Just picked up another one... '88 SHP

[helrazr70]

I am not sure of this car's fate yet. It's a 1988 Conquest SHP with sunroof. I picked it up off an older guy who is getting divorced and is forced to sell all his toys. I got the car and several bins and stacks of parts from other cars.

 

It's been parked for 6 years. (or so he says) It was supposedly running great when it was parked. He was having an issue getting it titled so he parked it. It's a PA only title problem. This car has a problem that only matters if it's registered in PA. PA requires on all in-state transfers that all signatures on the title be done in front of a notary public. It has an open PA title and the last owner signed the title without a notary. You can take it to 49 other states and have no issues. It's just that titling it in PA will be difficult because the last owner moved out of state and all their contact info is outdated--so you can't get them to resign in front of a notary. He had it painted, bought new tires, and a new turbo right before he parked it.

 

It's an automatic with the interior disassembled. He took it all apart to install new speakers. The speakers are all mounted but have never played a note. He lost interest after the title issue. He also swapped out the 88 seats for a set of 87s because he liked them better. ugh...

 

The worst thing is that the right front frame rail is rusty and there are bubbles popping up in front of the rear wheel wells.The new paint has faded a little in places.

 

Other than the rust it needs every maintenance item and then some. It even still has the factory injector clips and if it holds fluid it needs to be resealed. It will take a fortune to make this car "right" again. I am not even sure right now if the engine isn't seized.

 

I will be getting it towed home soon. I have paid for it and have the title. We will see what happens from here.

 

It still has the SHP wheels with new tires, SHP struts, nice looking air dam, straight header panel, and new turbo replaced right before it was parked.

 

It's not quite the car I am looking for but it's salvageable if someone wants to do a LOT of work. If I don't sell it whole to someone out of state or to someone in PA who doesn't care about the notary, it might make a decent parts car. I mainly bought it to keep the wheels away from the 240sx guys. There are plenty of nice parts on it worth saving if it were parted. The seller was bombarded by guys with Nissans and Toyotas who wanted it for the wheels and wanted to part the rest.

 

Click on the thumbnails.

 

http://s30.postimg.org/jaoxv2cnh/128.jpg

 

http://s30.postimg.org/ijw7paaa5/129.jpg

 

http://s30.postimg.org/bqvut0jgt/130.jpg

[Edde]

Looks nice. Even the hood isn't awful How many miles?

[helrazr70]

It has 130k on it. It's not horrible even though the interior is disassembled and it's been parked so long.

 

It even comes with another identical hood scoop! lol!

 

I am curious what the gas tank looks like. if it isn't horrible I might get a fuel pump for it and a basic tune-up kit and see if maybe it will start.

 

Like I said, I am on the fence with this one.

[nomad]

They always come back ( meaning you), haha!

 

That's an interesting color. Looks kinda maroon, but also kinda copper. Do you think it is that orange/ gold color that gm was putting on 2003ish caddy cts? I always thought that would be a good choice for a quest.

 

Edit: after a second look, def not that gm color I was thinking.

Edited July 13, 2014 by nomad

[helrazr70]

They always come back ( meaning you), haha!

 

That's an interesting color. Looks kinda maroon, but also kinda copper. Do you think it is that orange/ gold color that gm was putting on 2003ish caddy cts? I always thought that would be a good choice for a quest.

 

Well Lee, I never really left. I just lurk. lol! This place is Hotel California!

 

I had no desire for another SQ until right before I left for Pigeon Forge. The more I thought about it the better it sounded to settle to 2 cars--the Boss and a nice SQ.

 

This car will probably be sold or parted. I am not into autos at all and I am finished dealing with SQ rust.

 

He had it painted a custom red/maroon similar to Caddy Magnetic Red. It faded to the copperish color. The color is actually nice. The paint isn't bad overall except for some bubbling on the side spoilers and the small rust bubbles in the ground effect portion in front of the rear wheels.

[Drive-By]

Great colour!

[randy]

Great nice score.

[87redcat]

Having lived in PA (I grew up outside of the Burg) I know the paper work hell you guys up there have with cars.

