Enrichment · Passion Projects

Title at home,
card in the car.

Selling a car, moving states or filing a claim all start with the same papers, and the title is usually the one nobody can find. Record each vehicle once and see every renewal in date order, plus the paperwork still owed after a loan is paid off.

Add a vehicleWhat you get
$5one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $5

Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Passion projects kit, $39 for 34 items.

Your vehicles

The worked example is made up: a paid-off sedan whose lender still has the title and a financed SUV with insurance renewing in nine days. Saved on this device only.

Loading the vehicle form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Enrichment · Passion Projects$5

What you finish with
A record per vehicle: year, make and model, the last six of the VIN, plate, ownership and lender; where the title is; registration, insurance and inspection dates and the insurer; six document habits. Lists every renewal by date; flags anything due within 30 days or lapsed, a paid-off vehicle whose lender still holds the title, a lost title, a title kept in the car and an unchecked recall.
Who it is for
Families with more than one vehicle, new drivers with their first car, and students taking a car to college.
Format
Browser organizer with a saved record per vehicle. Prints one vehicle, all vehicles in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Passion projects kit ($39) and the Enrichment Suite pass ($119), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Passion Projects space in Caveat Enrichment.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Gather the title, registration and insurance card for each vehicle.
  2. Enter only the last six of the VIN.
  3. Put renewal dates in and read the list at the left.
  4. Check recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
  5. After a payoff, ask the lender for the title and lien release.

Add a vehicle

Where each paper belongs

Where each paper belongsKeep at homeTitleBill of saleLoan payoff and lienreleaseService recordsKeep in the carRegistration cardProof of insuranceRoadside help numberCheck onlineOpen recalls by VINRegistration renewalInspection due dateWhere each paper belongsKeep at home· Title· Bill of sale· Loan payoff and lien release· Service recordsKeep in the car· Registration card· Proof of insurance· Roadside help numberCheck online· Open recalls by VIN· Registration renewal· Inspection due date
The title is proof of ownership. Everything a police officer or a repair shop needs fits in the car without it.

After the last payment

When a loan is paid off, the lender releases its lien. Depending on the state, it mails you the title, sends a lien release to take to the motor vehicle office, or updates an electronic title. If nothing arrives within a few weeks, ask; you cannot sell the vehicle without it.

Recalls

Safety recall repairs are free at an authorized dealer. Search by the full VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls a couple of times a year and whenever you buy a used vehicle.

Sources

  1. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Check for recalls (nhtsa.gov/recalls).
  2. Federal Trade Commission. Buying a Used Car From a Dealer and Paying Off a Car Loan (consumer.ftc.gov).
  3. Insurance Information Institute. What is covered by a standard auto policy (iii.org).
  4. American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators. Electronic lien and title (aamva.org).

The worked example is made up. Registration, title and inspection rules are set by each state; follow your motor vehicle office. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.