Selling your car Hi, Mixz1. What if you drove your now much older car back across the border, and then reentered Mexico, declaring customs on it when you come in (that is, importing it, for your personal use in Mex); then, selling it, having legalized it in Mex. I know this is rough, because I'm only speculating about a possibility....
Re: Selling your car How did you have it legalized? I believe only certain vehicles with US VINs and of a certain age are "legalizable". I know my German car is not. In any case, you are still importing a car with MPH instead of KPH instrumentation. It's not going to wash and the poor guy who buys it is in as much trouble as you. See Steve's comment. You're not going to make a living importing cars into Mexico.
My bro-in-law was able to legalize a US pickup truck in Mexico...but at the time (10 years ago) it was only possible to do that with pickup trucks, as I understand it. For the life of me I don't understand why people get so excited about bringing cars here from the US. I guess if you let your US tags expire then you save that expense...but then if you were to drive back to the US with expired tags won't you be up shit's creek? Or did I miss something? Hubby always says that cars are cheaper in the US, and he's right about that, at least in the realm of good used cars which is all he would ever buy. So I suppose you could tell me that you can drive a nicer US car for the same cost as here, maybe. But if your US car isn't sold in Mexico then what happens when you need parts? I'll tell you what happens. You spend gobs of money importing said parts...and that's not cheap or fast. Now if you are completely in love with your car, as I know Mixz1 is, then you can be forgiven for bringing a car from the US, as it is then an act of love...and all is forgiven for love. But why would you bring a normal car to Mexico from the US? I don't get it. Then there's the other issue of you not being allowed to drive a foreign plated car here if you have an FM2. And if you are serious about living here on a full-time basis you SHOULD have an FM2. So again, having a foreign-plated car is a disadvantage. Besides they don't sell Renault in the US...and here they do...and owning a Renault sure makes driving fun here, I must say.
Well, RG is mostly right. I do love my car. But...there is a factory authorized dealer here in Cancun and if you own a "foreign" car anywhere in the world, you're by definition going to be buying imported parts. My BMW, your Renault are both using foreign parts. Granted, if I didn't love my car enough to bring it with me, I'd be driving something purchased here. But, and it's a big but, owning a foreign plated car is significantly less expensive than owning a Mexican automobile when things like taxes and insurance are factored in. Also, I've not seen much difference in the price of parts for my car. My recently replaced radiator was within 3 US dollars of the price in New York. What is hugely different is the price of labor, which 5 years ago, was over 100 dollars an hour at Manhattan BMW. And lastly, I think I'm here in Mexico for good, but not considering an FM2 at all. The FM2 process and rules places travel restrictions and car ownership conditions that would be unacceptable to me. These advantageous (for me) circumstances are the direct result of being retired, and as RG has pointed out in another of her well reasoned posts, retirees seem to be more content here. Part of the reason is the economic advantage we have under an FM3 jubilada (retiree) as opposed to those ex-pats who are working here. And finally, I believe the exemption for pickup trucks is still in effect. You can bring pickups of a certain age south and sell them here.
I agree 100% with Mixz1 about her reasons I still havew my FM3 status for the exact reasons she stated. I brought my first car down in 87 right before Gilbert and at the time it was the only way to own a car without full payment in Mexico. In 1992 I purchased a Explorer and we towed our boat from Mi to Miami and shipped both over, the Explorers were not available in Mexico at the time. We then returned and sold the Explorer in Miami and purchased a new one here in 98 (financiing was available). Our last car was purchased in Miami and was an Audi S4 that was SEVERAL thousands of USD less expensive and not to mention the tenencias we did not have to pay on a luxury vehicle and a super low interest loan. Now we are driving cars that were purchased in Cancun that has to do with having pretty much everything available that we have in the USA were as before we did not have anything really to choose from. I do not want to give up the right to bring a car or truck if I want to. Selling the Vehicle in Miami was not hard to do at all and the cost of shipping it back was minimal.
Ahem...his reasons, he stated. Or...is my avatar so alluring that I'm causing some gender confusion? Because if it is, that woman wearing those blue glasses is one unfortunately ugly person.
My Renault was built in Cuernavaca. Parts for it are readily available for it here because there are so many of them here and because the car shares many parts with the Nissan Platina (they were built in the same plant). Part of the reason we decided to buy a Renault Clio was the good availability of parts here. Another reason was the big engine/small car ratio makes for a very fun car to drive. Renaults are picky cars and you have to keep after them...they are not like the reliable-to-the-point-of-sheer-boredom Hondas I drove in the US...but my husband loves Renaults and does all the work himself. So I have no repair bills, very few parts bills and a car I like to drive. Not sure what kind of insurance you have here but our car insurance is less than half what we paid in the US, for similar and ample coverage. Tenencias are expensive here, but no more expensive than our yearly car registrations were in Colorado. And in Colorado we had the added expense of needing to pay for an inspection each year. I do understand bringing a car here if you love it. But I remain unconvinced of other advantages. And it seems to me there's an inherent disadvantage to not being able to sell your car here. As for the FM2 Inmigrante, it does place restrictions on how much time you can spend outside Mexico. But it is also the path to either FM2 Inmigrado status (permanent residency) or to citizenship. Both of which have huge advantages if you want to live here permanently. With an FM2 Inmigrante status you can't stay out of Mexico more than 18 months total in the 5 years that you have to renew it. If you go over the 18 months you will not qualify for Inmigrado status when your 5 years are up. Mixz1, given what I know of you I'll bet that you don't spend THAT much time outside Mexico. Though I can see that you wouldn't want a restriction like that. Citizenship WOULD save money for anyone who wants to own property in Mexico because it means there's no need to pay Fideicomiso fees to the bank each year.
Time frame for renewal? Hola mixz1. One more question, if I may. My permit exprires on December 1st. What is the time frame in which I need to renew it? In other words, is it better to renew it before it expires (and do they allow that), or is there a grace period after the expiration date for renewal? And to others who seem not to appreciate the importance of having a domestic car here: If you can't afford to buy a new one, and you have senior pets who need regular veterinary care, it's a good thing to have -- no matter how regular it is. Gracias mixz1!
