Nationalizing your car

[Sailor]

Several friends who are very confused about how to nationalize their cars have asked me to post this. What is the legal way to do this? Do you have to go to the border and if so, does it have to be the border you entered thru? Since all the trouble with Tio Corp, is it legal to nationalize with a facilitator? Thank you in advance.

[RVGRINGO]

I do not recommend that you try to do it, even if your car was made in a NAFTA country. There seems to be no reliable, trustworthy answer to your questions. I have seen some of the paperwork on vehicles nationalized many years ago; they had false documents and obvious straw men who signed with an X. It worked then, but now people are reporting arrests when you try to get plates, plus confiscation of the car.

So, sell the thing in its home country and buy a Mexican replacement. That is my current advice.

[border crosser]

I have a friend who just nationalized his 2005 Buick. He began the process in Nuevo Laredo with the help of a facilitator. He then brought all the papers back here and finalized the process in GDL where he got his Jalisco tags. The total cost was $2,000 US. He did have a small delay due to the fact that he did not have a curp number which was required for the final process in GDL. He has offered to guide me through the process but my US plated car is too new, it is a 2008.

[OneMexicoExpat]

How can you be sure the documents are not fake?

[sparks]

How can you be sure the documents are not fake?

If the plates are issued I assume the local office checks for false paperwork

[The world's best climate]

So, sell the thing in its home country and buy a Mexican replacement. That is my current advice.

And this is the idea, they want foreigners to consume mexican products.

[JRPJR]

I have a friend who just nationalized his 2005 Buick. He began the process in Nuevo Laredo with the help of a facilitator. He then brought all the papers back here and finalized the process in GDL where he got his Jalisco tags. The total cost was $2,000 US. He did have a small delay due to the fact that he did not have a curp number which was required for the final process in GDL. He has offered to guide me through the process but my US plated car is too new, it is a 2008.

How long did he have to spend in Nuevo Laredo? How long did the process take start to finish? TIA fot your answers.

[El Cartero]

Ever try to register a car in another country? Same thing! So sell the foreign plated car and buy a mexican one is good advice. If you want to nationalize.

I believe S&S Auto have found a reputable broker and can facilitate the process. If you've bee reading the posts you know that the discovery of false documentation occurs when you go for plates. Since this is part of the process S&S does for you it isn't a problem for you.

[Wheels]

Ever try to register a car in another country? Same thing! So sell the foreign plated car and buy a mexican one is good advice. If you want to nationalize. I believe S&S Auto have found a reputable broker and can facilitate the process. If you've bee reading the posts you know that the discovery of false documentation occurs when you go for plates. Since this is part of the process S&S does for you it isn't a problem for you.

I tried S&S auto and nothing got done. DO NOT USE HIM

[el bartman]

Wheels, you must be confused, the service just starts today or tomorrow so to say you used him and nothing got none is not possible. I would use him in a heartbeat!

[ssauto]

I tried S&S auto and nothing got done. DO NOT USE HIM

Wheels, El Bartman is right, just getting quotes and procedures in hand (I believe you were advised there would be a time delay,for us to get quotes and procedures) ... before you say things on the web board, don´t you think it would have been advantageous to call the office first, to find out the status - I am available now for any questions, Karen (for S&S Auto).

[Wheels]

Wheels, you must be confused, the service just starts today or tomorrow so to say you used him and nothing got none is not possible. I would use him in a heartbeat!

not confused at all. They may have started again but in the past a disaster.

I still have paper that they signed to do this. And nothing was done for months and months. No I know what I am talking about.

[ssauto]

not confused at all. They may have started again but in the past a disaster.

I still have paper that they signed to do this. And nothing was done for months and months. No I know what I am talking about.

Wheels ... give me a call, I am at the office right now, Karen 765-4806

[Wheels]

Wheels ... give me a call, I am at the office right now, Karen 765-4806

no need to call you anymore, car is already nationalized. It was done properly and legally. End of story

Residents have had enough of area companies saying they can do this and do that and get caught with fraudulent paperwork. I have friends going thru a nightmare right now. If it is too good to be true it is not.

[ssauto]

no need to call you anymore, car is already nationalized. It was done properly and legally. End of story

Residents have had enough of area companies saying they can do this and do that and get caught with fraudulent paperwork. I have friends going thru a nightmare right now. If it is too good to be true it is not.

In all fairness, if time went by, why didn´t you call? Don´t imply that S&S Auto was doing anything illegally or fraudulently (unless you can prove it) ... don´t put S&S Auto in that category without justification. Q. Did S&S Auto ever take any money from you to do this? A. No. Careful what you say publicly

[Ginger]

Good advice, Karen. I've had nothing but good experiences with S&S (but not with nationalizing a car).

[Intercasa]

One issue with nationalizations is that nobody locally does the direct nationalization and they use someone at the border and even then that person may not be the actual person and lots of money comes in or a government policy changes and the person doesn't or cannot return the money so they disappear or send back fake documents to the local person who has no idea who passes them on to their clients. Sometimes people do a few and all is well and then they just disappear.

