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55 project - insurance question

5K views 16 replies 11 participants last post by  Green Onions 
#1 ·
Question for the group, as I'm guessing others may have dealt with a similar situation:

I live in MA, bought a 55 chevy out of CT that I am resto-modding. The car is not yet registered or titled but I have been working on it to the point that I need to insure my investment in one way or another, either thru automobile insurance or some other type of policy.

What's the best way to handle this? I am in the process of getting a MA title issued for the car, but that process has taken more time than expected.

Any thoughts or advice is appreciated.
 
#3 ·
The above advice is absolutely correct. Stop everything, don't spend another dollar. The first thing to do is get the title and make sure it's clean. Many people have bought cars in California without a clean title and found that the car was either stolen or not in the persons name who they got it from. Once you sort out ownership get a quote from Grundy for insurance, Good Luck!!
 
#4 ·
Thanks for the info and advice. I have been in contact with the original owner whose name is on the Bill of Sale...and he offered to let me use his address in CT to register the car in my name there, then transfer it to to MA but I doubt that is possible as I don't live in CT.

A member of this forum (who shall remain nameless) had offered to help me w/the title issue but that help never materialized, so now I need to sort the title thing out on my own.

But now I am getting concerned.
 
#5 ·
I insure with Grundy ,as I build and move forward I call them and increase the coverage ,as for a Ma. title check out New Hampshire ,a friend of mine was in the same boat as you and some how he was able to register in N.H. then transfer to Ma. and title it. If you want PM me and I'll chase him down and get the info .
 
#7 ·
Did CT owner ever have a title?
I purchased my 55 in 1965 in Mass, and it had been in my possession ever since. In 1965 Mass did not issues titles for 10 year old vehicles.
In 2008 I went through an Alabama Title Service co. using the original bill of sale, and photos of the VIN to get it titled in Alabama. Once I got the AL title, I was able to title it in PA. If memory serves me, there were certain newer years where this method wouldn't work.
 
#8 ·
Ct does not require to have a title for cars 10 years and older and a bill of sale is good as gold so I would say Mass. would have to except that and then the 55 would be titled in Mass.
 
#9 ·
I was planning on posting an update on this situation as I think it may help other MA residents in a similar situation...then I got a PM on my original post so I figured it was time. MA is an absolute pain in the a$$ when it comes to dealing with what should be a simple situation.

First, everyone who said "a CT Bill of Sale should allow you to get a MA title with no issues" were only half right. This is true only IF you also have a recent registration to go with your Bill of Sale. I did not.

I was, however fortunate enough to find an insurance guy in western MA who insures classic cars and has dealt with this before...he told me what to do, step by step. I followed the steps - which took a little time - but once I sent my paperwork sent off to the MA RMV I had my title back in a week. Seriously.

These are the steps, and I expect that this process would work with the MA RMV and a Bill of Sale from any state (not just CT):

1. Bill of Sale, signed and dated by all parties and notarized
2. Affidavit from the original owner explaining that the car has not been on registered or on the road for a long time and why. Signed by the original owner and notarized.
3. TV-7 Form filled out by a local police officer or state trooper, including badge number. You also need proof that the car hasn't been stolen, but I simply had the officer write that on the TV-7 form (after calling in the VIN on his radio) and sign, and the RMV accepted that. Get the TV-7 form notarized as well.
4. Sales tax must be paid to get a title. In MA you pay 6.5% of the N.A.D.A "average retail" value for your car. For me that was $760.00, and I included a copy of the printed out NADA page with values for my car.
5. Sep check for $75 title fee.
6. I also have a Tax Abatement form, which can be used to avoid paying taxes if the car is being given to you as a gift. I didn't use this form, but I do have it.

As I said above, this process worked like a champ for me, I now have a title for my '55 restomod, which is just about ready for primer and final paint.

When I get a chance I will make a folder with these forms and put it in an album...but feel free to PM me if you need it sooner and I can email it to you.

Thanks to everyone for their help and advice, this form has been a godsend for me.
 
#10 ·
good to hear you got it worked out. all that you went through is why we tell everyone to get a clear title (if possible) from the seller when you get one of these cars. :tu
 
#12 ·
Glad to hear you worked it out . Good advice here. Title first . Too many horror stories have been written, Mike
 
#13 ·
Funny after reading all this info about registration you would think in the world of computer tech that they would know last registered person. Also not on the stolen hot sheet and so forth. With all of the technologies, I think better off having the lady who had the horn rimmed glasses on back in the day looking in the file cabinet.
 
#15 ·
You have to remember that state Motor vehicle divisions don't communicate with each other that well. Police departments might once a car is reported stolen. Plus some of our cars have not been registered for years maybe decades which means last time the car was registered it might have been done by hand and the paperwork gets lost. I'll be going through this in the spring. I have the title in my name, since 1982 & in hand but I haven't registered the car in 16 years. My silver lining is it will be registered in same state that it was last registered. My dark cloud is that it is in NJ :sign0020:
 
#17 ·
She was probably more efficient that a updated PC
 
#16 ·
I have bought cars on a couple of occasions that I picked up and drove home from out of state and went to my insurance agent ahead of time and was able to insure them and then once I got them titled took a copy to my agent. guess a lot depends on your relationship with your agent. I mean the car is in your possession its not like anyone else will be driving it. sounds like the guy you bought it from is an honest person. besides your new title will be coming sooner then later. good luck
 
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