|
|
Post by eclark5483 on May 11, 2016 2:13:38 GMT -5
I had an extremely good case of luck when I got the title for my 86 Spree. It had been tossed around from person to person over the last 15 years till I finally bought it at a farm implement auction for $75. After I had it running, I had the seat up at the gas station to put gas in it, and I happened to notice an owners manual wrapped in plastic under the seat. So I took it out when I got home, and what I found was an old registration paper, and an old insurance card. So I took this up to the DMV and inquired about getting a new title, they told me that the person listed on the registration was still the registered owner and that if I wanted a new title, I'd have to either file for a bond on it which could take quite a while, or find the previous owner and have them get me a new title. So I googled the name, then tried whitepages.com and came up with an address that matched what the registration and insurance had, and also listed a phone number. So at first I'm thinking... wow, NO WAY can they actually still have a land line number. So I call it, and get this little old lady on the phone, told her who I was, and that I was seeking the owner of an 86' Spree. She tells me that they had never owned a Spree, so I tell her, "it's a little Honda Scooter", THEN it all came back to her. She was amazed that it was still around since they had sold it 15 years ago. They agreed to get me a replacement title for it, and now that I have it, I can finally plate it.
|
|
|
|
Post by niz76 on May 11, 2016 19:11:12 GMT -5
I had an extremely good case of luck when I got the title for my 86 Spree. It had been tossed around from person to person over the last 15 years till I finally bought it at a farm implement auction for $75. After I had it running, I had the seat up at the gas station to put gas in it, and I happened to notice an owners manual wrapped in plastic under the seat. So I took it out when I got home, and what I found was an old registration paper, and an old insurance card. So I took this up to the DMV and inquired about getting a new title, they told me that the person listed on the registration was still the registered owner and that if I wanted a new title, I'd have to either file for a bond on it which could take quite a while, or find the previous owner and have them get me a new title. So I googled the name, then tried whitepages.com and came up with an address that matched what the registration and insurance had, and also listed a phone number. So at first I'm thinking... wow, NO WAY can they actually still have a land line number. So I call it, and get this little old lady on the phone, told her who I was, and that I was seeking the owner of an 86' Spree. She tells me that they had never owned a Spree, so I tell her, "it's a little Honda Scooter", THEN it all came back to her. She was amazed that it was still around since they had sold it 15 years ago. They agreed to get me a replacement title for it, and now that I have it, I can finally plate it. Sweet Eclark! Glad that worked out for ya! I've had my fair share of title issues and stories and it always irks me when I see these scoots for sale on Craigslist that say "no title. Sold with bill of sale only- should be easy to get the title". Haha. Nooope. Whoever is currently listed as title holder of that scoot is the ONLY one who can get that title (which is 100 bux to have it printed out and walk out with it here in FLA- then and only then can they transfer it to you which costs another $100 plus tax on sale value, unless of course if it's an "E title" which only costs $11 to have printed.) Most folks ignorantly thinks it's eazy peazy to just walk in and grab the title of the scoot they just bought. Not quite that simple! |
|
|
|
Post by Florida Antique on May 11, 2016 19:14:08 GMT -5
Hey good news fellas- I was able to pay the $190 invoice so we can push the play button on this thread once again! Yeah, more than doubling your investment on a flip scoot has a way of freeing up money like this! Glad you are getting this done. You probably have people talking to you about the scooter now, put that VT tag on it and they will really talk. Like," Did you ride that from Vermont?" |
|
|
|
Post by niz76 on May 11, 2016 19:18:24 GMT -5
