The dealer never gave you the title: can you still sell the car?

So the work comes in two parts. First, press the dealer, then the state, until the title shows up. Second, sign it over the way your state asks.

Why the title has to come first

A buyer, a junkyard or a scrap yard needs to see that you own the car. Without the title, you can't show that.

Some states say so directly. Maryland's MVA requires a valid Maryland title in the seller's own name before any sale (MVA). Maine's law says a buyer who is not a licensed dealer has to get a title in their own name before passing the car on to anyone else (29-A M.R.S. 662). South Carolina's DMV advises buyers to confirm the person selling holds a title issued to them.

How long the dealer has

These are the deadlines we confirmed on official state pages.

Texas. A dealer must submit the title transaction in webDEALER within 30 calendar days of the sale, or 45 days if the dealer financed it (TxDMV). The TxDMV FAQ adds that once 30 days pass without a title or registration, you can file a complaint against the dealer (TxDMV FAQ).

Indiana. State law requires the dealer to deliver the title within 31 days of purchase (Indiana SOS). Its steps for a late title are below.

Georgia. A dealer that sells to a Georgia resident normally applies for the new title within 30 days. The dealer's temporary operating permit lasts 45 days, and the Motor Vehicle Division usually issues the title before it runs out (Georgia DOR).

Oklahoma. The title is supposed to go to the buyer when the car does. A financing lender gets 25 days to perfect its lien first. Failing to deliver the title within 30 days of the sale violates Title 47 (Oklahoma UMVC).

If your state isn't listed here, its dealer deadline wasn't checked for this page. Ask your motor vehicle agency for it before you plan around a date.

Steps when the title is late

1. Put it in writing

Phone calls leave no record. A dated letter or email does. Indiana builds this into the law: if 31 days pass without a title, you can send the dealer a written demand, and the dealer then has 10 days after receiving it to provide the title.

2. Know what a refund looks like

Indiana is the clearest case. If the title still hasn't come 10 days after the dealer receives your demand, you can return the car, and the dealer must refund the purchase price plus tax, finance expenses, insurance expenses and other fees you paid to the dealer.

That matters for anyone thinking of selling. If your state gives you a return right like Indiana's, compare it with what a buyer would pay before you list the car anywhere.

3. File a complaint

In Texas, the TxDMV says you can file a dealer complaint once 30 days pass without the title or registration. Florida's HSMV lists "paid for the vehicle at the point of sale but the dealer did not provide the title or tag" as a consumer complaint it handles.

Don't expect every state to step in. Georgia's Department of Revenue says it cannot order the dealer to apply for the title or refund your money, and that working with the dealer directly is usually the fastest route.

4. Look at the dealer's bond

Some states make dealers carry a surety bond. Utah, for example, requires dealers to file a corporate surety bond with its Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division and keep it in effect as long as they're in business (Utah MVED). In South Carolina, a complaint against a dealer's bond is filed by mail only, to the Business License Unit (SCDMV).

5. If the dealer has closed

Florida's answer is the most practical one we found. When a dealer doesn't provide the title after you paid, the Department can often issue an Out-of-Business Affidavit that may be used to get a title. It also sends a letter naming the dealer's surety bond company, and it says a court order is rarely needed (FLHSMV).

Don't drive on an expired temporary permit

In Georgia, once the dealer's temporary permit expires, driving the car is illegal until it is titled and registered in your name. A car that stopped running solves that problem by itself, but a car that still runs can get you a ticket on the way to a buyer.

Indiana's rule on plates is worth knowing too. If the dealer's paper interim plate will expire before the title arrives, the BMV may be able to issue another one. The dealer cannot issue a second.

State by state: signing it over once the title arrives

When the title finally shows up in your name, each state has its own rules for the seller's side. This table pulls one point per state from its official page or statute.

Repair it, return it, or sell it

A car with no title and a fresh breakdown is a hard spot. Sort the choices in this order:

• If your state gives you a return right, as Indiana does, that may be worth more than any sale. Check it first.
• If fixing it would cost more than its value, paying for repairs while the title is still missing just adds money at risk. Our page on when repairs cost more than the car helps you run the numbers.
• If a lender is involved, the title may be held by the lender, not lost. Selling with a loan on it covers that case.
• If the dealer is gone and the title isn't coming, see selling a junk car with no title for the routes your state offers.

Once the title is in your name, we buy whole non-running and junk cars. You can sell the whole car as it sits, and pickup is free anywhere in the US. When you ask for an offer, mention how the title problem was resolved and have the title in hand.

Stuck partway through? Call (877) 421-6008.

Then deal with the plates and file whatever sale notice your state requires; after you sell shows how, state by state.