OT need reply from CA listers

[kywes@bellsouth.net (Wes Brockway)]

I'm looking at buying a car, ok a 1976 Toyota Corolla SR-5, (What? It is
one of the favorite cars I've owned and very hard to find) Anyway.. I've
found a pretty good looking one for sale in San Jose, CA. It is supposed
to have a clean title. Are there any problems or things to watch out for
regarding getting the title changed? Is there somewhere I can call to
verify the VIN(besides Carfax and relating to CA) or license plate to
verify that all fees are paid up? I've got the plate number if anyone
has connections.

Thanks for the bandwidth, please reply directly to me unless this can
help someone else on Scirocco purchases of like manner.