Hey good news fellas- I was able to pay the $190 invoice so we can push the play button on this thread once again! Yeah, more than doubling your investment on a flip scoot has a way of freeing up money like this! Glad you are getting this done. You probably have people talking to you about the scooter now, put that VT tag on it and they will really talk. Like," Did you ride that from Vermont?" Haha U got it FA! Actually, when I was in transferring the flip Zuma title into my name I mentioned I'd need to title an out-of-state Vespa P200 soon, and she told me I'd have to bring it up there for VIN inspection. They could provide a temp tag so I could drive it there, or another option is to have the VIN inspection done offsite by a police department or a valid notary. She gave me the Vin inspection sheet right then and there so I already have a jump on the process. Sweet! |
|
|
|
Post by niz76 on May 11, 2016 19:55:44 GMT -5
Here's the email I received today:  "Hello Jeremy, No problem at all. Glad we can still help out. Your payment was received. We will begin the process immediately. If you haven't mailed in your original power of attorney yet, please do so as soon as possible. From here the first packet generally arrives about 2.5 weeks time. The second follows 7-10 days later. The total turn around time is about 3-4 weeks. If either time frame is exceeded, please don't hesitate to contact us. If you have any questions in the meantime, feel free to contact us. Thank you for your business. Justin Joy" |
|
|
|
Post by Florida Antique on May 11, 2016 19:59:20 GMT -5
It's a real shame that the Florida DMV is so anal about titles for 36 year old scooters. Almost any other state, a VIN check and a bill of sale and you would be burning gas. People are used to that and move to Florida with their scooters and get a shock when they try to tag them without the title that they misplaced 15 years ago. It's almost like the DMV thinks some guy will see the scooter and say "Hey, that's my scooter that was stolen 25 years ago and I have been looking for it since"
|
|
|
|
Post by niz76 on May 11, 2016 20:08:18 GMT -5
It's a real shame that the Florida DMV is so anal about titles for 36 year old scooters. Almost any other state, a VIN check and a bill of sale and you would be burning gas. People are used to that and move to Florida with their scooters and get a shock when they try to tag them without the title that they misplaced 15 years ago. It's almost like the DMV thinks some guy will see the scooter and say "Hey, that's my scooter that was stolen 25 years ago and I have been looking for it since" Exactly! That flip Zuma was a good example of a stupid little snafu on the title and what would've been "legally required" for me to title it would've been a total nightmare! (Someone signed the 'buyer' spot but never took title). Instead of sending some unsuspecting buyer on their way with this jacked up title and making it their problem to solve, I opted to do the right thing and handle the mess myself. With a little charm and savvyness (  ) and a hundred bux, I was able to provide the new owner with a clean trouble free title... |
|
|
|
Post by Florida Antique on May 11, 2016 20:19:55 GMT -5
It's a real shame that the Florida DMV is so anal about titles for 36 year old scooters. Almost any other state, a VIN check and a bill of sale and you would be burning gas. People are used to that and move to Florida with their scooters and get a shock when they try to tag them without the title that they misplaced 15 years ago. It's almost like the DMV thinks some guy will see the scooter and say "Hey, that's my scooter that was stolen 25 years ago and I have been looking for it since" Exactly! That flip Zuma was a good example of a stupid little snafu on the title and what would've been "legally required" for me to title it would've been a total nightmare! (Someone signed the 'buyer' spot but never took title). Instead of sending some unsuspecting buyer on their way with this jacked up title and making it their problem to solve, I opted to do the right thing and handle the mess myself. With a little charm and savvyness ( ) and a hundred bux, I was able to provide the new owner with a clean trouble free title... How did you do that? I have seen several scooters with 'clouded' titles like that, I didn't think there was anything you could do with that except find the original person and get a duplicate title |
|
|
|
Post by niz76 on May 11, 2016 20:36:08 GMT -5
