I took my 914 into the California DMV to get a VIN verification on it, since it did have a title and is out of the DMV system. They refused to inspect it, saying it must be a 'complete car'. Now it didn't have an engine, trans, doors or hoods or seats or a dash, but the VIN isn't on any of those parts, and the reg 31 form has a checkbox for 'missing' on the engine and odometer.

This really had me angry. I know there are 3rd party licensed VIN verification people, will they give me the same dismissal? Join AAA and have them to do it?
Any other ideas? Get Nevada title first and then xfter to CA?

I know people who have done the VT route but you must pay sales tax on bluebook of car. They dont have titles but you get a registration that you can use to get a title. Disclaimer: check with your state before trying this

I had a similar issue here in Mass. I went to Maine then transferred the reg back. I spent some time driving up there & back, but ended up saving a bunch on sales tax.

So, based on my very limited experience, I would say go to Nevada. DMV folks in Mass tried - they really did - but the system just wont let them deal with anything "unusual."

Mass has the same rule re: sales tax.

In Maine... For cars built before 1995, no title is needed. Reg. & sales tax based on Bill of Sale. You do need a valid address, though. I used a friend's.

Both were problems for me in Mass, as I had bought the shell in CA for $200 back in 1988 (didn't know to ask for the CA title back then). Mass would have wanted to charge sales tax on bluebook AND penalties & interest for the slight 30 year delay.

With no current title that's tough.
Most states want the vehicle to be road worthy before they'll inspect and issue paperwork.
A lot of title providers have dried up as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGAC3XS83Dg

http://www.titlerecovery.com

Did you try taking it to a CHP station for inspection? I went through the same BS with California DMV on one of mine. I took the car to a local CHP station and had no problem.

Nice to see another local 914 enthusiast.

Not sure if CA is this way but in most NE states you can also have your VIN verification done by a military officer if you know one.

Haven't tried that, will they have issue with no doors, hoods, engine, etc?
Just show up in the lobby and ask?
I did that for a fixit ticket once, but local PD, not CHP.

BTW, if car has out-of-state title, it still needs a VIN verification to get a CA title, so the Nevada idea won't work.

BBTW, I still had car on trailer and had to take it off and will be storing it for a little while, and waiting 2 weeks for my dmv appointment, now it isn't on the trailer anymore,
I have 3000 lbs of sand on it right now.

I thought VIN verifications were for cars 'without' titles?

The car did not have a the drive train in it, but otherwise complete. Try calling CHP first and see what they say.

In CA you can take it to AAA or any police officer can visit the site and fill in the paper work (one sheet) which is available at any DMV.

Recently I towed my "project" to the AAA and the AAA/DMV clerk tagged it.

I also know a guy that just registered his Ariel Atom at AAA....as a plug in hybrid. He went to Home Depot and bought a 20 foot 220 volt extension cord; shoved one end in the engine cover and told the clerk it's a plug in.

Try AAA

Heads up that the CHP will likely tell you the same thing: No complete car = no inspection.

This happened to me last year.

I had the CHP inspect my '75 roller just a few months before so when I towed a '72 roller there for the same thing, the officer who did my '75 said there were recent rule changes and it's a complete car or no go.

This was in NCAL but I gotta believe it's CA wide.

Also in my experience California will still charge you sales tax when bringing in a car from out of state.

It's always baffled me that once you're titled and registered, we have no true vehicle inspections here, so as long as you pass smog (which for 1996 and newer just means no emissions-related OBD codes), you could be driving around with bald tires, one headlight, faulty brakes, and 2 misfiring cylinders. And of course hundreds of thousands of people do. Years ago I got plowed by a young woman with a suspended license, no insurance, and malfunctioning brakes...apparently she'd been living that way for months if not years.

ok, so i called third-party vin verifier and they can't do it without any title, old reg, i.e. no paperwork. Only CHP can do it. I called local office and 'vin officer' was not in today but will call back to make schedule an appointment.

That sucks big time, so what do they consider 'complete'? must have original engine with all accessories? Ash tray and windows?
What did you do?

BTW, most all storage places require A TITLE to store a vehicle, so without a title storage options significantly reduced.

The California DMV is nothing more than a money collecting agency. For a definitive answer for anything I always went to the CHP. They know the law better and are usually more willing to help.

I assumed complete meant, essentially, "running/roadworthy". Mine was a stripped roller so I didn't really get into much of the detail with the officer. It was almost funny, as he was walking out toward me and the car, as soon as he saw it, he started shaking his head...
As to what I did? I cut it up and parted it out as all I wanted to do was title it and sell it. But no one wanted to buy an untitled, out-of-state roller...

I really hope it all works out for you.

Also, I have some other details that you may be interested in hearing. If so, PM me and we can chat.
Chris

Same thing for me in San Diego at the CHP for an out of state title transfer on a motorcycle I bought in New Mexico . . Had to be essentially complete but not running. . Best way to avoid this crap is a local 'registration service' which has a person authorized by the DMV who will come out and do the verification for $50 no hassles. .

