Where there's a will, there's a way. This person probably isn't a
car person and would rather jettison the car and leave the trouble to someone
else. That's the good news, as their text will probably scare away other
non-car people. That car's gorgeous - go get it.
I don't know about other states, but there have been several threads in
the past here about getting a car titled. If they can title home-built
hot-rods and kit cars, they can title a used car with missing title.
In California, the records are kept for something like 3 years and then
tossed. If the VIN does not show on their records or those of other
states, the car "does not exist" on the books. It is then up to the
applicant to get a title. I think it is more convenient to posess a car
with no plates, either, so would not mention them unless "finding" them made
things easier.
The method that I like is that used by mechanics, tow companies, and
salvage yards (guess who you should be asking locally? what do they do
when a car is abandoned or storage or repair bills are
outstanding?).
California allows you to hold a lein sale if you post notice to allow a
property owner to collect back storage fees for an "abandoned" car. The
owner has first right of refusal to pay the fees. If they are
uninterested or can't be found, the car can then be put up for a public
auction. If nobody comes and makes a bid on the lein that you have
placed on the car for storage, you get to keep it, title it, and are then
empowered to resell it. That's how I got a basket case 70's motorcycle
registered when it had no plates and had been obviously dismantled into little
bits for at least 10 years in the basement of the rental property that a buddy
inhabited. The process was almost easier timewise than some of the
routine things they make you do, like the driver's eyeball test and
photo.
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