Exactly! That flip Zuma was a good example of a stupid little snafu on the title and what would've been "legally required" for me to title it would've been a total nightmare! (Someone signed the 'buyer' spot but never took title). Instead of sending some unsuspecting buyer on their way with this jacked up title and making it their problem to solve, I opted to do the right thing and handle the mess myself. With a little charm and savvyness ( ) and a hundred bux, I was able to provide the new owner with a clean trouble free title... How did you do that? I have seen several scooters with 'clouded' titles like that, I didn't think there was anything you could do with that except find the original person and get a duplicate title Something similar; The Tax Collector lady kindly provided me with the additional document that I needed; Power of Attorney. Along with the Power of Attorney document needed to be a statement that described the issue. It went something like this; I (owner on title) certify that the (gentleman who signed title but never took possession) never took possession of the scooter and has no equitable interest in it, and also certify that (my name) has the power to make the changes necessary to title to take ownership... It went something like that but luckily the kind lady actually typed it all up for me so I just had to have the guy sign it. Amazingly, this document doesn't need to be notarized! My situation was further complicated by a Bill of Sale from a 3rd gentleman whose name appeared nowhere on the title lol. What a mess! The TC lady informed me with a wink and a nod that it'd be "much less messy" if this Bill of Sale wasn't even involved in the transfer- that's where my charm helped to make it happen hehehe. Luckily I knew exactly where this original owner gentleman was located (wink and nod) and was back in twenty minutes getting the title transferred in my name... phew! I'm really glad I didn't pass the buck and make that whole ordeal someone else's problem. |
|
|
|
Post by Florida Antique on May 11, 2016 20:45:51 GMT -5
HAHA so they won't take a notarized bill of sale but they will take a un-notarized power of attorney. Interesting....
|
|
|
|
Post by niz76 on May 11, 2016 20:58:51 GMT -5
HAHA so they won't take a notarized bill of sale but they will take a un-notarized power of attorney. Interesting.... Interestingly, the folks at MotoRecycleNow did require me to get the power of attorney I sent them for the Vespa notarized... (Idk what state they operate from though). I've done a few title transfers now and they rarely even ask to see the Bill of Sale! (I just transferred the Zuma title without one!) |
|
|
|
Post by Florida Antique on May 11, 2016 21:19:08 GMT -5
HAHA so they won't take a notarized bill of sale but they will take a un-notarized power of attorney. Interesting.... Interestingly, the folks at MotoRecycleNow did require me to get the power of attorney I sent them for the Vespa notarized... (Idk what state they operate from though). I've done a few title transfers now and they rarely even ask to see the Bill of Sale! (I just transferred the Zuma title without one!) A bill of sale is worthless. Its easier to make one up than a un-notarized power of attorney. I've transferred a few now and never showed them a bill of sale. The only problem I've had was from one seller that got a duplicate title and then found the original. He gave me the original and after I fixed the scooter 6months later I had a problem. Luckily I still had his number and he was able to pony up the real title. |
|
|
|
Post by niz76 on May 12, 2016 18:31:05 GMT -5
It's a real shame that the Florida DMV is so anal about titles for 36 year old scooters. Almost any other state, a VIN check and a bill of sale and you would be burning gas. People are used to that and move to Florida with their scooters and get a shock when they try to tag them without the title that they misplaced 15 years ago. It's almost like the DMV thinks some guy will see the scooter and say "Hey, that's my scooter that was stolen 25 years ago and I have been looking for it since" As long as we're talking about title issues and experiences here in this thread I thought I might bring up another interesting issue/solution that I encountered during my scooter adventures; A scoot I bought a while back (I believe it's Flip #2, the SMC scooter) didn't have a title but the guy had it registered and the FL registration and plate were current and valid. The deal was that he bought this scooter years ago before FLA changed the scoot title laws requiring scooters to have titles. I'm probably wrong, but I believe they made 49cc scooter titles mandatory in 2004. His scooter was older than that and therefore had no info on file and had never even been titled- only registered. He simply renewed the registration every year and was clear to drive it like that. Here in FLA the only way to transfer ownership of a scooter is through the physical title but this scooter had never been titled! I had the guy go with me to the Tax Collector office (DMV for most non-Floridians, or 'Secretary of State' for you Michiganders!) and the lady made up a title for it then and there using the registration paper. She commented that this is the same process they