Owner has a case of amnesia and do liens influence credit score

[My Name is Randy]

Jurisdiction

Wisconsin

Bit of an interesting situation, I'll try to sort it out as simply as possible.

A.-Idaho, assuming second owner, vehicle is a 1985 model and info I can gather has activity in 1987)
B.-Wisconsin (name on title as seller, titled in 1992. searched VIN in WI and it did not show as active. Spoke with DMV and they said the computer system updated in 06 and it may not register)
C.-Wisconsin (name on title as buyer, but never registered. Does not remember purchasing)
D.-Wisconsin (deceased in 1994)
E.-Wisconsin (inherited from D.)
F.-Wisconsin received as gift from D.
G.-Me, I purchased from E. and have a bill of sale.

I am in contact with all people except A. (Mystery) and D. (Deceased). F. sold to me with a bill of sale. I did an online search with Bumper and the vehicle shows a Lien on the title in Idaho. I am in Wisconsin and the title I have is Wisconsin from 1992. It is signed over to C. and I was able to track him down. He had no memory whatsoever of the vehicle,says he would have been a teenager at the time and that is his parent's address on the title. I spoke with B. as well and he said he sold it to a teenager in the town matching the title.

I spoke with the WI DMV and they sent me a special form to transfer ownership. If C. agrees to sign this there are 2 issues.

1. We circumvent D., E., and F. That might be a problem in they eyes of the DMV. Then again maybe not depending who is working the counter.

2. The Bumper search shows the title as active since 1987 in Idaho with a lien. Wisconsin title just shows previously titled in Idaho. Do liens expire? If I register this bike in my name will the lien transfer to me and have any influence on my credit score.

I have a few more details but for the sake of simplicity this is the situation.

 

[zddoodah]

A.-Idaho, assuming second owner, vehicle is a 1985 model and info I can gather has activity in 1987)
B.-Wisconsin (name on title as seller, titled in 1992. searched VIN in WI and it did not show as active. Spoke with DMV and they said the computer system updated in 06 and it may not register)
C.-Wisconsin (name on title as buyer, but never registered. Does not remember purchasing)
D.-Wisconsin (deceased in 1994)
E.-Wisconsin (inherited from D.)
F.-Wisconsin received as gift from D.
G.-Me, I purchased from E. and have a bill of sale.

Sorry, but this makes no sense at all, and I don't see the point in going through the rest of the post until it does. I'd suggest complete sentences (e.g., "In 1987, in Idaho, I purchased a car from Joe Blow."

 

[adjusterjack]

Makes complete sense to me. Randy bought a car without verifying that the person standing in front of him and taking his money is the same person whose name is on the title.

And now the s--t has hit the fan.

Fortunately for you, Randy, if you cannot obtain all the signatures you need, WI allows you to post a surety bond to get your title.

Here are the details:

FAQ: Wisconsin's bond title process (wisconsindot.gov)

The reason nobody remembers anything is because they don't want to admit having any relationship to the car because they are afraid that doing so will come back to bite them.

 

[My Name is Randy]

Sorry for the confusion. I organized the chain of ownership by letter (A., B., C.). The vehicle is actually a motorcycle, a factory street legal one and it's pretty common for people to not register them because they use them off road only. Wisconsin didn't have a way to register off road bikes until 2016 so there's that.

I knew the title would be some work and didn't pay much at all for it. I am aware of the bonded title option, the bike is worth quite a bit to the right person, but to me it's not worth that process.

The DMV did send me a form (mc-2466 I think).I'm pretty sure the person it was signed over to would sign off on removing their name.

My biggest concern is the potential lien from 1987. Would that in any way be transferable to me? Would that hurt my credit score? Do liens eventually expire?

 

[adjusterjack]

My biggest concern is the potential lien from 1987. Would that in any way be transferable to me? Would that hurt my credit score? Do liens eventually expire?

A 35 year old lien? Probably nothing to be concerned about. Unless, the DMV automatically puts the lien on your title when you get it. If that happens you'll have more trouble selling it than you have had buying it because most people won't touch it under the same circumstances as you did.

You should probably ask about that at the DMV.