VIN doesn't match title.

[WHEELS OF FIRE]

So, I bought a school bus with an Indiana RV title which I have to transfer over to an Ohio title. I bought it over facebook marketplace. When I went for the VIN inspection, it wasn't there... I just took it to the state highway patrol to have the VIN found on the chassis to get a new VIN plate. The VIN on the body of the bus does not match my title (its only half the numbers and the last 2 digits are off) so the trooper gave me a failed inspection paper and told me to go to the court of pleas to petition for a court order title.

To receive a court date, I have to have a notarized affidavit including my story of how I acquired the bus, my interactions with the state trooper, make, year, and VIN.
The nice lady at the court said the title wasn't guaranteed to be granted.

What should I expect to happen?

Should I seek legal help to draft my affidavit and possibly represent me in court?
If it's not granted, what will happen to my bus? ..Next steps??? Could it get the folks we bought it from in trouble?

This bureaucratic s*** stresses me OUT.
Thank you for your time and advice <3

[ewo1]

Originally Posted by WHEELS OF FIRE

So, I bought a school bus with an Indiana RV title which I have to transfer over to an Ohio title. I bought it over facebook marketplace. When I went for the VIN inspection, it wasn't there... I just took it to the state highway patrol to have the VIN found on the chassis to get a new VIN plate. The VIN on the body of the bus does not match my title (its only half the numbers and the last 2 digits are off) so the trooper gave me a failed inspection paper and told me to go to the court of pleas to petition for a court order title.

To receive a court date, I have to have a notarized affidavit including my story of how I acquired the bus, my interactions with the state trooper, make, year, and VIN.
The nice lady at the court said the title wasn't guaranteed to be granted.

What should I expect to happen?

Should I seek legal help to draft my affidavit and possibly represent me in court?
If it's not granted, what will happen to my bus? ..Next steps??? Could it get the folks we bought it from in trouble?

This bureaucratic s*** stresses me OUT.
Thank you for your time and advice <3

Not a very goo scenario...
options,
1) go back to the guy who sold it to you and see what can be done.
2) go to court but without first trying to contact the seller a judge might night give you the time of day.
If the seller is willing to work with you, that might be of some help with any affidavits or a judge but I wouldn't put too much faith into that.

If you can muster up the resources, here is what I would do...

Since the bus originated in Indiana, contact the dmv office there , explain your problem and see if they can printout a chain of ownership on both the vin number on the bus chassis and also on the title.
If the bus and title came from the same entity like say a school board...you might find some help there.

https://www.bmv.ohio.gov/titles-court.aspx#gsc.tab=0

https://blog.suretysolutions.com/sur...-ordered-title

maybe, just maybe the bus on your title, not the one in your driveway, maybe that owner is going thru the same dilemma as you are? Maybe you can fix each others problems.

If the Indiana DMV does not help, make contact with someone who has DMV access to a service such as ADD123.com

Towing companies and private investigation companies can get access to that pay site. It is not available to the general public.

On my bus, a 99 Amtran, there is also a vin plate on the dash between the steering wheel and the windshield, just like on a car, take a good look there just in case you haven't done so yet.

Another option, a towing company can place a tow/storage lien on the bus and then after a set amount of days, get a new title after the public sale for storage.

Another option, find out if your state does bonded titles and if so, can you fix your problem that way.

Then there is the last option, one that should not be talked about but, hey what the heck...

Get a title and vin plate from another similar bus, swap it and don't look back!

good luck!

[Ronnie]

I do think I would contact the seller first. Maybe an honest mistake and he/she has the correct one.



If you run out of options like what ewo1 has suggested, then maybe a vermont registration would be the way to go. My bus the title was missing and that is what I did, after searching previous owners and getting nowhere. The fellow I got it from had it in the woods for many years and did not intend to use it on the road, so did not bother with a title when he got the bus.

[Brad_SwiftFur]

I have an IH 3800 bus (the type with a hood) and my VIN is on the firewall on the driver's side, on a sticker, not a metal plate. The Blue Bird body also has the VIN above the driver's window. An older IH chassis (1987) had the VIN sticker also under the hood, on the firewall, on the passenger side.

[ennonne]

Is it just a case of chassis VIN vs. what the final manufacturer assigned number?

Happens is RVs all the time. For example, the Winnebago serial number won't match the Ford affixed chassis VIN.

[UFO pilot]

Clerks get these things wrong all the time. They are not dealing with just 1 vehicle like a private seller, they are dealing wtih dozens of vehicles for years on end. Humans make mistakes, most are honest.

When my buddy and I got the paperwork for our shuttle buses the clerk who typed up the paperwork identified them as Ford F450s (truck) when in fact they are E450s (van). We got it fixed.

Start with the seller and work from there. Go legit before you go to the Dark Side.

[ISAF2009]

Let it sit on your property and put an abandoned vehicle lien on it . There are lien services that charge $150.00 or less for that. I do those all the time.

[rossvtaylor]

There are lots of ways to do this, some mentioned (abandoned vehicle lien) some not...such as a bonded title or even a non-probate will title (if you attest that the prior owner died). But these are all blunt force solutions. First, start with the seller.