use to title out-of-state scooters. I'm assuming that this is the same process I'll be going through with this Vespa as MotoRecycleNow.com doesn't issue you a title, they only issue you a Vermont registration. (maybe a license plate too?? IDK). So I'm assuming I'll walk in with this VT registered scooter and they'll make up a FLA title for it right there on the spot. I'm also assuming that this is why MotoRecycle has you do a title search on your scoot before starting paperwork as if this Vespa was titled in FLA then none of this would be possible. I'd be stuck trying to track down the person who's name is on it and go through that whole song and dance. Luckily, my Vespa was never titled in FLA so I'm clear to move ahead with the paperwork! This also brings up another point as we always see these scoots for sale for cheap on Craigslist but with no title or "lost title". So why not just use the MotoRecycleNow service and get a title for these scoots? (It's only like $75 + tax for a 49cc). Well if there's already a Florida title on file then they can't help you. You're stuck tracking the person down and they have to pay the $100 to get title re-printed and then the additional cost of transferring title into your name. So, unfortunately this service isn't really the answer to all those good deals on CL unless however you come across a scoot that was simply never titled here for some reason... |
|
|
|
Post by Florida Antique on May 12, 2016 19:02:10 GMT -5
This also brings up another point as we always see these scoots for sale for cheap on Craigslist but with no title or "lost title". So why not just use the MotoRecycleNow service and get a title for these scoots? (It's only like $75 + tax for a 49cc). Well if there's already a Florida title on file then they can't help you. You're stuck tracking the person down and they have to pay the $100 to get title re-printed and then the additional cost of transferring title into your name. So, unfortunately this service isn't really the answer to all those good deals on CL unless however you come across a scoot that was simply never titled here for some reason... I think they do provide you with a valid VT plate. If it were me, I think I would leave the plate on there as long as I could just as a conversation piece. They may issue you a title also, that may be why it is more expensive than the 50cc bikes (they only have to register them). I think that many of the bikes without titles are the product of the actual titled person giving them the bike and then disappearing before giving them the title, somebody leaving in the middle of the night and not taking half of their stuff, or outright theft. The guy two doors down from me has a '84 Honda Elite 125 that was his cousin's bike. His cousin got into some legal trouble and then they figured out he was from Cuba. They ended up deporting him so now my neighbor is stuck with a old scooter without a title. I am sure your buddies at the tax collector could tell you some stories because I hear them almost each time I go there. I knew a guy when I lived in Miami who drove an old 60's era Volkswagen beetle. He did not have a tag or could not get one (I can't remember why probably title). Back then (mid 70's)we called these old bugs $100 cars because that's what you could buy one for. Anyway, one day he went out and bought a small piece of plywood, painted it white and hand wrote numbers in black and at the bottom put the word 'Bahamas' on it. He did it neatly and evenly but if you looked at it closely you could tell. He bolted it to the license plate bracket on the bug and drove it like that for 2 years. He never got pulled over or even questioned by a cop. They knew that they could not verify that it wasn't a valid Bahamian license plate. |
|
|
|
Post by ams417 on May 12, 2016 21:56:49 GMT -5
We don't require scooter titles in MO. I have owned several scooter, maybe 2 with titles. I always call the local PD to run VIN for stolen though. Only way to be sure. Had a weird deal recently. My sons car was totaled out, I searched for a couple weeks for a good reasonable priced replacement car. Found one, bought it from a dealer, and drove home. The dealer signed in the wrong place and had me sign in the wrong place. The DMV rejected the title, and said I would have to do a bunch of paperwork and drive back to the dealership in AR an hour or more away. I went to the other DMV in town, and was way more charming than I normally we be. The nice heavy set lady with way to much makeup on didn't even blink at the error. I have a clear MO title in hand today  |
|
) and a hundred bux, I was able to provide the new owner with a clean trouble free title...
