devil's advocate

know about obtaining lost titles for older cars? I have an oppurtunity to obtain a car for a very reasonable price (free), but the trouble is it was last titled/registered in vermont. Unfortunately the owner has lost the title. He says he has attempted to get vermont to issue a duplicate but because it is an older car the DMV has told him that a bill of sale and last proof of insurance are all he needs to transfer ownership...but he, I, and the car are all in michigan and as far as michigan is concerned no title = no plates. Anyway i guess i am looking for someone to confirm this info as I am considering taking a trip to vermont to plate the car (actually I'll be in upstate new york anyway so it won't be that far) and am trying to figure out the logistics of it all before i get there. I figure if need be i could get a P.O. box in vermont to use as an address for getting plates and insurance if this "bill of sale" thing is legit. I'd just hate to get the car and not be able to do anything with it.

Sleeps 4 at 120

In AZ you can get the DMV to do a title trace on 'abandoned' vehicles. Basically, they try to contact the last known owner and they have 30-90 days to respond. If not, the car is yours. Might wanna see if VT/MI has something similar.