what to do if a person doesn't have the title?

[4N2NR]

Banks don't send titles to the DOT. They have the title and are a leinholder on it. When the loan is paid the financial institution signs off on it releasing the lein and sends the title to the owner that is listed on it. Usually it is within two weeks of receiving the final payment. I have had a credit union forget to send me one recently for a paid off vehicle and it sat in their file for four months. But as soon as I contacted them they released it and I had the title in hand in about six days (from TX to PA). If he has truly paid off his loan then wait patiently for him to get the title and do the deal for an agreed upon price after he has the title in hand. While he is waiting for the title keep looking. You may find a better deal or he may do something that devalues the vehicle (like it falls over and breaks something). Don't commit to a final sale price until he has everything to transfer ownership to you. If he is that interested in selling it to you he will make every effort to get the title. I am sure you know but make sure the VIN matches, that there are no lien holders on it that haven't released their claim, and that everyone listed as the owner(s) is available to sign off on the transfer. A PA to PA resident transfer usually requires both seller(s) and buyer(s) to be present at the same time to notorize signatures since there is only one notary block on the back for that. If I remember correctly there is also a block on the bottom of the front side of a PA title where the buyer's signature needs to be notorized too. There are ways to transfer ownership without a title but it is time consuming and a pain in the butt. You can go that route but do it at either a PennDot or Tag and Title office so that the all the correct forms can be executed at once. If the vehicle has an out of state title that may be a little more difficult - I don't know for sure.