My suggestion is sell it to a person out of state. no hassels. I'm sure with a little work to get it running you could make a little money on it.

The color aint that bad for being faded either.

 

[randy]

I know i bought a car out of state, and i had to send the title back to the owner to get

it notorized and be put in some book.

I also was gonna by another one in pa same thing notorized title.

[helrazr70]

Having lived in PA (I grew up outside of the Burg) I know the paper work hell you guys up there have with cars.

My suggestion is sell it to a person out of state. no hassels. I'm sure with a little work to get it running you could make a little money on it.

The color aint that bad for being faded either.

 

I am new up here so this place sucks when it comes to anything automotive. Moving here from TN has sucked on so many levels and the "car laws" don't help any.

 

I lived in the Nashville area before moving here and my wife and I actually got married in your neck of the woods. We got married in Townsend.

 

I have had a couple of people contact me this morning showing interest. Time will tell if they are serious. I will get it home soon and clean it up and then see what happens. Once the interior is all back together and vacuumed, the engine bay pressure washed, and the body washed and waxed it will be a better looking car. I might actually get adventurous and go through the fuel system and buy some ignition components and see if it will start.

[importwarrior]

yes i like the color for sure.

[techboy]

Nice grab Chris. Just recently saw this car listed myself on the local CL. If you decide to part it, or what some help turning wrenches on it - give me a buzz.

[helrazr70]

Nice grab Chris. Just recently saw this car listed myself on the local CL. If you decide to part it, or what some help turning wrenches on it - give me a buzz.

 

Thanks Chris. According to the tags it's been off the road for 10 years. It's a tough call.

[TexasQuest]

Wonder why he sank all that money into it before he tried to title it and got screwed?

[helrazr70]

Wonder why he sank all that money into it before he tried to title it and got screwed?

 

He was waiting for the title which I think was eventually being mailed to him. I think once he got the title he figured eventually he would get it straightened out. It's not a title problem, it's a "The Great State of Pennsylvania" problem. That title is good in 49 other states. It just wasn't signed in front of a notary. Reason #2383271 I hate this overtaxed state.

[Edde]

Might run just fine with a little tweaking. Who knows, right?

[starquestJOE]

Mine I just picked up from your original neck of the woods started right up after replacing the fuel pump. Car sat for 9 years. I also must have a title issue , original owner died and a body shop took ownership of the car but never had a fiscal title. I bring all the paperwork from the bodyshop sayin I now bought the car. And I pay $160 and the notary tells me that penndot may same no good and I get no refund

[markhansenconquest]

When I picked up mine from the Hood ( L/a ) He said his dad had the title .. ( huh)...that was 5 months ago.. ..and the hits keep coming. ...called him and he told me to sign his dads name Went to DMV to find out about car title and it was OK ..Then they wanted 81.00 bucks for transfer fee and tags. (huh).........u know the DMV cah ching.. ........... told them the car.doesn't run.....and payed 20 bucks for non/op u must pay fee to postpone the game!!! :mad: one way or another they will get your Dough.. ............come to ca and( pay) the smog game every 2 years........ that doesnt look stock u gonna need to see the smog ref..... Edited July 14, 2014 by markhansenconquest

[techboy]

Being a PA resident my whole life and having a wife that manages a used car lot I thing or two about titling cars in PA. I've bought and sold in and out of state myself since becoming a driver and some of it is way more complicated than it needs to be in this state, but there are things you can do w/ cars that have title issues.

 

I'd suggest looking into the "abandoned vehicle" path. You should be able to get a new title issued from the state. I haven't looked it up lately, but if I remember correctly all you have to do is take out and ad in a local paper to where the care was from and run it for 60 days w/ the VIN. Once no-one steps forward to claim it (which is what always happens) you can get the state to issue a new title and put all the mess of the that title behind you. I'm sure I'm missing some details, but we've had to this before w/ cars that have been left at my father-in law's shop that he then turns around and sells. In my eyes, if the previous owner to the guy you bought it off of signed it over w/out a notary and it's been a few years then it hasn't been titled in PA in a long time and it's an abandoned vehicle.

