Purchasing used...how to know if it is stolen or not?
So, I'm in the market for a used truck camper...first time to have a TC. I was surprised to find that for much of the country, no title is required for a truck camper...but in thinking on it, I guess that sort of makes sense for it to be consider an "accessory" rather than a vehicle in and of itself.
So, before I will feel comfortable laying out north of $10K, I feel I need some type of assurance the camper is legitimate. I'd hate to buy what could be a stolen camper, only to find this out later and then be out my $10K+ AND the camper.
So, how do those of your with TC experience handle this? If I'm buying from an original owner, I'd think they should have the original sale documents...in which case I'd be fine with having these accompanied by a bill of sale from that same person. But, what about when there is no clear transfer history...what to do in this case? Is there some way to search for stolen vehicles? I also believe that not all (if any?) TC do not have a VIN. If no VIN, do they have a serial number or some way to mark it in a way that identifies it as a particular item?
So, before I will feel comfortable laying out north of $10K, I feel I need some type of assurance the camper is legitimate. I'd hate to buy what could be a stolen camper, only to find this out later and then be out my $10K+ AND the camper.
So, how do those of your with TC experience handle this? If I'm buying from an original owner, I'd think they should have the original sale documents...in which case I'd be fine with having these accompanied by a bill of sale from that same person. But, what about when there is no clear transfer history...what to do in this case? Is there some way to search for stolen vehicles? I also believe that not all (if any?) TC do not have a VIN. If no VIN, do they have a serial number or some way to mark it in a way that identifies it as a particular item?