My local CA DMV told me that the car doesn't have to be running but complete which I'm assuming exterior visual inspection. They would just verify VIN. Doesn't have to be running and can be inspected on a trailer. My situation is only different from yours because I have title in hand but there's no way I would show up to DMV without doors and hood. I'm afraid to even show up there with the cracked windshield that's there now.

I wish you luck though!

Different issue but I just ran into another head-scratcher WTF pain with the CA DMV. The window agent even apologized as she fully realized how stupid it was. We recently bought our son his first (well-used) vehicle and went to do the title/tax/reg. It had passed smog within 90 days of the sale, as required in CA, but we did not have the piece of paper from the smog station. We did have the PO's valid registration, tags, and of course in CA the smog check is immediately reported electronically directly to the DMV.

She said that because we didn't also have the printout, and their Smog Check system is not interfaced to their Title/Registration system, we had to fill-out and sign some other forms. (Or, go pay to get it re-tested under my son's name even though it had just passed a month earlier!) So she had to print-out crap from both systems and staple it to this form. Of course this meant getting out of line, which for us meant...make a new appointment and go back 6-8 weeks later, as the lines are typically HOURS long around here with no appt.

Long story short, we bought the car in Nov and just got it properly registered under my son's name this week due to this bureaucratic idiocy.

Did you try another DMV office? I too had issues and I went to another office. I was in and out in a jiffy.

interesting - maybe depends on how you approach the application process?

i have done numerous CA vin certs for title via "application for new registration"

caveat - "throw away" the orig'l title - it becomes "wall art"

local retired CHP guy is licensed to do 'em; (Jim Moore) - has done several of mine

also a lady in Nevada County - Donna xxx - who adverts in Cruising News does 'em - cost me $300 to have her do a '67 healy a couple yrs ago - she is a former DMV employee who knows the ropes - worth every penny

maybe the regs have changed ? but Jim still runs a weekly ad in the Gold Panner (Placerville)

caveat - if you try to get a new reg for a "salvage" car you DO have to have a running & driving car to get it thru inspection - maybe that is where you are geetting hung up by the clerks?

it depends greatly on what words you say to them

if you said you have the title, then it triggers a different process than the one for "new reg"

i had a case where a guy ignored my advise & took the old title to DMV - and they hit him for $$$ in back fees plus requiring inpections

The CHP officer called me back today. He confirmed the rules changed and the car has to be 'complete', which I pressed him on the meaning, and said it must look like a complete car with doors, hoods, windows, and engine and transmission, suspension, but doesn't need to run. The engine doesn't have to be original. "Can I put any engine in it?" YES he said.

Then he said I should not take it to the CHP, but take it to the DMV unless they required it be inspected by the CHP.

Then he also said I just needed to do a lost title transfer because he checked the VIN and the car was put on non-op in 2005. So basically the DMV has records on it.
This means I need to find the last titled owner's name and address to get title transfer,
and they don't release this information, so the guy I bought it from (which is not the last titled owner) needs to find that info or no-title-for-me. So will be just racecar in that case.

Or I can chop out the existing VIN info and get a brand new title as a "specially constructed vehicle", which entails more paperwork and costs and will need referee to inspect everything including the engine block to determine what year it is, just like is done for new kitcars.
Given the new body plan for it, that might make sense.

Hope that helps someone.

oh, my..............




chopping out the existing VIN is ILLEGAL - wiil get you a lot of grief from CHP

a better solution is to buy a junker-roller with a title for $500 and do some creative artwork

p.s. - i have CA VIN certified '75 paperwork signed off by Jim Moore - i sold the body for parts long ago - dunno if the new complete car rules would apply

You don't even want to go there!

Cutting out and replacing or otherwise altering a VIN, I believe is a felony in California.

What? That car? I got rid of it and bought another one that was damaged and cutup and didnt have any vin or paperwork to use it for donor parts of my newly built car.

Not sure what you mean by having a vin but no body? If you have the title (pink slip), then no inspection is needed.

Good news! the seller found the title for my car, so no inspections needed, and now this race car can be street legal.

I did want to add there is another option to get the title on a car that has a missing/lost title via a lien sale. If you know a cooperative mechanic, tow yard, etc, they can do a lien sale to sell it, and with the lien sale paperwork you can get a new title in your name. Any back registration or penalties due is still due, this paperwork costs $70, and potentially someone else could buy the car at the lien sale if they 'outbid' you...

Good news about the title. I've had my 914 for over 2 years and finally registered it today since the PO found the pink slip for it a few months ago.

The reason CHP rules state the car must be complete is that the purpose of the inspection is to see if it made up of stolen parts.

VIN alteration is a Federal crime as well...