You can get a bill of sale from the local tag office more often than not, and if not there then they can tell you where to get an official one. You can get a temporary tag at the local tag office if you're required to get one for your county (Believe it or not that's not always the case) but if you don't have a temporary tag, do not write on some cardboard that you have "applied" for a tag. There is no such thing any more, tags are no longer applied for, they hand them to you right there in the tag office when you get done. Also, the best way to see if the title is legit. Is to see the title. If it's clear and in his hands then he should be able to show it to you before you sign the paperwork, since you'll need to sign that as well. Make sure all the paperwork is filled out and dated as well. Also since the car is a Shell (Apparently) You can tell the tag office that the car is not running and only have the car titled without being tagged for street driving. Talk to them about it, they will explain it all. Essentially, your local tag office has all the answers you need to know.