Maya wrote: "I want to buy a new car, but apparently buying a MX car is not recommended. My questions are: (1) Can I buy a car in the U.S. (cash) and bring it back to MX using my MX driver's license but no American license or (2) if I buy in MX (cash), can I enter the US with appropriate documents and just a MX driver's license or, as a U.S. citizen, do I HAVE TO have a American license (I don't have a home in the U.S.; I visit my sons who live in two different states). Thanks for any advice! Maya"

Maya: I think you have received some good answers to your basic questions. In summary, they were: #1 -- is yes, you may buy a car in the US with a Mexican driver's license, and #2 -- is yes, you may drive a Mexican registered car--with current registration--in the USA with a Mexican driver's license, proof of U.S. insurance, and proof of residency.

About the suggestion of buying an old US car or truck to bring into Mexico and have it registered, this option is only open to Mexican citizens, who may bring a 10+ year old pickup into the interior of the country after paying taxes on it based on the NADA value and import fees on both sides of the border. Mexican citizens who live in the border zone, however, may bring in cars, SUVs, and pickup trucks more than four years old and less than $12,000 in value via the same process.

My question is: if an American expat (living in Mexico on a FM2 or 3 and a U.S. driver's license) may buy a used or new car in Mexico, does ownership of this Mexican vehicle reduce their ability to bring in one (additional) vehicle registered in the US?