Well I'll spare you all the really long and horrible story of trying to get a Washington State title (and license plates) for my 2+2 that I bought from Alberta.  But it was multiple trips to 3 different DMV offices, the State Patrol, calling my Congressman, and emailing with the Director of Licensing.

Long story short, the first place I went to wanted the impossible.  They would not give me a title without the old Alberta registration.  I bought the car from a guy that owned a dealership, and that's how he got the car, and they don't do it that way.  When you trade in a car at a dealer you either transfer your plates to the new car or cancel your old registration for a refund, but it is NOT like the USA where you sign the title over.  And I checked, the guy that last registered it 20 years ago is now dead, so he can't help me.

Put another way, license plates and ownership are completely separate and unrelated in Alberta, but the DOL demanded the old registration anyway.

The fallback plan, and the one the DMV kept wanting to punt me off with, was a "Contested VIN" where you wait three years to see if anyone else complains or reports the car stolen. Until then, however, you don't actually own the car, so how much time and money would I really sink into it?

I got lucky, however, in that they guy I bought the car from in Alberta actually owned a car dealership, which is where the car came from.  So he'd sent me a bill (sales contract) from the dealership, and the third DMV office was willing to make a few phone calls and get it resolved.  Had it not been from a dealership, however, I think I'd be on the "3 year lost VIN plan".

Actually no, I take that back.  My next plan was to wait for the seller to return from vacation, sell the car back to him, have him re-register the car in Alberta, sign the registration over to me, and send it to me.

Failing that I had another friend in Alberta who was going to do that for me.

Failing that I was going to fly there myself and register it under a corporate account and then transfer it to myself personally.

Failing that I was going to sell it to my Mom in Saskatchewan and have her register it, but that would require an inspection perhaps.

Failing that I was going to call the car home-built, pointing to the wild mix of Catalina and Impala parts, and register it that way.

And if -all of that- failed, then I'd wait three years.  Wow, what an ugly ride through the bureaucracy that was... but happy it all worked out in the end!