Getting a title

How hard is it to get a title for a car that doesn't have one? What about using a title company?

Depends on which state and possibly where the car was titled last.
Here is a place to start. http://www.dmv.org/

I've used its-titles.com several times with a %100 success rate.

Yes, it depends on your state and the age of the car. In some states, the title acts as proof of ownership.

Think about it. I can sell you any car I see rolling down the street without a title. Do I have legal right to do so? No.

With the exception of building a track-only car. I would never buy a car without title.

places like ITS and Broadway are good IF your state accepts them, that's why its always good to check with the state first. NJ is pretty picky and to get a title agency to do it would have run me close to $500 to get something NJ would accept. To just go through the normal state process only cost $120 and 2 weeks of time/paper collecting. Not as bad as it may seem. You never know, it might actually be easy to do in your state, never hurts to check what their rules are.

I know the guy I am getting it from has used title services. I could also apply for an abandoned title but that takes around 6 months and I want this to be ready for the start of the season. Of coarse I don't think it has the standard 17 digit VIN number so I could just lie to the DMV and say yeah of coarse it is a '75.

You may also have to get a lein release letter from a lender, if the lost title shows a lein on it. That can be a real riot with banks closing and changing names

My impression is that it varies a lot by state.

While it took a little while, but a good deal less than six months, I was able to get a title for a Vespa which I bought from a scrap metal yard with only a bill of sale with the help of my (Oregon) DMV. I gave them the VIN, and they actually looked up possible candidates for previous owners (This was around '96, and it had last been registered in '78) and had me send certified letters to those people. I never found the previous owner, but I was able to prove I'd tried the DMV's candidates, and they issued me a clean title.

Said it before, and I'll say it again. Be very, very careful using these title services. Check with your state first. Also check out the car extremely carefully and get as much proof/documentation as you can get your hands on. A lot of times, those title services aren't quite on the level in how they do what they do. You don't want to get caught up in the mess if they get busted. It ain't pretty. Working in auto insurance fraud, I've seen it first hand. Ask the title service for specifics in how they do their magic.

In reply to Klayfish:

Do they just take the car or what?

They'll definitely confiscate the car. From there, each case is handled on it's own merit. They could press charges against the vehicle owner as well. Or they could have you "flip" on the title company. It's a losing situation regardless. This is going back about 8 years or so, but I know of someone who lost their Shelby Cobra replica, don't know what happened on the legal end.