 

EDIT:

I tried Googling but didn't find much. My suggestion is this .... don't call a notary or PennDot ... you're going to get jerked around. Talk to a small time dealership that deals with buying and selling cars from auction. Cars with all kinds of title issue are bought and sold all time at auction. They'll be able to set you on the right path.

 

I'll talk to my wife and ask my father-in law about it and see what advice he has.

Edited July 14, 2014 by techboy

[techboy]

Having lived in PA (I grew up outside of the Burg) I know the paper work hell you guys up there have with cars.

My suggestion is sell it to a person out of state. no hassels. I'm sure with a little work to get it running you could make a little money on it.

The color aint that bad for being faded either.

 

This ^^^^^ WILL NOT WORK ... even if you sell a PA vehicle to an out of state person, you have to take the current PA title in your name to a notary and sign it over. The out of state person then has to take that to their state and have it re-titled in there state. Everything gets copied and goes on file in Harrisburg. I know that for FACT b/c I have sold more than one vehicle to out of staters ... the most recent being my Ford Ranger I sold a NJ resident in July of 2012. No matter you do you'll have to get a legit PA title or the state will only ever see it as a "parts-only vehicle".

Edited July 14, 2014 by techboy

[helrazr70]

Actually it does work.

 

Last fall I sold a '68 Mustang to a guy from Long Island, NY and he took the title with just my signature and got it titled in NY.

 

Two months ago I sold a '69 Mach 1 to a guy from central NJ and he titled it without issue with just my un-notarized signature.

 

When I was in TN I bought a 93 Mustang that had an un-notarized PA title. TN took it without issue.

 

I shipped a '67 Mustang to Ohio last year without a notarized signature and that buyer had no issues.

 

3 weeks ago I sold a '66 Mustang convertible to a guy from south New Jersey and he already has his title back.

 

Every time I tell someone we have to do the notary thing with the title they refuse and say their state doesn't require it so I let them go with just my signature. I always follow up to make sure all is well and it has been.

 

PA will take an un-notarized title as long as it is from another state. Other states will take un-notarized titles unless that state requires notarized titles themselves--and there aren't many from what I have heard.

 

The receiving state sets the rules for the transaction. What if I move to TN from PA and sell my car or want to get a TN title? They print my new TN title and destroy the old title after scanning and storing it. On my '66 Mustang the state had to go back to microfiche to make sure I had the most recent title. PA purges the system every 8 years and then they rely on stored microfiche or digital copies.

 

 

[helrazr70]

Well Chris, If by some chance things in all other states have changed since I sold the other cars I guess you sealed the deal and this car will leave in boxes, truck beds, and ultimately meet the crusher.

 

The airdam, SHP wheels, new tires, header panel, turbo, steering wheel, heater controls, engine, trans, axles, engine electronics, and other misc items are worth more than selling the car whole anyway.

[helrazr70]

After lots of googling I have come to the conclusion that other states don't care if the PA sellers signature is notarized. I searched and found lots of car forum threads relating to this and I searched all surrounding states. OH, DE, NJ, NY, MD, and WV. All of the folks in the threads said they had no problems taking an un-notarized title from PA to another state.

 

This research together with my recent experience gives me confidence that it is fine in other states.

 

There was also a bunch of people in PA complaining about not being able to do anything with a PA title except register it in another state if it were not signed.

 

The only times an issue arose was if someone wanted a drive out tag. Then they had to be with the seller at the notary to notarize signatures to get the drive out tag. If the car is trailered it won't matter.

 

This title is 17 years old. It was issued in 1997. I am not sure when the woman signed it as it's not dated. I am guessing it was about 10yrs ago.

[techboy]

My wife just walked in the door from the dealership a few moments ago and I already asked her about it ... she said you should be able to apply for an abandonment title. She said they just got done going through the process at work and received the title this week. I'll make some calls and get the specifics of the process and PM you. You can decide then if it's worth your while to pursue.

 

If you can get the car running, it might be worth it ... if the gas tank is crummy and it needs tons of money, you're probably right about it being worth more boxes ... of which some should be coming to my house~!

[TURBOPRO]

Nice