Hi interested in a 1970 914 i asked the guy if he had the title he replied say he had a transferable registration can any one tell me what this is
Thanks Brian

Stateside? Title denotes ownership. As in "clear title" with no liens. Registration would refer to the document for operational means. At least where I live. Might seem confusing. You want a clear title. Especially for export.

some states did not require a title on new cars until the late 60's and early 70' and how they handle it now is to register it as a "non-title" car. For the transfer of ownership they would require a bill of sale and the current registration for the PO.

however check with your state on their laws around this issue as with all things the devil is in the details.

good luck

He's from the UK ...

missed that part...

As mentioned, not all states issue titles for older cars. It's one of the fun things about the US. Anytime you travel to a new state, you have to learn a whole new set of laws

But if the car is from a state that doesn't issue titles, I would imagine your local MOT (that's what you guys over there call it, right?) would know. Or maybe check with your local authorities on the matter first before you proceed any further with the car.

Also, it doesn't apply to 914's because they're a unibody, but some states are "frame" states. In other words they only care about the VIN on the frame. NC is one such state. A couple years ago I was looking into buying a beautiful Ghia from SC that was a 64 body on a 70 pan. In talking to the seller I came to find that they only had the title for the body VIN because SC doesn't care if your title is for the body VIN or for the frame/pan VIN. I talked to my DMV in NC and found out that I wouldn't be able to register the car, because NC only cares about the VIN on the frame/pan. Unfortunately, I had to back out of the deal because I wouldn't have been able to register it in NC with the title for the body VIN.

find out whats pertanant to your location. I'm 4 miles from DE and MD and they all have different requirements.

I recently purchased an older RV from Maine where such vehicles are not titled. My situation was complicated because the guy didn't register it the entire time he owned it, and I'm in NY where the DMV is pretty rigorous in checking such things. I made sure I could show the chain of ownership, and got a letter from the Maine DMV stating that they don't title older RVs. I had all this at hand when I went to register it, and had no issues. Confirm that what the guy says is legit and make sure you can get as part of the sale all the paperwork that your DMV will need in order to register it and issue you a title for the vehicle.

Scott

NY is a no title state for anything older than 1974, so a Transferable Registration is all you get but every state has to accept it and I export on them all the time. It's a little weird but perfectly legal.

ok here goes…the only document that establishes true legal ownership of a automobile is a MANUFACTURE STATEMENT or CERTIFICATE OF ORIGIN( AKA MSO or MCO). These documents were handed over to the respective State DMV's where a certificate of title would be given in exchange(a secured interest to the issuing state and establishes true ownership). in other words if you think you own your car…..think again. Whom ever holds the MCO or MSO is the legal owner. enlighten thou selves…..

Brian, if you let us know which state the seller has the car registered in, someone will be able to let you know whether it's a non-title state or not.

wow.

MSOs are provided with motorcycle chassis all the time, it's just a Manufacturer's Statement of Origin. We create a MSO when we manufacture a chassis for resale. It gets handed in to the appropriate DMV when the first purchaser chooses to have a title [of assurance] created in their name. It only applies to brand new vehicles or the main chassis portion of new kitted vehicles. After the first title is issued, the MSO does nothing except get filed away. The state does not own your vehicle

Perfectly stated Mark!!!

Yep. Much more civil than what I almost posted.

Thanks all for your help in this matter ,the car is located in Alexandria Virginia
Thanks Brian

Virginia IS a title state. The owner/seller of the car should provide you with a title. Here's Virginia's DMV web site:... Click here

Either the seller is trying to pull a fast one on you by selling a car without a title, or he's a flipper and bought the car from a non-title state and never registered it in Virginia. You might want to ask him what state the registration is from.

RED FLAG!!! Proceed with caution.