Buy a car in Mexico or US

I am planning on staying in Mexico but might be driving back once in awhile.  Better to have Mexican car traveling to US or US car traveling in Mexico?

kaiserjack wrote:

I am planning on staying in Mexico but might be driving back once in awhile.  Better to have Mexican car traveling to US or US car traveling in Mexico?


That's sort of an either-or situation. With a U.S. car, you would have to pay import fees, and you would get a lot more attention from all authorities as you drive along. Which means more stops and possibly a bribe or two. With a Mexican plated car you will likely not be stopped at all, just waved on.

As far as the U.S. goes, who knows it could depend on the next tweet, and how busy Ice is Perhaps. Before the most recent crazy U.S. behavior, my son who is a cop in the U.S. said there would be no problem in the U.S. unless you tried to stay with an Mx. plated car for a prolonged period of time ( 6 mos or more).  So perhaps if you wait for the next election things would settle. So if you wouldn't plan to cross until after Xmas all could be fine.

Buying a car in Mexico easy?  Probably a cheap used car.

kaiserjack wrote:

Buying a car in Mexico easy?  Probably a cheap used car.


If you tread carefully and do your homework perhaps. There are used car lots so you could look around. A local trusted guide might help. I know someone who bought a car in one of those autos swap meets and her car tended to be more in the shop than not. I don't know how well you can evaluate a car. If you are good at it you might be fine.

If it were me I would visit a dealer and see what they say and might have.   The other thing is having someone to help with the paperwork which a dealer would do.

Of course, you can check into U.S. cars that Mexico might nationalize.
Perhaps this link might also help https://yucalandia.com/driving-in-mexic … dos-donts/

Buena Suerte

your option. cars cheaper in mexico mexican built cars are built better than us cars. last longer, get better gas mileage. case in point; my fiance's car is a 2004 chevy pop; 140000 miles, runs like a top. built in mexico.stick shift, 4 speed. thru regular maintenance may last 300000 miles. show me a us made car that can do that. i had a 1979 suzuki samuri built in mexico. when i bought it , it had 325000 miles on it. never had a problem with it ever. gave it to my daughter for 2002  high school graduation. she still has it today.

Thanks, and any opinions about living in Loreto?

Thanks, good insight.

You would have to have a Residente Temporal or Residente Permanente visa to purchase and register a car in one of the mexican states. You would be able to enter the US with your MX plated car for up to a year. (I presume you would have to show your MX visa to CBP.)  If you have a US plated vehicle you have to apply in MX for an import exemption. This is valid for a specific period of time. You can apply if you are traveling on a Tourist  or Residente Temporal visa. RESIDENTE PERMANENTE CAN NOT OBTAIN AN IMPORT EXEMPTION. You will be subjected to custom and import fees.  If you plan to obtain a Temporal or Permanente visa I would suggest purchasing a car in MX.

Hello everybody. I just came to mexico for work. I want to bring my car from  Rep. of Panama as I don't want to buy another car here. Could you please tell me what do I need to do to be able to bring it here? My residence permission isn't issued yet. I think I will have it soon. I look forward to hear from you. Thank you.

tolga2019 wrote:

Hello everybody. I just came to mexico for work. I want to bring my car from  Rep. of Panama as I don't want to buy another car here. Could you please tell me what do I need to do to be able to bring it here? My residence permission isn't issued yet. I think I will have it soon. I look forward to hear from you. Thank you.


So in most cases, you pay an import fee which is returned to you when you exit the country. Most get a 6-month visa. That is a normal routine for people coming from the U.S. or Canada.

The question would be what sort of relationship Panama and Mexico have. For that, I would suggest asking either Panama, Mexico or both. This website might be of help.https://www.gob.mx/en/index but this is more user-friendly
  https://www.mexperience.com/bringing-fo … to-mexico/

What about an RV?  Either a motor home or a trailer.  Are the rules different?