Buying a Boat Trailer From Somebody Without Title

[cowboy9from0hell]

hi all! im from pennsylvania and have a question/issue. im looking to purchase a boat and trailer from a guy but the only hold up is the guy never got the title from the previous owner. he tried calling the previous owner but the number is disconnected/ not in use. so what does he have to do in order for me to buy this boat and trailer? thank you

[jk]

so what does he have to do in order for me to buy this boat and trailer?

for you to buy the boat and trailer, all you have to do is give him money and he give you the boat. For you to be able to legally prove it is your boat (so you can register and use it) is for the seller to provide you with a title that shows he has legal ownership of the items and is transferring that title to you. If he cannot provide a certificate of title, I would seriously question whether he has the legal right to sell the boat and trailer.

[cowboy9from0hell]

he has the title for the boat but doesnt have the title for the trailer which is the problem. he cant get ahold of the previous owner the he bought it off of 5-6 years ago

[jk]

why didn't he get the title to the trailer when he purchased it? Does he have proof of purchase of the trailer?

I would consider not buying the trailer if he cannot provide proof of ownership. Even if he can show you reasonable proof he purchased the trailer, without the title being transferred as required, I would consider it of no value as you would not be able to title and register the trailer in order to legally use it.

If he simply lost the title to the trailer after he had it transferred to his name, he needs to file for a new title so he can transfer ownership to you.

[cowboy9from0hell]

ok i understand what you are saying. i have one more question to bring up. the guy is talking about doing a reconstructed title is that possible? from what you are telling me it seems like the guy wont be able to that correct?

[jk]

reconstructed title? Do you mean when the item is considered a salvage item and then reconstructed to meet DOT requirements?

For that to happen, there would have had to have been a certificate of salvage issued and the certificate of title cancelled. Unless he has a certificate of salvage, he will not be able to repair the trailer, have it certified roadworthy and have a new certificate of title issued to him.

You didn't answer if he ever had the title and if not, why he didn't get it when he purchased the boat and trailer.

[cowboy9from0hell]

he told me that he thought he had the title for the trailer when i first talked to him. then sunday when i looked at the boat he said he couldnt find it/ didnt know if he ever got it. i never asked why he didnt get it when he purchased it. but he did show me that the boat is in his name. thats all i know about the situation for now

[jk]

at this point, I would consider the trailer as a no value item and would be cautious of even utilizing it to transport the boat. Obviously without a proper title you would not be able to have a legal registration which means you could not legally use it to transport the boat to your home. If you were stopped, you could end up in quite a mess, even if the guy legally owns the trailer. If he doesn't, you could end up with a lot of problems such as possession of stolen property. Not saying it is but personally, I wouldn't want to deal with the possibility.

[flyingron]

What state was the trailer in before and where is it now. For example, Texas doesn't have titles for trailers. Other states have procedures for trailers that come from title less states.

[cowboy9from0hell]

thank you for your help jk!!!

What state was the trailer in before and where is it now. For example, Texas doesn't have titles for trailers. Other states have procedures for trailers that come from title less states.

pennsylvania