alt Hacker NewsA mechanic/storage lien is simply a way to get title without the cooperation of whoever the last guy in the database as having title is. It doesn't solve stupid government rules.
What's legal per the law is a tiny fraction of what you can put on a DMV form and have the form get past the clerk and process properly which itself is a tiny fraction of what the cops will go after.
This is what we do when buying a property that has ancient junk vehicles on it - sometimes without even a VIN intact. The purpose of a title is so that you can scrap them and get them off your property.