If the truck is worth something to you and you don't mind doing a little paper work, there is a way to obtain a legal title. I did this one one of the truck I rebuilt and it worked perfect for my situation. Here are the steps I took to get a 100% legal title.
- Go to the Vermont DMV website and find the page for Exempt Titles and download the form #VD-119 (Registration/Tax/Title Application)
- Fill out the form, if you have any trouble or have question call the Vermont DMV they were very helpful
- You will also need to go to the NADA website and lookup your truck to see what the blue book value is. They use the blue book value to determine the cost of the registration. They do not a care what you paid for it only the NADA value.
- Once you have the form all filled out you mail it to the Vermont DMV and it usually takes about 10 working days and you will receive a new registration and plates from Vermont.
- Once you have those in your possession you take the registration to your local DMV and state that you would like to register your vehicle here locally.
- Your DMV will accept the registration and issue a new registration and title if applicable to your state laws.
So basically what is happening is you are applying for registration in the state of Vermont. The State of Vermont does not issue title to vehicles more than 15 years old. They do not care if you live there or will ever live there. I asked that question on a phone call to their DMV. The representative stated that they issue registration for people all over the U.S. that will never live there. As long the VIN checks out not to be stolen vehicle they will issue you a Vermont registration and a set of new plates. Since you have a legal registration from a state that does not issue titles over 15 years old vehicles, your state dmv will register your truck and if they issue titles for all vehicles then you will get a title also.
The process when I did this ran me about $800 and change by the time I went through the Vermont DMV and then through my state DMV. Where the big cost is that Vermont DMV charges 6% of the NADA value on the registration form. When I went into my DMV I stated that I have a truck registered in Vermont and would like to get it registered and titled in Idaho. About 10 minutes later I walked out with a new registration and title from my state.
This worked for me and hopefully this legal process might help someone else along the way.