Is there a way to get a title for a vehicle purchased from a private seller that has a lien against the title? The seller was not the owner of this vehicle, it belonged to a friend.
by 
smitt94
ANSWERS: 3
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This sounds sticky... legally, you can only buy something from the person or entity that currently owns it. I think this is still technically true with consignment shops and other kinds of sales agent - it is the owner who is selling the thing and there must be some kind of contract governing the role of the agent in the sale. I would only expect the lien-holder to be legally eligible to sell you the lien rights, not the vehicle. If you bought a car from someone who claimed to be a friend of the owner it sounds like stolen merchandise. If it really is all legal you might be able to take the sales contract and lien documentation to the local vehicle licensing department and ask for a new title, but I suspect that "lien" must be well documented and clearly specify that title passes to the lien holder under certain conditions. Even so, in your jurisdiction such title passage may require court order.
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all states have an abandoned vehicle allowance. you will probably have to publish the vehicles description , owners last known name and vin number in a newspaper somewhere for a week or two depending on your states rules. actualy, it can be any paper in the state, which means the owner will never see it. but thats the law
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Sounds like the private seller and his friend have just violated a major felony law. You cannot sell a vehicle that has a lien on it. Its illegal in all the states. Your best bet is to contact an auto theft detective and give him this information. If either of the parties decided to file a stolen auto report on the vehicle you have, you could be arrested. It could be your insurance policy against an arrest.
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