't
> >hurt to find out a little more.
> >
> >So I call the county courthouse. I get bounced around four or five times,
> >explaining my situation each time, until FINALLY, I connect to someone who
> >not only appears to know what he's talking about, but is extremely helpful
> >and forthcoming. This very professional and helpful individual actually
> >faxes me some old "Petitions to Obtain Motor Vehicle Title" with the County
> >Clerk as the Defendant and me as the Plaintiff. He also tells me it is
> >unlikely that I will have to have an inspection as the vehicle was never
> >titled or more importantly, registered in another state. He also told me
> how
> >to file my petition, gave me the examples I would need to put it in the
> >correct format, and told me I wouldn't need a lawyer if i did it the way he
> >told me. I had to attach a couple of notarized items, such as the bill of
> >sal and a statemnent by the seller that the vehicle was never registered in
> >the state onf North Carolina. The seller was very kind to have provided me
> >with these items and had them notarised.
> >
> >So I prepared my very official looking petion to the court, made my
> >attachements, had it notarized and walked it over to the courthouse. I paid
> >my fee and await the decision of the court. I hope this works out smoothly
> >and without much hassle (I might get a refund of part of the $100 deposit
> >you have to make upon filing).
> >
> >I need to wait five working days for a response. I will keep this kind list
> >informed as the rusty wheels of bureaucracy slowly turn.
> >
> >I would be interested in hearing other people's experience obtaining a new
> >title (especially in Ohio).
> >
> >Have a nice day,
> >
> >B Kelly
> >
> >
> >===
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> >
>
> ===
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-- JEFF HAIN-MATSON FRONT LINE MILITARY VEHICLES WRIGHTSVILLE PA 717-252-4489 VOICE 717-252-4499 FAX flmv@netrax.net E-MAIL
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