Buying a car in MX

InkaRoads

cronopiador
I am sure that if you buy an american car they will charge you more than US, however if you buy a VW or a Seat (spanish Fiat) you might get a better deal, but again all I ever buy is tequila and tecate so I would not be able to tell you for sure.
 

Stuart

Aye carumba!!!
Staff member
I've never bought one, but consider it VERY carefully if you ever plan on bringing it to the US to register and drive. Most foreign manufactured vehicles (excluding those made specifically for the US market) do not meet US emission or safety standards. It will cost you a fortune to convert the car to US standards -- you're better off buying one here that already meets US standards.

There was an outfit in Nogales for awhile that manufactured and sold brand new VW beetles (the old style beetles, not the new ones). You could order a new beetle through them and it was legal to import into the US. The catch was this - you had to provide them with the body pan of an old beetle from the US (wrecked, scrapped, rusted apart, whatever). Supposedly, they used that body pan (or at least it's number) and built the rest of the car on it - new shell, glass, interior, motor, etc. Since that body pan # was the VIN for the vehicle and it already been built for the US market, you could instantly register the new beetle with no regard to current emission or safety standards. I don't know if this outfit is still around or not, but I remember seeing their website a few years ago. The last old style beetle rolled off the production line in Mexico a few years ago, so that was probably the end of them, as well.

Personally, I've always wanted one of the little flat-faced, bug-eyed utility trucks I see running around in Mexico. Could be a real fun project truck!
 
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Roberto

Guest
I read an article last year that said they still made the air cooled VW engine in a corner of the big plant in Puebla or someplace down there. Said there was lots of demand for engines to keep the old bugs on the road.
 
Oh no-please don't tell my husband this. We (or I should say "he") have a '59 that he bought many years ago with the intentions of restoring it. Ladies, I know some of you can relate to this. Twenty years from now (if we make it that far!), it will still be in the same condition as it is today-a relic piece of junk! Him and my father-in-law think Things are sooo cool-not to mention squarebacks, oval windows, etc. yada yada yada.............
 

Mentiras y Traición

Sonoran Goddess
Oh no-please don't tell my husband this. We (or I should say "he") have a '59 that he bought many years ago with the intentions of restoring it. Ladies, I know some of you can relate to this. Twenty years from now (if we make it that far!), it will still be in the same condition as it is today-a relic piece of junk! Him and my father-in-law think Things are sooo cool-not to mention squarebacks, oval windows, etc. yada yada yada.............
Personally, I think every man should have a Thing.
 
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