Owning a car brings with it a lot of responsibility. Part of that includes knowing what type of title you have and when you might need one. All cars are issued a title upon production and when they are sold, that title is transferred from the dealer to the buyer. If you take out a loan, the title will be transferred to the lender, who will hold it until the loan has been paid in full.
If you decide to sell the car, you will transfer the title to the new buyer or sign it over to the dealership when you make a trade. This all happens with the same original title—it's just being transferred between owners. There are some instances, however, where you may end up needing a new title altogether.
Accidents
If a vehicle has been involved in an accident that has rendered it “totaled”, the insurance company will not pay to replace the vehicle. Therefore, it cannot be titled as a standard vehicle any longer. It will have to be titled as a “salvage” vehicle for anyone who chooses to keep it and the car will need to be sold and transferred as such from that point forward. In this situation, you would need to apply for a new title under the salvage title requirements for the vehicle in question.
Lost Titles
What if you’ve lost your title? There is never really a “lost” title these days, thanks to electronic records. Most counties will have a local title office that keeps a record of all registered and owned vehicles. You can go there, give them the information about the vehicle, and they will print you a new title so that you can carry on with your business. Of course, this is a tedious and time-consuming process so it’s best avoided when you can. County offices are always busy.
Replacement vs. New Titles
Typically, a vehicle owner will never actually have to get a “new” title for a vehicle. They may be getting a new copy, a replacement, or a duplicate title, but it will only be new to them. The new title issuance is reserved for vehicles when they are first produced. You can find several different types of title services and transfers available, but they will all involve the same original title or information originally issued with the vehicle.
Work with the Pros
The best thing that you can do if you are struggling to figure out your vehicle title issues is to talk to someone who works with them. Some people can help you with all of your titling needs so that you don’t have to deal with the county agencies on your own or go through the hassles of chasing down the records. This can save you a lot of time and hassle.
If you’re getting a new car, you’ll need to get the title transferred into your name. If you’re selling a car, you’ll need to get it transferred out of your name. The best way to make sure that you follow the right process is to let the pros help and you’ll never have any title woes again. When it comes to tag and titles, auto tags, we are the best auto tag agency around. Come and see us at Auto Tags of East Broward. We are a premier Broward tag agency - we are much better than the Broward County DMV. We offer all types of Florida tag renewals.