Just joined the site, and I look forward to it being a learning experience. I am new to the classic car hobby (so new that I don't have one yet!) I have been looking around, (Ebay, Craigslist, farms, and other Internet sites). Many of the vehicles especially very old ones, only seem to come with a bill of sale. I called the Wisconsin DMV to find out what is necessary to title such a vehicle, and after the usual run around, was basically told "don't buy it, you will never be able to title it in Wisconsin". Given the hundreds, even thousands of 60 to 80 year old vehicles I see going down the highways and at shows, I find it hard to believe that every one was purchased with a clear title. Anyone have any info on this topic. I really don't want to buy an old vehicle and put thousands of dollars into it only to find out I can only trailer it or decorate my lawn with it! Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Curt

Buy something with a title every chance you get. If you buy a car without a title, the DOT inspector can give your car a generic serial number like they do with many custom cycles and street rods. If you got a numbers car, this will really screw with the value of a car.

Welcome to the site! Do you have any particular makes/models you're interested in?

Like I said, very new to the hobby. What's a "numbers car"?

I would love to get a 40 or 41 Ford F1 pick up, but these seem to be very popular and expensive. I am also interested in the late 30s early 40s International pick ups, but I can't find many sources for used or aftermarket parts. These are my ideals, but I am still pretty broad in my search. I am looking for a pickup late 30s to about 57. Ford prefered, but Chevy a possibility with the above trucks my ideal.

mriplaybass wrote:
Like I said, very new to the hobby. What's a "numbers car"?

A numbers matching car is a vehicle that has the original engine, transmission, rear end, etc. that it rolled off the assembly line with.