Owner does not have Title in Hands

[AZBoatDreamer]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

one of the main rules i think of when buying is to not believe anything the seller says. they all sound truthful.

make it a normal sale. you give the money up, he gives up the title. no title, no sale...

I think that is what I I'm going to do.

He may have to leave the Boat with me without money exchanging Hands or tow it back home.

 

[bob johnson]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

I think that is what I I'm going to do.

He may have to leave the Boat with me without money exchanging Hands or tow it back home.

you have to tell hime beofre he leaves that are the choices...

because it might be legit, you cant suprise him with the fact you wont buy it and he has to leave it , and he wont get his money until the title comes...

you have to be upfront!!!!!

I also believe all the good con artists sound truthfull!!

for me the boat would have to be selling for 7K but really be worth 14K for me to stick my neck out and try what you are thinking....

I mean you havent even seen the boat in person..the pictures could be how old?? who knows.

you cant be ready to hand over money the first day you look at this boat unless it is being sold at 1/10th its value!!!!

err on the side of caution... there are lots of good boat deals these days...buyers market for sure!!

bob

 

[AZBoatDreamer]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

The question is, why doesn't he have the title? Is there a lein? Did he lose it? Ex-wife has it?

Not sure.

 

[AZBoatDreamer]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

you have to tell hime beofre he leaves that are the choices...

because it might be legit, you cant suprise him with the fact you wont buy it and he has to leave it , and he wont get his money until the title comes...

you have to be upfront!!!!!

I also believe all the good con artists sound truthfull!!

for me the boat would have to be selling for 7K but really be worth 14K for me to stick my neck out and try what you are thinking....

I mean you havent even seen the boat in person..the pictures could be how old?? who knows.

you cant be ready to hand over money the first day you look at this boat unless it is being sold at 1/10th its value!!!!

err on the side of caution... there are lots of good boat deals these days...buyers market for sure!!

bob

The Boat asking price is not crazy low. I have done my research.

He knows my concerns about the title. What I haven't told him is no Title no Sale!

This wouldn't be such a problem if the boat wasn't Titled in CA. We can just make a trip to the DMV for a Duplicate.

 

[jdsgrog]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

I wouldn't buy it. Some things that would alarm me is that the boat is in AZ and it is titled in CA. Though it may be legit, it would seem to be a bit more difficult to trace. Secondly, if he is going to bring it to you, yes, it is convenient, but in all honesty, again it'll be harder to trace, even if he gave you a bill of sale with an address. Personally, if I'm serious about buying something from a private seller, I go to the seller's place to see it no matter how far unless, they have proper documentation.

IMO, I'd go with your gut which seems to be telling you to pass on the deal. It's a matter of how much you are willing to risk.

 

[bob johnson]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

the possible scenarios include

he lived in Ca before with the boat and moved to AZ and never re-registered the boat.....means= difficult transaction ahead..

he bought it and never registered it and thus never got a new title in his name..... more tough luck

the title wasnt in his name for some reason...

he cant find the title... and has applied for a new one.....

good luck.... all the good options are on your side...

bob

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

No paperwork,NO CASH!! Period! I have been scammed the same exact way and ended up with a boat and trailer that was not worth a dime.
Be VERY careful!

 

[AZBoatDreamer]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

In one of the Pictures I can clearly see to Boat Numbers on the side.

What can I find out with this information.

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

No title and no effort on the sellers part to provide one means they are not likely the legal owner of the boat. It may be stolen, it may never have been transferred into this persons name and in the end, you are the one who will spends lots of time and possibly money trying to make this transaction legal. The long and short of this is: I will pay you when you provide a title for this boat AND trailer with your name on it! Until then, no deal.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

You have the cart before the horse. What he should be selling to you is a title. what he is delivering is something else. Happens to be a boat of some type; may as well be a piano. Until you get the title, you do not own the boat, you are merely storing it for the guy who owns it--and maybe his bank or other creditors.

Now if it were a $200 jon boat or canoe, or maybe a $200 50 year old project boat, I might make an exception, b/c I can hide a small boat and for the project, at that price I can spend time getting it straight, or walk away without much loss if I can't.

 

[AZBoatDreamer]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

Can I find out who is the registered owner with the Vessel Registration Number or does that require a VIN.

