So, as of this week, the title is in my name and should be arriving via mail in the coming weeks.

As it turns out, I could NOT apply for an abandoned title, and the State Police informed me so. Since the vehicle was not abandoned on my property in the first place, by the person on the legal title, I had no recourse to declare it had been abandoned & they would do nothing for me. I learned that the hard way, AFTER restoring the rear end and making the vehicle drivable again.

I then learned about something called a "declaratory judgment" which is basically, in lay terms, a trump card that the District Court judge can give me, which overrides everything and forcibly puts the title in my name.

So it was a long time to get thru all the legal hoops, but as of Monday this week, I stood before a judge, pled my case, and was awarded such a judgment for this car. I wasted no time getting that to the title office & after a whopping $140 to the court, and $14 to the title office, I'm the legal owner

 

Bureaucracy, huh?

Glad you got finally got there

 

In Texas you can apply for a SURETY BOND and if there are no liens or nobody contests, you get the title.