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Looking to purchase US plated car


lakeside7

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If the Texas title is clear of liens, seller only needs to sign back of title and complete the address form.  Buyer pays transfer fees and title application fee plus any previous annual renewals that may be past due at the county tax office. Transfer tax due to the state will be determined by county tax office if the bill of sale purchase price is less than the book value.  Proof of financial liability insurance is required.  Proof of current vehicle inspection is required.  Some counties vary some on the rules but not much.  You can call the county with the VIN to inquire about any delinquent fees.  Best of luck to you.

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If you do that, be sure to have the seller's written permission and a copy of his ID, to drive the car to the USA through Mexico, as it is still his car until the official transfer occurs in Texas. If the seller is already Permanente, you will need a 'retorno seguro' and should consult Spencer at Chapal Law, for example.

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Over the years I have done many (20+) purchases of US plated vehicles that resided at Lakeside, then drove them promptly back to the States to title/then sell them there. Kiko and RV Gringo have outlined pretty much what should take place, and the suggestion to have Spencer (Chapala Law) assist is a good one.

The buyer should receive a signed US title and I would also get a signed Bill of Sale also (available on the Internet) in case your US state wants to see one.  RV Gringo suggested a 'letter' but a more prudent document is a Carta Poder (Power of Attorney). Spencer can do this for a 'small' fee. 

Insurance:  I often have the seller add me to their Mexican Insurance Policy as an additional driver for the trip to the border. Otherwise one can/must get at least minimal Mexican Insurance online from, say, Lewis & Lewis. Also make sure one has US vehicle insurance for after the border crossing.

IF the seller is Permanente, they must provide the buyer with a Seguro Returno (Safe Return) document from SAT. Once obtained the buyer has 5-6 business days to get the vehicle out of Mexico. Spencer can also do this for an additional fee. Seller should pay for this IMO as the vehicle is in Mexico illegally.

In any case the seller's TIP should be cancelled at the border going out... otherwise the seller has no chance of receiving their $400 deposit back.  Upon entering the US, don't make a big deal about the vehicle to the Customs Agent... it is yours! If the Agent asks if this is your vehicle, tell them yes... period. Don't go into any big story about your purchase UNLESS ASKED. Everything that you have done is completely legal. If the vehicle has 'current' US plates, there is no reason to try and get new ones before you are 'home' as you are driving a legally purchased vehicle home.

These documents.... Carta Poder and Seguro Retorno.... MAY never be asked for nor used.... one need NOT turn them in anywhere. But IMO it would be foolish to leave without them just in case someone somewhere along the way has a question about the vehicle and without them you might be assumed to be driving someone's vehicle without permission.

 

 

 

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As I said we sold our US car here but had to accompany the new owner to ID and remove our import sticker. Otherwise our sold car would be on the record of our sold car staying in México. So perhaps when the new owner drives it out of México it would show on the import sticker it still belonged to me here. They may think it was stolen since the owner here didn’t Id at the border to remove the sticker. Just saying we had to accompany the new owner to Id and remove our sticker legally. 

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As I suggested above, there is and never has been a requirement for the OWNER to be the one who cancels the TIP at the border. You said that you 'had to accompany'.... but you did not!  If someone told you that, they were mistaken. What and all that IS necessary is the paperwork that accompanied the purchase of the TIP.  Anyone driving the vehicle, that has the original paperwork, can.... and should.... cancel the TIP. 

As I said I've taken 20+ of them out, always stopping at the border to cancel the previous owner's TIP, and have never been asked if I own the vehicle or had to show any identification or documentation. They don't care.   Drive up, hand them the documentation and say 'cancel por favor', open the door so they can take a picture of the VIN# sticker in the door jamb, watch as they take a picture front and back and wait while the Agent types into the computer. Then gives you a receipt.  On your way in less than 5 minutes. Eazy Peazy.

 

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9 hours ago, sm1mex said:

Just saying we had to accompany the new owner to Id and remove our sticker legally. 

"Remove our sticker legally"?  They're federal customs agents- if they remove the sticker and hand over an official export paper, no matter who they hand it to- you, me, the dog, my 2 year old granddaughter, it's legally exported. It then shows up on the data base as being removed, so no longer in the TIP holder's name, as still being in Mexico.

As Rick has said, no you didn't have to be present. Don't know who erroneously convinced you that was necessary, but you should have researched it yourself, unless you wanted to make a trip up to the border anyway.

I bought a car with Canadian plates from a friend years ago,back when I was still on a temporary residency, then drove it back up to Canada a few months later and had it transferred to my name.

I had a letter from her giving me permission to drive it out of the country, and a copy of her ID. When I got to the border, I handed them the TIP papers that were in her name, they scraped off the sticker, checked the VIN numbers, and gave me the paper showing it had been removed from Mexico. No one ever asked to see my ID nor the letter she had written.

I gave the seller, who was then in Canada, the export paper, in case she ever wanted to bring another car into Mexico, but she had moved back to Canada and said she had no intention of ever driving or moving back here, so she probably just threw it in the garbage.

Mexico doesn't give a fig who drives the vehicle out, they only care that it doesn't remain in the country. 

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