Q&A for How to Sell a Vehicle Without a Title

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Original owner is deceased. Son has car in driveway for 5 years, now he is moving and has to get rid of the car. How can I buy it?

CageyCat

Top Answerer

The vehicle belongs to the estate of the deceased owner. If the deceased owner had a legal will, the ownership passes to the executor/executrix of the legal will. With a legal will, the estate should have gone into probate. If the person died without a will (intestate), the real and personal property would still need to go into probate. Probate court then makes decisions about who legally owns what. Your best bet would be to ask the DMV/BMV or a lawyer before trying to buy this car, so you do it legally and can get a title.

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Question

Brother passed away a few months ago with no will. Estate is in probate but has 2 vehicles with expired tags and insurance. How do we sell vehicles? Can his daughter or lawyer sign if the title is found?

CageyCat

Top Answerer

You'll need to wait for the judge of the probate court to rule on the vehicles. Once the court has decided, it should be a much easier process to get titles and sell the vehicles. However, the money from the sales belongs to the estate, no matter what.

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What if I can't find the owner and I want to junk the car?

CageyCat

Top Answerer

Only the owner can junk their own car, whether the owner is a person, a dealer, a bank, etc. If the car is on your property, or abandoned on public property (such as a street), you can call the police who, in turn, can call for towing and if never claimed, they can have police/court to proceed to recoup the towing costs.

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Does a 2004 vehicle need a title? Does age of the vehicle determine if a title is needed to sell?

NickThomas5122

Community Answer

Yes, a 2004 vehicle needs a title to be registered in any state. The age of the vehicle does not determine if a title is needed or not.

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