You all have been so helpful.

 

[tractoman]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

I'd ask him for the vin# of the trailer and license plate #. Also the CF number of the boat. Tell him you are concerned about the lack of paperwork and want to verify the numbers with the CA DMV. Call the CA DMV and explain the situation and see if they will help. They can also most likely see if a duplicate title has been requested. I think I would tell him you have a deal if and when he can produce the proper paperwork, then offer to meet in the middle, at a lake preferably and try out the boat first and check out the paperwork. Who cares about the 100 mile trip if the seller provide the necessary paperwork and you'll have some peace of mind. Also don't forget, California has title for both the trailer and the boat individually, so you will be technically buying two vehicles, and will need 2 title documents. If there is a lien on either one it should be listed on the registration and title.

 

[AZBoatDreamer]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

I'd ask him for the vin# of the trailer and license plate #. Also the CF number of the boat. Tell him you are concerned about the lack of paperwork and want to verify the numbers with the CA DMV. Call the CA DMV and explain the situation and see if they will help. They can also most likely see if a duplicate title has been requested. I think I would tell him you have a deal if and when he can produce the proper paperwork, then offer to meet in the middle, at a lake preferably and try out the boat first and check out the paperwork. Who cares about the 100 mile trip if the seller provide the necessary paperwork and you'll have some peace of mind. Also don't forget, California has title for both the trailer and the boat individually, so you will be technically buying two vehicles, and will need 2 title documents. If there is a lien on either one it should be listed on the registration and title.

Thank you for your comments.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

Call the DNR in the state it is registered in...They should be able to look it up and tell you who the numbers come back to.
Still very risky...I would pass on the deal just because who knows what a nightmare you will have getting the proper documentation to get it all in your name.
In my state you must have the title for both the boat and trailer.

Who knows...the guy still may owe money on the boat to a finance company or he is not the real owner.
The fact he is willing to tow it that far just to get cash in hand sounds strange...like he is in a hurry to get rid of it..

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

Worst case scenario: boat is stolen
2nd worst case: he's got a lien on it
3rd worst case: he's "selling it for a friend"
not too bad case: he never transferred it from CA to AZ
really not that bad case: he lost the title

4 out of 5 are going to be a major PITA.

 

[AZBoatDreamer]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

He is not making the Trip just to sell me the Boat. He is coming to my area for Business reasons. I guess he does this Frequently but this time he will bring the boat for me since he is making the trip anyway.

A few days ago I offered to come up to Kingman to look over the boat as long as he has proper documentation.

I will insist a Sea Trial either way. The lake is only 30 minutes from my house.

If he doesn't have the title he can leave the boat at my house without exchanging money until he can produce the title. I may offer him a small deposit. So until he can provide the title I will have a boat to use for my enjoyment.

 

[AZBoatDreamer]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

BTW he just moved from CA to AZ and that is his reason for not having it registered in AZ.

 

[ric71]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

I still think the main question isn't answered - why does he not have the title?

We bought a boat that had a Bank of America lien on it last year without problems. We did make the seller call the bank with us in order to establish how much was still owned on the boat and we finalised the sale at a Bank of America location. We received the electronic lien a couple of weeks later...

 

[tractoman]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

Here is a link to the CA DMV. Call the toll free number and see what they can do.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/
If the person is legit, they'll get you what you need to make the transaction happen. They should have nothing to hide.

 

[Mike Robinson]

Re: Owner does not have Title in Hands

Think about it.

Why would someone list a boat for sale without having the title in hand? (I'm assuming you found the boat through an ad.) Would you do this? I know I wouldn't. This person is either being not being honest or is very lacksadazical.

If he is being dishonest, the reasons for not buying the boat have already been discussed. If it's because he is lacksadazical, then I would wonder what else he is neglecting. How well do you think the boat has been maintained?

Also the fact that he is being so nice and bringing the boat to you would raise alarm bells in my mind. I know he gave his reasons, but why hasn't he been able to sell it locally?

No titles!

As already stated by others to be fair you should call him up before he brings the boat and tell him you will not be handing over any cash until he has the titles.

From your postings it sounds like you are already attached to this boat which not good. At least you intend to do a sea trial.

Good luck, I hope it all works out well for you.