Out of State VIN Checks
 

This is an interesting GAO report with respect to salvage titles and stolen vehicle. The chart on page 12 is telling since if you purchase a car in Oregon, Kansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, DC, or Vermont, there is essentially no VIN check from out of state to see if your car you may be purchasing is stolen. Am I reading this right? Even California does not tell you if an out of state vehicle is hot until after you purchase and attempt to register???

http://www.gao.gov/assets/690/687957.pdf

https://i.imgur.com/gzHBRXA.jpg

In your text you're correct about California--the state definitely checks to see if a car is "hot" when you try to register it. Maybe symantics in the chart you included (checking "before" a car is registered vs after), but the check is definitely done BEFORE the DMV allows you to title an out-of-state purchase.

A good site to know;
https://www.nicb.org/theft_and_fraud_awareness/vincheck

You can check it this way: Search Vehicles and Property

If a vehicle is reported as stolen (in Canada and the USA) it is put on the list. The RCMP shares info with the FBI and they both share it with Interpol. Your state might not check it but you should before buying. :)

The state of Oregon loves criminals. It is very kind to them.

Several years ago I bought a car with a clear Oregon title. When I registered it, my Oregon title came back as a salvage title due to an accident the car had been in when it was registered as a Californian car. Just had to eat it, prior owner had no knowledge.

So Oregon does check at some point, but not always helpful.

And nope, carfax didn't have any info on a 1971 model car.