Should I buy this Festiva?

[lanemeyer14]

Sorry I don't have pics, but here's the deal. Found a Festy just sitting behind a building, wasting away. Talked to the owner/person in charge and he's willing to sell it to me for $150, but there's a catch.....he doesn't have a key, a battery, or a title for it. He apparently did some work on it for a guy a while back, and the guy never came back to get it. He has since lost the keys in storage and has never tried to get a title for it. Not sure what year it is, but I know it's a 90+, 196k miles on it, and he said it ran fine before he parked it. The windshield is cracked really bad, driver's side window is broken out, and the interior is pretty nasty. The fact that it's rust free is the main thing since my current festy spent 4 years up in Michigan and is now falling apart. So do you guys think I should buy it? For it to be legal I know he's supposed to get a mechanic's lien or something official for the title, but I don't know if he's gonna do that. Should I just buy it and switch vin plates, etc. and just use my rusty festy for a parts car? I know that's illegal, but it seems like my only option. Any ideas?

[miami man]

to me a car without a clear title is useless but that is just my opinion

[miami man]

even in missouri the title has mechanics lein written on it because i bought one like that before.

[Tim]

Swapping VIN/plates seems the easiest route if you can't find a title.

Can't advocate it though, because it's illegal, etc.


-Tim

[tulsacarman]

Check and see if the shop would be willing to get a title by way of a mechanics lien. It's surely different in S.C. than here in Okla. but I've gotten titles on dozens of vehicles through my repair business by filing a title 42 claim thruogh the state. It's not that difficult, just time consuming. Ask them if they are willing to do it and what the cost would be.
Regardless of what they want to do I'd consider buying it with just a bill of sale simply because it's probably worth way more than that for parts. Of course you're the only one to see it so you'll have to make that judgement call.
Hope you get it!!

Love the tag line from Better off dead too!!

[freshtiva]

Do you have a place to keep it. It might be worth $150 if you were to need and use some parts off of it. Esp a tranny or motor.

[elcamino1]

Buy It as cheap as you can,then find a title search company that will help you get a title,I have a guy here that does that kind of work when I need it!
Make sure you get a bill of sale stating you brought it without a title!
That other thing that you want to do,I'd keep that to myself since Its Illegal!

[hotfordcat]

Don't know bout NC, but here in South Dakota, you can file for an abandoned car title. All you have to do is send the VIN number to the DMV and get the last registered owner's name and address. Send them a certified letter stating the car was abandoned on your property, and you want the title. Here if you say they owe you money, then you have to file a mechanics lien. That's a real pain in the butt here. Total cost to me for my 91 L was 20 bucks. Hopes this helps.

[lanemeyer14]

Thanks for the info! It gives me something to work with and hopefully the guy will try to get a title for it since it doesn't seem too hard