[QUOTE=RVGRINGO;143329]Yes, you must remove the car from Mexico eventually.

If you brought a car into Mexico on FM2/3 visa, it can stay in Mexico as long as you renew your visa, since the car's temporary importation permit is linked to your visa. When you renew your visa, the car's permit is renewed. That process can can go on for many years.

But "eventually" you may want or need to replace your car for whatever reason -- engine failure, accident, etc. In that case, you would have to return the car or what's left to the border and have the permit cleared, before you could replace it with another car from the U.S.

If your car is ever destoyed, just make sure that you bring the VIN and the windshield with the sticker attached to the border. If you are in a serious accident in Mexico or your car catches on fire, make sure you get a police report and plenty of photos to prove that the car was destroyed. With the help of a Mexican attorney, the permit can be cleared.

My friends in SMA have a private mail service P.O. box in Laredo, Texas, and maintain the registration on their vehicles through that address. I would recommend that you continue to have the car registered in the U.S. Even California allows people from outside the state and country to have a car registered here. It's more expensive than other states, but it works.