The car is sold!

I started the process in March when the 1997 Land Rover just gave up, died, and was towed. The man at the LR dealer where we had been taking the car for years, offered to buy it. He wanted to restore it as a runabout on his ranch. A fitting ending to a well-loved and used vehicle that had served us well for almost 250,000 miles.

I couldn't find a title anywhere, so I marched down to the County office to get a duplicate. The car had originally been a lease-purchase and the title was still in the name of the lender, although it had been paid off several years before. The County didn't handle that end of the problem and sent me to the State office about 40 miles away. I didn't have all the proper papers so I returned home to get them.
Another day, another trip to the State office. Those papers are not enough, I have to contact the finance company. The finance company wants nothing to do with me since they got their money ages ago. I send the papers to the finance company, get them back, take them to the State office.
"Those are still not the ones we need," the State office clerk tells me. She writes down exactly what I need so I can send it to them.

I get the papers back again and traipse down to the State office. The clerk and I are getting to be old friends, but the papers are not right. They need signatures, letterheads, titles, and copies of the signer's drivers license. I protest. She calls her supervisor who is very understanding but unwavering. These are not the right papers.

Finally, I get smart. I pull out my cell phone and put the Texas supervisor on the phone with the finance company officer. Each hassles the other and each tells me how the other one is making me jump through hoops. I don't say anything. I leave with papers to be signed, but the finance company can mail them directlyto the State office, who will then mail the duplicate title to me. All this costs me (besides gas, time and stress) is TWO DOLLARS!

Three weeks later, I call the State office wondering where my duplicate title is. Now I am only dealing with the supervisor.
"We haven't received the papers," she says. "Wait a minute and I will look to make sure.....No. no papers."
I call the finance company, ready to hunt flesh.
"They were mailed on...........and signed for by............"I am told.
I call the State office again with my new information. They still don't find it entered into the log, but they take down the information and promise to look into it.

Two days later I get the duplicate title in the mail. Yeeeaaaah! But my travails are not over. Now I have to have the duplicate title signed by the finace company so I can sell the car that P has redone and is driving. I send the duplicate title to be signed and include a SSAE for express mail. I wait another week and finally get it back. Meanwhile, I have sorted through some more of DH's old papers and found....TA DAH.... the original title! I feel sick.

I take the duplicate title, signed by the finance company downtown (30 miles away) to finish the deal, BUT.... I have to have the title in MY name. I head back to the County office with all my papers, including Letters of Testamentary, etc., to make application for a title in my name. This time I pay the license fee which is coming due and I get hit with sales tax and penalties. I have paid more to sell the car than I got out of it!

So now the car is sold and running contendedly. P excitedly tells me has bought a parts car and the old girl is going to get a reworked engine. She is in good hands and everyone is happy.

I switched over the other cars at the same time, but I had titles for them. Now, I wonder how to handle the 1948 MGTC that has no title and was bought in Australia. I wonder if I can just leave it for my children.