Cars and Licenses

[BryansRose]

Thanks for that clarification regarding renting a car in the US to drive back to SLP.

This whole car thing is strange. I think of my car as just another posession, like my clothes, or my TV, or my bed. All my household goods are coming in, with no need to "return" them all to the US at some point. I wonder why cars are different?

[RVGRINGO]

Cars are 'big ticket' items and Mexico is an automobile manufacturing country. So, those industries and the automobile dealers have an interest in protecting their market. They also have a lot of economic and political clout.
Frankly, my personal view on bringing furniture and appliances to Mexico is that it is "bringing coals to Newcastle" and a great waste of money, since everything is available here and shipping will cost over a dollar a pound. A few selected items, yes. A whole household.....not something I recommend; especially large appliances or any that generate heat. No electric driers, crock pots, toaster ovens, pottery kilns, electric heaters, etc. Your electric bills will be unbelievably high if you use them.

[BryansRose]

Okay, I see, about protecting manufacturing interests.

And I agree, bringing everything with you is not a great idea. I am partial to my own bed, and the cost of replacing two pianos would cost almost as much as the whole move, so I have some things on their way down.

What you said about electrical appliances -- I think that goes along with what BajaGringo said about how you have to "erase the board" when you come down here. If you expect it to be just like living in the US, you probably won't be happy. Since I am lucky enough not to have to work, I can take the time to cook from scratch, and I use foods native to the area. That eliminates a lot of the "need" for kitchen appliances. I must admit, though, I am addicted to microwave ovens, so that is one thing that I purchased here. That and a washing machine. No dryer.

[G.Bledsoe]

Originally Posted by RVGRINGO

NOTE: You cannot bring a rented vehicle, even a UHaul, into Mexico. So, if you were to drive a US plated vehicle to the USA to sell it, scrap it or give it away, you would have to come back to your home in Mexico by bus or plane to buy your car here.
NAFTA agreements on cars seem to apply to importing and exporting manufacturing or dealer organizations, not individuals. Remember, many 'American cars' are actually made in Mexico and Canada. Still, an individual can't simply import one of them to the USA. In fact, there are many models sold in Canada or Mexico which aren't available in the USA and have different content for their own markets. It is complicated and very few expats try to import vehicles from elsewhere. A friend, who had to move back to Florida, just sold his Mexican plated 2004 Nissan Platina and is having to drive his old 1982 Chevrolet guzzler with, failed AC, out of Mexico next week. They plan to abandon it or give it to charity as soon as they get Mexican Customs to remove the sticker and issue the receipt, then cross the border and take a bus from Texas to Florida. They couldn't abandon it in Mexico for fear of the various consequences and the fact that they might want to return one day.

Almost all car rental companies in the US do not allow their cars to be taken across the border. However, there are smaller, indepedent companies that do rent cars and small trucks and allow them to be taken over the border. (We regularly rent vans in Ft. Worth for our race in Mexico.) Thus you may bring a rental car into Mexico on a tourist sticker, if you have nortarized permission from the rental company. Even though the vehicle is not yours, you are solely responsible for getting it back out of the country.

If you have a leased car or a car with a bank lien on it, you must also have written permission from the lease or finance company to bring it into Mexico.

Regarding NAFTA, at least my Mexican friends look forward to the day they can go to the US and buy a car. Right now, the only thing they can do south of the border zone is to buy a pick-up truck that is 10 years old. But they have to spend three days at the border to export it from the States, and then another day to import it into Mexico.

I do not know if the full implementation of NAFTA in this area will eliminate the controls on cars brought into Mexican by US tourists and expats. I hope so.

The New Mexico Boarder Authority (Santa Teresa) has some good information on all of this on its web site.

Yes, many of the cars made in Mexico cannot be registered in the US. But we have established the fact that they can be driven in the US with Mexican tags for a period of time. I have had two Chevy/GMC trucks made in Silao for the US market, and they have been excellent.

BTW, I am sure that some car lot in Laredo will give them $50 or more for the '82Chevy. Regardless, they should remove the tags, if they abandon it in a public parking lot.

[G.Bledsoe]

Originally Posted by BryansRose

Thanks for that clarification regarding renting a car in the US to drive back to SLP.

This whole car thing is strange. I think of my car as just another posession, like my clothes, or my TV, or my bed. All my household goods are coming in, with no need to "return" them all to the US at some point. I wonder why cars are different?

The control of US vechicles brought into Mexico serves two significant purposes.

For Mexico, it helps to protect their car manufacturing industry by keeping cheaper, used US cars out.

For the US, it helps to reduce the number of stolen vehicles going into Mexico.

You may remember that about 10 years ago, it turned out that the Mexican police in Tijuana were actually riding around in vehicles stolen in the US.

So, the system of tramites (temporary importation) serves the interests of both countries.

The manufacturing lobby in Mexico is very strong. The full implementation of NAFTA in the areas has alreday been delayed twice. As said earlier, the most recent delay is supposed to expire next year.

[TransAmericas]

Originally Posted by RVGRINGO

There is no 'link for South Dakota plates'. So, please don't try to register your vehicle via the South Dakota DMV website; it won't work and you could create a problem for others. There is only one county which accommodates us and only one very specific way to get it done. It will require that you have a Social Security number and a mailing address in the USA. If you are ready to change your title to SD, send me a PM and I will give you the details.

Hi RVGringo,
Trying to PM you regarding this post, but I don't see the option. we are on a several year road trip through North, Central & South America (trans-americas. com) and we are currently in your town staying with friends in Ajijic. As we are moving slower than expected, our registration (NJ) will run out long before we return and NJ is difficult w/ renewals if not present as there is a required inspection. Here in Ajijic I've noticed so many SD plates and I was told that its easy for registrations while living (or in our case traveling) abroad, but nobody seems to know the details. Before we head further south, our visa expires in 2 weeks and we need to make a run up north so I wanted to sort out a registration that will work for us over the next 3+ years.

Hoping you could shed some light on this topic.
Thanks,
Eric

[G.Bledsoe]

Originally Posted by TransAmericas

Hi RVGringo,
Trying to PM you regarding this post, but I don't see the option. we are on a several year road trip through North, Central & South America (trans-americas. com) and we are currently in your town staying with friends in Ajijic. As we are moving slower than expected, our registration (NJ) will run out long before we return and NJ is difficult w/ renewals if not present as there is a required inspection. Here in Ajijic I've noticed so many SD plates and I was told that its easy for registrations while living (or in our case traveling) abroad, but nobody seems to know the details. Before we head further south, our visa expires in 2 weeks and we need to make a run up north so I wanted to sort out a registration that will work for us over the next 3+ years.

Hoping you could shed some light on this topic.
Thanks,
Eric

Why not register the car in Texas?

[mexliving]

you can get an extention on your mexico fmt tourist visa from the imigration office..... usually 2 to 4 weeks.... then a couple of days before you make your drive out of the country you go to the SAT office and get a written document stating your departing mexico (no charge)

[RVGRINGO]

If you can establish an address in Texas, you could register there.

[G.Bledsoe]

Many of my friends in San Miguel de Allende have a private PO box address in Laredo, Texas, a service that carries their U.S. mail down to San Miguel daily. The expats around Lake Chapala must have the same. I do not know if this address is acceptable to the Texas DMV, nor do I know if you must estbalish residence in Texas to register a car there. I think you can just walk into the DMV and register a car there. I do not know if an address in Mexico will work.