• Welcome to ClassicBroncos! - You are currently viewing the forums as a GUEST. To take advantage of all the site features, please take a moment to register. It's fast, simple and absolutely free. So please join our community today!
    If you have problems registering or can't log into your account, please contact Admin.

Getting title from a VIN

67RT

Bronco Guru
Joined
Jan 17, 2014
Messages
1,308
OP
OP
J

Jluck

Jr. Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
118
I would not use this as a basis for determining a car is clean and would not restore one based on this as well. Per the website it only goes back 5 years... Mine was not on this list, however when getting my truck retitled the state trooper discovered it had been stolen in 1977 and recovered in 1978. Use the state trooper at the DMV.
https://www.nicb.org/how-we-help/vincheck/terms-use-vincheck

Good to know, thanks. It's all I could find thus far. So what happened with your truck?
 

67RT

Bronco Guru
Joined
Jan 17, 2014
Messages
1,308
Good to know, thanks. It's all I could find thus far. So what happened with your truck?
It was bought with a title matching the glove door and not frame. I had to go to DMV and get it fixed. Long process and ended up with State VIN, but all good and legal. Trooper had some database that was able to track theft all the way back.
 

bmc69

Contributor
Bronco Guru
Joined
Jun 11, 2004
Messages
11,852
I've used a titling service in Maine. Bought a project vehicle with no title. Expensive...but we have few retitling options in MD so I had no other choice.
 

Stu7054

Jr. Member
Joined
Mar 17, 2016
Messages
56
Look in the revised code of the state you live in. There should be a process.
 
OP
OP
J

Jluck

Jr. Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
118
It was bought with a title matching the glove door and not frame. I had to go to DMV and get it fixed. Long process and ended up with State VIN, but all good and legal. Trooper had some database that was able to track theft all the way back.

Your truck was stolen and recovered correct? It was not a "stolen frame", you just had to get the title to match the frame VIN, correct?
 

ame

Full Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2016
Messages
191
Have you just asked the local DMV? I talked with the DMV here in Bend about my Bronco that does not have a title and they were very helpful. That was 2 years ago and I still have not gotten around to registering it but on my spring to-do list.
 
OP
OP
J

Jluck

Jr. Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
118
Have you just asked the local DMV? I talked with the DMV here in Bend about my Bronco that does not have a title and they were very helpful. That was 2 years ago and I still have not gotten around to registering it but on my spring to-do list.

I have not, I've been working 12 hour shifts 7 days a week, I have a bunch of stuff to do there when I get a moment free.
 
OP
OP
J

Jluck

Jr. Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
118
I was able to use the Sheriffs office and it came back totally clean, Now the paperwork....
 

CA Monkey

Jr. Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2011
Messages
106
Loc.
Tracy
Nice. I have a project that i'm hitting this issue on. Thinking my local CHP office should be my first stop. Thanks for the info.
 
OP
OP
J

Jluck

Jr. Member
Joined
Dec 27, 2017
Messages
118
Nice. I have a project that i'm hitting this issue on. Thinking my local CHP office should be my first stop. Thanks for the info.

I knew the person who ran it (and he offers to buy it after) so if anything weird popped up he'd be cool. A not so decent officer might cause problems. I know if you call in a gun to check it's history they want to know exactly where it and you are before helping any.
 

CA Monkey

Jr. Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2011
Messages
106
Loc.
Tracy
i know a police officer and he told me that if he ran it and it came back goofy it could be a problem and didn't want to put me in that position. back to square one.
 

ame

Full Member
Joined
Jun 28, 2016
Messages
191
I have called the California DMV in the past and had them run the vin over the phone with no questions asked, was actually pretty simple.
 

SurfCityEB66

Contributor
Sr. Member
Joined
Jul 18, 2005
Messages
461
Nice. I have a project that i'm hitting this issue on. Thinking my local CHP office should be my first stop. Thanks for the info.
Do you have a bill of sale and at least a copy of the last registration? you can get a title ONLY with those two and then registration once it's complete. Or just make friends with someone who owns a tow company and liensale it ;)

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk
 

tirewater

Contributor
Sr. Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2011
Messages
1,040
Loc.
San Francisco Bay Area
i know a police officer and he told me that if he ran it and it came back goofy it could be a problem and didn't want to put me in that position. back to square one.

You can run the VIN on the CA dmv website to get a list of any back registration fees due and last known smog dates. As mentioned, you can call the DMV and have them run the vin to see if there's any fishiness with the vin #.

That said, there are multiple databases that the VIN should be run against. Since vehicles are registered by state, there are state by state databases that may not all be part of a federal database - or linked together.

I ran into an issue when I moved back to CA and registered my vehicle. Someone had stolen the VIN and used it to register another vehicle in a different state. The DMV employee did not tell me this until the CHP officer arrived to verify that the vehicle was at the DMV and I was the owner. At the time, not all states participated in a linked database (~5 years ago).
 

CA Monkey

Jr. Member
Joined
Dec 4, 2011
Messages
106
Loc.
Tracy
Do you have a bill of sale and at least a copy of the last registration? you can get a title ONLY with those two and then registration once it's complete. Or just make friends with someone who owns a tow company and liensale it ;)

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

I don't have either. I bought it 7 years ago and only recently found the frame doesn't match my paperwork. I havnt decided on a route yet except for not spending anymore money on it or driving it until it's sorted.
 
Top