Are you buying from a dealer?

https://www.maine.gov/sos/bmv/registration/passenger.html#:~:text=You%20take%20your%20out%2Dof,excise%20tax%20will%20be%20collected.

No private sale

OP says he doesn't have a title, and the vehicle is newer than 95, so your Google fu has failed you this time guygan

Take the bill of sale to your town office to register the vehicle. Because it is so old you don’t need a title, one will be issued in ME.

OP, look up "bonded titles". You will probably have to put up some money for a bond unless the car is a total junker.

Read the text:

> How to Register a Private Sale Purchased Passenger Vehicle:

> Pay excise tax at your town office. Excise tax is a municipal tax. Please contact your local municipal office for additional information.

> Documents needed: Signed bill of sale (bill of sale template) Title, if the vehicle is model year 1995 or newer, signed over the title to new owner from the previous owner(s)

Read again - "Title, if the vehicle is model year 1995 or newer"

OP stated the model year is 1997 and the seller does not have a title.

The statute you cited is therefore not relevant to his situation.

It is possible to obtain title to a vehicle through a bonded title process. This is actually less onerous than it sounds for most used vehicles.

Sweet thanks!

A bill of sale is acceptable for that age car when being bought from a state that doesn’t issue titles for that year. Make sure it’s detailed and includes the date of sale, make, model, year and VIN. Also include the name and address of both the seller and purchaser as well as have both parties sign it.

Former bmv employee.

If it's a1997, I hope it's a Porsche or a BMW

Then he needs a obtains title.

It’s like following a cake recipe.

“Put in oven”

Don’t have an oven? Then acquire one, or don’t make a cake.

Hopefully not a 1997 Porsche 996

You mean IF the vehicle were older than 95, right? According to the statute cited previously?

NH didn't have titles in 1997? That's wild!

My son bought a car from New Hampshire without getting a title. Stupid I know, but lesson learned (I hope). Well it turned out to be a salvage vehicle which led to more hassle. One more thing to watch out for.

NH doesn’t title vehicles older than 2000 I believe

They only started issuing vehicle titles in 2000? That's a really foreign concept to me!

95? I thought it was 20 years but I could be mistaken. Call your town office and run it by them. There are ways to get a title, probably be a reconstructed title but you can get one.

https://www.maine.gov/sos/bmv/titles/index.html

False. Any car newer than 1995 requires a title.

No, sorry I didn’t explain that well. They don’t reissue titles for cars that are older than 1999. So if someone bought a 96 Ford Taurus that year, registered and titled it that year and still own it, they should still have that title. I imagine the state of NH decided to stop reissuing titles for older vehicles to cut down on paperwork or something.