The Expert Podcast

So, is it easier to get a title for an old, beat-up car in bad condition? This is a common question that comes up when somebody runs into difficulty with the DMV getting a title. They say, "Look, it's just an old car; it shouldn't be that hard to get a title." Well, here's the thing: the DMV doesn't make a differentiation about how hard it is to get a title based on whether the car is worth more or less. If you have a 10-million-dollar car, it's just as hard to get a title as if it's a junker.

The reason for this is that the DMV doesn't know the value of the car. Just because it's an old car or beat-up, that doesn't mean it couldn't be worth more. For example, if you found an old '69 Yenko Z28 Camaro that's a basket case, but it could be worth three hundred thousand dollars when it's restored. The DMV handing you a title without the right paperwork puts somebody else's ownership of that vehicle in your hands, and that's not something they are allowed to do, regardless of the condition.

On the other hand, if they made it harder to get a title because the car was worth more money, that wouldn't be fair either. A car is a car, no matter what it's worth. Even if a car is only worth a hundred dollars to somebody, that car might be something they don't want to lose. If they're just passing out titles like candy on cars because they're old or low in value, then the DMV is not doing their job in protecting people's property rights.

And that's really what getting a title is: it's not so much about you getting a title, but about taking it away from somebody else. Once you get a title with your name on it, other people's rights to that vehicle are extinguished. By handing you a title, the DMV is effectively saying that nobody else owns this car anymore, and there might be somebody out there who legitimately has rights to that vehicle.

Just because it's an old, beat-up car doesn't mean you get to have it without anyone else having proper rights to it. So, keep in mind that just because a car is old and beat-up or not worth a lot, it doesn't make it any easier to get a title. There are ways to get a title if it's legitimately yours, if it's not stolen, if there are no liens, no salvage, or anything that would prevent you from having the car. If the car is rightfully yours, you should be able to get a title as long as there’s nobody else who should have rights to that vehicle.