By Cheri Sicard
Author Robin Barrett of Creativity RV recently bought a used Airstream. She says she made a BIG mistake in regard to the RV title transfer and VIN verification process that could have cost her all her money. In the video below, she is here to make sure that others don’t make the same mistake.
Had Robin not been able to remedy this mistake, and it did take some creative problem-solving skills, she would have had the trailer, BUT she would not have been able to register it, use it, or even sell it.
Potential RV title transfer issues when buying out of state
As this was Robin’s fifth RV, she thought she knew what she was doing. However, this was the first time she bought from a private seller in another state. Both she and the seller did all their research and both believed they were doing everything correctly.
They were wrong.
The seller was from Louisiana and the trailer was registered there. Robin lives in Colorado. They met in Texas at the seller’s bank.
Robin gave the seller a certified check for the full amount of the trailer. They both signed the bill of sale in front of a notary at the bank. They signed the title transfer in front of the notary, too, and asked her if she should notarize the back, but the notary replied that was not allowed in Texas. Instead, they filled out something called an acknowledgment form and Robin forked over the money.
She had a copy of the bill of sale, the title transfer, and the seller’s driver’s license. The two women then went their separate ways.
Robin knew she had to get something called a VIN verification to transfer the title to Colorado. This protects buyers as it ensures the VIN number actually matches what you are buying and that there are no other legal issues that would prevent you from registering the RV.
Obtaining a VIN verification may vary slightly from state to state, but it involves filling out a form and physically bringing in the RV for inspection. As the local police had a 6-week waiting list, Robin instead went to a local car dealer. Watch the video for details, but he filled out the form incorrectly for an RV, and subsequently, the DMV could not process the form.
The DMV employee then looked at Robin’s title transfer and bill of sale, frowned, then walked away. She returned with a REJECTED form!
Why? Because the transfer did not comply with Louisiana title transfer requirements.
Robin was never in Louisiana, but the title was.
So, the important takeaway is to always check the rules not only where you are registering your RV but also in the state it is coming from.
What was the issue? Louisiana requires the notary to stamp the back of the title; however, Texas does not allow this!
One solution is to obtain a bonded title. This can be complex and expensive and can take about a year to complete. And you can’t use your RV during that period.
Robin had to jump through a lot of hoops to solve this dilemma. She also did research and found that every state is different.
Be sure to watch the video for details and how to research what you need to do before you buy a used RV from out of state. Doing so can save you a whole lot of time, money, headaches, and frustrations.
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RVDT2719
I bought two TT’s out of Pa. Dealer sent me the title from NJ. Went to AAA and they wanted me to Trace a piece of paper with a pencil over the VIN number. Went to another title place with pictures of the VIN number and everything went smooth. Bought another TT from Washington state and dealer sent digital title to US Bank. Don’t recommend US Bank. When US Bank emailed digital title to title place. Pa doesn’t accept digital titles from out of state. Title place handled getting paper title from Washington state. Because of the title mixup it took me three months to register TT. Luckily it was during the winter. On present Outdoors TT, I don’t see any stamped VIN on the TT. Just sticker with VIN
A far easier solution since the seller appears to be cooperative and wanting to do the right thing would to have the seller apply for a DUPLICATE TITLE in Louisiana.
Have the seller then sign the DUPLICATE TITLE in the proper location in front of a Notary in Louisiana where the seller lives who will then Notarize the seller signature.
Send the properly signed and notarized title to the buyer in Colorado.
The buyer then fills out the buyer information on the back of the title and requests a VIN inspection.
Buyer goes to local County Clerk or whatever they call in Colorado and provides a properly SIGNED AND NOTARIZED TITLE from the seller and gets their registration
In Feb of this year, I bought a 2022 Leprechaun from a gal about 7 miles away. I finally got the title in June. BofA mishandled the entire process horribly. They lost the title, then said that the gal didn’t pay off her loan (I was there and handed over the full amount of her loan as my purchase price), and then claimed that they had mailed her the title. It took four months and lots of frustration on both of our parts, to get this title transfer resolved.
Thank you for sharing and summarizing the video, Cheri! Well, I am sorry thst she had so much trouble, but glad that she found a way to register her new RV. Yikes! That was hard! Have a great day and safe travels!