[Arti Riberas]

Spencer. Lots of people here have lots of respect for you in the fact that you seem a good source of information. I have a 2000 Chevy Blazer that needs to be nationalized. Do you have a way to do this without complication? I do not want to go to the border. The car is in very good shape, and I want to keep it.

[Hernan Santiago]

Folks, this horse is dead. Why do we keep dredging the corpse up and continue to kick it to see if it will come back to life? DO NOT NATIONALIZE YOUR VEHICLES. How many times and on how many posts must Spencer give the same answers time after time after time and you all still think you are each special in your own unique way. Well, maybe you are, but your vehicles are not. Give Spencer a break or hire him and stop asking for freebies. The guy just had a root canal and is probably feeling about as good as his avatar looks right about now. Sorry, Spencer

[Hernan Santiago]

Spencer. Lots of people here have lots of respect for you in the fact that you seem a good source of information. I have a 2000 Chevy Blazer that needs to be nationalized. Do you have a way to do this without complication? I do not want to go to the border. The car is in very good shape, and I want to keep it.

Spencer no longer nationalizes vehicles, as he has stated many, many, many times on several different posts and at least three webbboards. The process is fraught with dangers. Proceed at your own risk.

[Intercasa]

I want nothing to do with nationalizations except I will spring you from the poky if you unknowingly present fake documents. The risks to me financially as well as to my reputation are not worth the risks.

Here is some advice nobody wants to hear but should get:

If your car is worth less than $3,000 US bite the bullet and donate it or get rid of it.

If your car is worth 3,000 to $8,000 make a border run and sell it

Over $8,000 and if God smiles on us and gives you some legal way to nationalize it, do so.

I am personally in the same boat as many of you except my truck is a 2004, Chevy so should be able to be nationalized and is worth probably $12,000US. If it becomes a hassle I will make a run to the border, kiss it, cry and dump it for $8,000 and maybe replace it here, although it is my 2nd vehicle.

[jrm30655]

After digging all day on the net, it seems that the safest way to do this is to drive to the border, find a licensed custom broker and get them to walk it thru the process and pay the tab.

I haven't found a licensed broker in the Laredo area yet but I found one in Nogales.

Importing a car is really not much different from importing anything else. Customs wants to see the car and check the vin # and make sure that it isn't full of money, guns etc.

The broker that I talked to actually sends you with one of his people to the government offices so that you know that the paperwork is real.

Customs is at all ports of entry, which I would think included Guad airport. Whether they are equipped to import a car there or not may be interesting.

As far as I can tell, a broker is not required if you are willing to spend the time going from line to line. However, a broker will get everything ready and filed and then lead you around to the right places to finish everything up and get you to the pay windows. They get a fee for this service and it would be worth it to me.

[Hernan Santiago]

After digging all day on the net, it seems that the safest way to do this is to drive to the border, find a licensed custom broker and get them to walk it thru the process and pay the tab.

I haven't found a licensed broker in the Laredo area yet but I found one in Nogales.

Importing a car is really not much different from importing anything else. Customs wants to see the car and check the vin # and make sure that it isn't full of money, guns etc.

The broker that I talked to actually sends you with one of his people to the government offices so that you know that the paperwork is real.

Customs is at all ports of entry, which I would think included Guad airport. Whether they are equipped to import a car there or not may be interesting.

As far as I can tell, a broker is not required if you are willing to spend the time going from line to line. However, a broker will get everything ready and filed and then lead you around to the right places to finish everything up and get you to the pay windows. They get a fee for this service and it would be worth it to me.

If anybody can do this and get it done correctly, my money is on you. Your friend, Hernan Santiago

[Intercasa]

Mexico's Aduana used to post a list of reputable customs agents. I think the risk is less if done at the border with someone who has been at the same location a while and who gives you a written contract (where you verify the pedimento after) and the vehicle is a no brainer, i.e. 6 to 10 year old NAFTA car.

[playaboy]

You have to go to the border. You have to use a customs broker to import a car. Aduana will not deal with you directly.

There is also some export paperwork needed from the USA.

I have imported golf carts. I have many Mexican friends that import a car once a year. It is an easy and safe process when using a reputable broker.. It will also cost $$$$ and takes 2-3 days.

FYI

I have talked to a friend that is a used car dealer in TX. He was already aware of the vehicle issues expats are now facing. He told me that he and most other dealers including Carmax are going to heavily discount their offers for cars with non Texas plates assuming that they are coming from Mexico. I ask him why, his response " besides some safety requirements there really is no difference between US, Mex, or Can cars. One is not built any better than the other. It is the Mexican roads that are extremely hard on all vehicles, cutting the cars lives in half"

That's why Mexicans prefer USA used cars, they were driven on better roads.