title question
 

What is a USA title ?

Here in OZ, all we need is a bill of sale to register any car that is not a statutory written off car .

Statutory write offs were only introduced a few years back to try and reduce rebirthing of stolen wrecks .

So over here, if I have a handwritten receipt for a model A for one dollar , I can register it in my name .

I have heard that cars without USA titles cannot be imported out of the country .

What is the gist of title in layman's terms ?

Re: title question
 

I'm reasonably sure that a "USA" title would mean an automobile title issued in ANY one of the US states (most of them) that issue titles to automobiles. DD

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a title in America is an ownership card, but it gets confusing here as well-all 50 states do not use titles
some do, some use registrations and some are non title states..........
it can all become very confusing depending which state you reside in and half of the dmv
personnel in the various states aren't able to recognize states other then their own.

If the government here had any sense, all 50 states would be standardized and with 1 universal drivers license as well-but that would be too easy..................
states all want their various revenues

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The whole concept has me puzzled too. Seems even our American friends struggle with it. Give me our simple registration system where every state recognised every other state any day.
I get the feeling that a good "in a nutshell" explanation isn't possible. Is that so??

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In New york state, vehicles after 1973 have titles and earlier vehicles have registrations. Either one is considered a certificate of ownership.

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One of the main reasons that the exported vehicles have Valid Titles is to prove they are not stolen. Otherwise vehicles would be routinely stolen and sent to another country where you do not have the strick registration policies. Ever sending a vehicle to Canada requires a title with matching serial #s I guess it really does make sense.

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"In a nutshell" LOL....There are at least 50 different sets of rules, each state having its own. Then there are different rules in some states for antique cars, collector cars, commercial vehicles etc. Even a lot of the people that work at the DMV cant handle anything out of the ordinary, they have to call their supervisor. It really gets confusing trying to take a car from one state to another, because the required paperwork doesnt always match.
A title is kind of like a property deed, transferable between individuals. ( At least in South Carolina).
A bill of sale is what you get when you buy something like a parts car or big parts. It isnt good for much except to show that you paid somebody for the items, that you didnt steal them.
The registration comes with the tag. It just has your name and address and matches the tag number. It basically shows you paid for the tag and showed proof of insurance and didnt steal it.
I hope this helps a little. I confused myself trying to type it.:)

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"If the government here had any sense, all 50 states would be standardized and with 1 universal drivers license as well-but that would be too easy.................."

Standardized to whose state standards? California? ... New York?

One of the blessings in the old car hobby is that there are still states that have reasonable old car registration laws.

( ... tell me he's only kidding.)

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Amen Hoop

All we need is more government by someone who has no clue, but just wants to make a law

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Why in the world would anyone want a federalized title and DL system. The bigger the gov't entity, the worse it is. As a group, yes, figuring out the rules in other states is confusing. However, you only reside in one state at a time so its very simple...follow the rules of the state you are in. If it was federalized, you could pick the worst, stupidest, hardest to understand state regulation and double the stupidity. Whala, thats federal.

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actually my comment is regarding Homeland Security......... which is no more then a charade.

If you are a cop in Florida, do you really have a clue what a south Dakota drivers license looks like? No, you don't, so you wonder why its so easy to breach our system

all of America stands in airport lines for pretty much no reason at all......... the terrorist knows how to get into the country and avoid the simplistic system that is "supposed" to make you feel safe when boarding a plane.......
I'll stop ranting...............

Re: title question
 

The title is simply a piece of paper issued by the state that indicates ownership of a vehicle. It lists the VIN (vehicle ID number) and the owner. Some states keep this information for many years. Some states purge their records after a period of time.

TRANSFERRING a title to a buyer, especially in a different state is where it gets tricky. Different states have differing requirements. Combine that with trying to deal with government workers and .... well, let's put it this way... going to the tag office to transfer a title is much like playing the lottery. Sometimes you get lucky, but it doesn't happen very often. :(

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If you're up late at night,

http://www.semasan.com/page.asp?cont...olbox&g=SEMAGA

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I'll try to put our system in s nutshell. Each state has its own system but there is virtually no difference between them. The registration fee includes third party insurance, that is, people are insured for injury and compensation Australia wide. Compensation covers hospital and medical bills, long term treatment and disability care if needed. Vehicles and other property are not covered by this insurance. It is up to the owner to arrange whatever cover he/she wants for this. Some take the gamble, some take plenty of cover. If you have a prang with an insured driver, the insurance companies sort it out between themselves while we get on with our lives. If you are unlucky enough that the other driver is at fault and not insured, the courts will order them to pay even if it is in instalments and you have to pay for the repairs up front. That's the worst scenario.
To show that a car is registered, a sticker is issued to be put on the windscreen showing the details but they are disappearing. The police are constantly scanning number plates and when one comes up as unregistered/owner not licensed/owner has unpaid fines etc, they nab him/her. There is no difference in the rules for a car made last week or 100 years ago but some common sense is required for the differences in what is acceptable for roadworthiness.
Not sure what the arrangements are to stop stolen cars being sent overseas for sale but it must work because it doesn't happen.
It's nice to know that when we travel interstate, we know what the rules are for that state and our registration/insurance is valid. Lately there has been a lot of work done to make the road rules consistent over the whole country too. Details are shared between states so that police in Queensland will know if a car with Victorian registration plates is stolen or unregistered. Likewise if someone tries to register a car that has been written off. That VIN is never reregistered but the engine might be allowed to go again.
Hmmm, this nutshell has gotten pretty big so I'll stop now. (not much more anyway!)

Re: title question
 

Sunchro909,
very interesting concept there
on the medical compensation is there a cap for benefits?
so for antiques can you get an agreed value policy?
thanks

Re: title question
 

Re: title question
 

You want the Federal government to legislate everything? We fought a whole civil war over the issue.

Anyway, I have exported vehicles overseas without a title. Some states, after a certain number of years determined by the state government ( ;) ) do not issue titles. Instead, you might use a special form, signed and notarized, transferring ownership.

Re: title question
 

G'day Mitch.
There is no cap on benefits but receipts have to be produced and if they seem excessive, the insurer losses any sense of humour they might ever have had. That is, if an insurer ever has any emotion at all!!!
As for what you call antiques, yes we have agreed value and in the event of a write off, we keep the salvage. Compared to insuring a modern car, the premiums are very cheap. For example, My 1929 Model A Tourer (Phaeton) is insured for $24,300 and the annual premium is $83.42 including cover for racing with an excess (I think you call it a deductible) of $200. As far as I know, all of the insurance companies offering cover on antique vehicles offer agreed value and salvage rights.
How does this compare to over there??
Regards,
Synchro

Re: title question
 

Hi Synchro,
Thanks for getting back it sounds like your system may be better. here each insured person chooses their bodily injury limits and thats where it caps out at. on the antique autos our agreed value is similar but to get the salvage back it will cost you 10% of the pay out. when a person registers a car over there since it also comes with that bodily injury insurance how much is it? and how often does it have to be renewed?

Thanks Mitch

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Surely you don't believe the aforementioned. Technology has brought cities and states and countries together like they are in the next room. We are far more sophisticated than you can ever imagine. And yes terrorists do stand in line to buy tickets at an airport. A prime example was 9-11 !
Wayne