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Wife wants me to do the unthinkable due to the Florida DMV debacle!

FlameRed

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Florida
I don't want to be banned, but my wife demands I immediately send my sweet M998 that was just delivered this week to the junk yard! I received it in better condition than I expected from a private out-of-state seller that had it tagged there. It runs great, no leaks, great driver, just needs a set of tires in a few thousand miles. So I hoped to get his title transferred in my name.

My mistake was taking my wife with me to the DMV.

So we take over his signed out-of-state title, with a odometer and VIN inspection signed (more $ for that), to the Florida DMV and after waiting an hour and half for our appointment they conducted a lengthy review of their higher ups and they wrote in ink on the front of the title "Cannot be titled in the State of Florida" and they handed it back to me. Before I go balistic, and I asked how can I get it titled and tell me to take it to the State DMV office they cannot do anything more for me and ruined the title I had in hand. WTF?

We travel to the state office and after waiting an hour in the next office, the head guy comes out and tells us it can only be titled after he personally inspects it and he will fill out some form that will enable them to issue a title to me so I can sell it. I don't have a tag on it and he says to either get it towed to his office or get a 10 day temp tag. So we get back in line for the 3rd time that day to get a temp tag and cannot be seen before they close. No temp tag to take it in for them to inspect.

We had enough! We left.

So the wonderful POS DMV left me with a title I cannot transfer to sell the vehicle to someone else ever.

I call a HUMVEE dealer in the state and he gives me some advice: Don't take it in for their inspection or they will classify it off-road only and end up issuing a title that will make the M998 almost worthless.

Six hours going through this ordeal with rude, power hungry bureaucrats and my wife is about to have a nervous breakdown. She wants me to call a junk yard and have them tow it away for scrap! Total loss?

I would like to get a title in my name so I can sell it and possibly recoupe some $ rather than taking it to a junk yard and getting $500 they give out for carcusis. I won't get into any other discussions as I don't want to be banned from here. But if anyone in Florida has any advice for me on how to get a clean title so I can sell it, I hope you can PM me without getting into any trouble.

Thanks in advance.
 

Maxjeep1

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Las Vegas Nevada
File for a duplicate title in the state that issued it… tell them you lost it and they will send you a brand new shiny one. Might need seller to request it if it’s not in your name. I would keep the back story to yourself and tell them you lost it. No state has the right to do what they did
 

FlameRed

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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538
93
Location
Florida
File for a duplicate title in the state that issued it… tell them you lost it and they will send you a brand new shiny one. Might need seller to request it if it’s not in your name. I would keep the back story to yourself and tell them you lost it. No state has the right to do what they did
Yes, the seller just signed the title and left everything else empty so if he did that for me I would be golden.

I forgot to mention that the seller was being deployed overseas for some months. He will not be reachable. But yes, that is a possibility and I will pay him for his time and cost when he returns.

But according to the state DMV guy, that would only allow a dealer to buy it and then resell it? Not a private seller. Must be a Florida thing of course.
 

Maxjeep1

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Las Vegas Nevada
Dirt logic can get it registered for you with plates and clean title from another state and at that point you can sell it. Service is anywhere from 600 to 900 but it would be the easiest and fastest way for you to get it fixed and you will get more out of it than the way it sits now with felt marked title.
 

FlameRed

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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538
93
Location
Florida
Dirt logic can get it registered for you with plates and clean title from another state and at that point you can sell it. Service is anywhere from 600 to 900 but it would be the easiest and fastest way for you to get it fixed and you will get more out of it than the way it sits now with felt marked title.
I did not want to mention my plan B as I don't want to be banned, but I am trying what they do myself. Finger's crossed.
 

Action

Well-known member
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Location
East Tennessee
You have to have a FL title if you own it. Registration and plates are something else.
To sell it, you have to have s title in your name. If not, you would be title jumping which i think is illegal in 50 states. I talked to that mean guy on the phone when i was looking at auction trucks. He told me that he will not allow hmmwvs.
When i moved to FL, i had a title from another state (in my name). I drove it to dmv. The lady came out and made sure the VINs matched. I left with regular plates. That was in 2016.
In TN, they dont even look. They just take your old title and give you a TN title. Lol
 

Russ Knight

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Location
Perry, FL
Don't use Dirt Legal. You can do it yourself. I have a Kawasaki Mule that I got a South Dakota plate for. It was easy and only cost seventy some odd dollars. Have you tried the FMV route with Florida?
 

FlameRed

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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538
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Location
Florida
Have you tried the FMV route with Florida?
When I went to the second DMV (state) office of the day, and waited an hour for the head beurocrat to come out to exert his authority, we asked if we could have it treated as a Antique Military Vehicle. He asked if we had any pictures of it and we showed him one on our phone.

He then stated that it could not be considered an Antique Military Vechile even through it met the age criteria because he could see it had two modificiation: It was repainted and it had different tires. He stated in Florida they cannot be modified in any way to qualify. And if you put it back to original they do not qualify either.

So we asked if we it would qualify as a rat rod, hot rod, or one of the others and he wanted us to bring it in for his personal inspection so, we are told, he could officially classify it as off road and make it totally worthless. Then evidently he would be happy to issue a title for a worthless vehicle.
 
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frauhansen

Well-known member
Steel Soldiers Supporter
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Location
switzerland
I had a similar problem with my '69 Firebird from NY back in the day. State
NY has no title before '73 and customs refuses to export vehicles without title since 2020.
With Vermont I was able to get a title that allowed me to export.


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