Can I buy a car in Guadalajara?

[HombreEPGDL]

I will be retiring in Guadalajara in January and would like to know if I can buy a car there? Do I need an FM3 and can I drive the car back and forth to the US? Thanks!

[RVGRINGO]

Yes, you can. In fact, we have done so and are the proud owners of a 2007 Smart Car purchased at one of the Mercedes dealers in Guadalajara. There is nothing unusual about the practice. You will need legal immigration status and proof of a Mexican address. That, and cash, will do the trick. We have driven ours back to the USA without any difficulty. Your Mexican insurance agent can assist in getting you the necessary liability insurance to drive in the USA.

[HombreEPGDL]

When you say legal immigration status, can that be an FMT or does it have to be an FM3?

[RVGRINGO]

Logic tells me that having a Mexican address to register the car, you would have an FM3. However, I don't know if an FMT would allow you to buy a car; I don't see why not, because a 'snowbird' could use an FMT every year for up to 180 days in Mexico and leave his Mexican car in his garage while away in the north. I suppose it simply has to do with having an address and being in the country legally; my best guess. You could ask a dealer: Mercedes Benz/Smart Cars, Fernando Rivera Barrera, fdorivera@eurostern.com.mx and see what they say.

[bigmutt]

Just as with property, you don't need to be living (legally) in the country to buy and own a vehicle. Cash and a mexican address is all you need.