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Old 10-13-2024, 04:40 PM   #1
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Question VIN # and lost title

I'm getting ready to purchase a 1979 Airstream Land yacht Tradewind and the people that own it don't have the title in hand. It belonged to the man's wife and she recently passed but never transferred the title into her name. How do I find the VIN # and get the camper into my name? Does anyone know the process?
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Old 10-13-2024, 06:35 PM   #2
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VIN # and Lost Title

Greetings Ajax68!

Welcome to the Forums!

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Originally Posted by Ajax68 View Post
I'm getting ready to purchase a 1979 Airstream Land yacht Tradewind and the people that own it don't have the title in hand. It belonged to the man's wife and she recently passed but never transferred the title into her name. How do I find the VIN # and get the camper into my name? Does anyone know the process?
First of all, you won't find a VIN typical of those on a modern vehicle, but what you will find is a serial number that was used for registration purposes on these Vintage trailers. That number is located on a plaque located to the right of the entrance door. It is generally the smaller, rectangular plaque, and will have a number at the top and bottom. The Serial Number is the number at the bottom. For a 1979 Tradewind Land Yacht, the serial number should look something like:
L 25 T 9 J ####
First Digit -- L = Land Yacht Trim, I = International Trim, E = Excella 500
Second and Third Digit -- Length in feet from tip of tongue to trailing edge of bumper
Fourth Digit -- Interior Layout -- T = Twin with Rear Bathroom, D = Double with Rear Bathroom, A = Twin with Center Bath, B = Double with Center Bath
Fifth Digit -- Last digit of model year
Sixth Digit -- Plant of Manufacture -- J = Jackson Center, OH, S = Cerritos, CA

The question of obtaining the lost title and the circumstances involved may take information and paperwork from two states. Much will depend upon the title rules in the state where the trailer was actually titled as that will govern how a replacement for a lost title is acquired, and who can apply for the lost title. From your description it sounds like it was never in the current owner's late wife's name, so it will likely mean that you will need to find either the owner named on the title or his/her survivors in order to get a replacement title through the replacement for lost title process.

You are really going to need the state where the lost title was issued to begin the investigation into the proper process.

Good luck with your investigation!

Kevin
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Old 10-13-2024, 11:04 PM   #3
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You will need to find out the rules for this in the state where the title was issued.

The simplest solution is to find the person who sold the trailer to man's wife and have him sign it over. But that may not be possible due to a number of reasons.

In some states you can file with the motor vehicle office to have a provisional title issued in cases like this, especially if the seller is no longer alive or can't be located. These remain provisional for a period of time to allow the seller to come forward, and after that time a permanent title is issued. In other states you're out of luck till you find the seller to sign the title.

In some states owners are required to report private sales of motor vehicles to the DMV (like Wisconsin, where I live). There is a chance that the seller reported the sale in his/her state, and in that case you have a better chance of getting things worked out even if the owner can't be found.

If you the seller's name is not known, contact the state with the VIN and see if they can help.
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Old 10-14-2024, 10:20 AM   #4
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Hello, as already stated , find the laws/rules in your state, hopefully you are buying and registering in the same state. I would expect every stare DMV to have all rules and forms on a web site. As long as there is a VIN plate on the trailer you can probably (???) navigate this. In Colorado you can apply for a duplicate title on-line, Perhaps WV has this and the husband could do it. When I buy trailers without titles, I've done 4, I always pay less due to the hassle involved. I even once bought a trailer with a title from a dealer and the state later revoked it !!!, what a pain, I was already half way through the reno. Fortunately the dealer had to handle all that or lose their license. It takes patience and be nice to the DMV people, they can be your best allies.
Good luck, Mark D
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