I have a real problem that hopefully one or more of you knowledgeable folks on this site can answer. Sorry, but it is not Dodge, truck or diesel related.
In Mexico it is legal for an ex-pat to have ONE foreign plated vehicle if one has the appropriate visa. It is called a FM3. I have that. Back in 2000 I brought a Canadian plated 1996 Infiniti I30 into Mexico. The tags have never been renewed. For some reason the authorities down here could not care less if a foreign plated vehicle has expired tags so most ex-pats drive vehicles with outdated plates.
Supposedly in Jan 2004 it was going to be possible to change the Infiniti to Mexican plates and I was waiting to do this. Have just found out that this law is not going to happen any more. So now I have two vehicles down here and the authorities can legally just confiscate one of them. This means that I have to sell my Infiniti ASAP.
Here is where you guys and gals come in. I need to sell the Infiniti ASAP. I can take a chance and drive it back to Canada, get new tags and sell it there with no problem. I can't get new tags by mail because I need a pollution check first. Is there some way I can legally drive it thru the states without getting a ticket for out of date tags? I can get temporary insurance for the drive.
Alternatively, is it possible to take it across the US border, change it to US plates and sell it there? How practical is this?
The Infiniti is in excellent condition and only has 123,800 kms. All major services were done by the Infiniti dealers in either Canada or the US. No services were done in Mexico.
Any and all advise is appreciated.

 

Well...I'm an expert at giving unusual advice!

Unfortunately, I don't have any because I don't know much about what would be required for any of those scenarios.

Hopefully someone can help you.

 

Stan,
Why not sell the Inifiniti to someone in the states, then re-buy it and put Mexican plates on it? Or did I miss something?

 

Stan, tow it to Texas and "sell it " to a friend, get title transfer done along with current inspection certificate (do this in a non metro area and you do not have to have the pipes sniffed). This will require your friend to get insurance on vehicle for inspection. Have friend sell car back to your wife along with title transfer again in her name, then have your wife re-register car in Mexico in her name.

Hopefully problem solved??

Good luck,

Gary

 

Thanks but that will not work. I am not allowed to have two vehicles in Mexico. My wife is Mexican and as a Mexican she is not allowed to bring in a vehicle from the states unless she pays all kinds of duty, taxes etc. It is just not economical to do this. I hate to get rid of this car as it is a really nice vehicle, but the bottom line is that it has to go in the next few days. I would love to change it to my wifes name but there is just to much legal mumbo jumbo and then the ridiculous taxes etc. It is much easier to just sell it in the states or Canada and then buy another vehicle down here.

 

OK, but what is up with all of the caravans that I see tooling down hwy 59 headed toward Mexico every week. I have seen caravans of up to 10 vehicles pulling 10 more vehicles making the voyage south. I know by the looks of the people driving them that they are not the most financially secure bunch on the road. They must have found some kind of loophole around the duties and tarriffs that you speak of. Have you talked to someone down there that deals in out of country wheels??

just another $.02 worth

 

Those caravans are normally pickup trucks. It is legal to register a pickup truck from 1996 or older in Mexico. My Infiniti is classified as a luxury car and that is a whole new ballgame. Yes, I have spoken to the guys that can do 'funny' stuff down here, but this car is out of the category of any strange dealings. In any case I am very leery of doing anything illegal not only because it goes against my principals but also because in Mexico there are sometimes strange things that can happen and if I do anything even hinting at something illegal for registering this Infiniti down here it just gets confiscated with NO recourse to ever get it back.
So unless anyone has anything better to offer I have to leave in a day or two and drive it to Canada with expired tags and hope I don't get stopped. I do have the date on the rear plate covered over with one of those fancy chrome plate covers. Have driven it to the San Antonio area many times like this.

 

Stan,

I did not mean to allude to do anything illegal. I just thought that maybe a dealer down there in the "land of eternal warmth" might have had some experience in handling what you are experiencing. As far as the caravans, you are correct, as 85-90% are pick-ups with the balance being either school buses or rice burners from the frozen north. Sorry about your predicament.

have a safe (but sad) trip,

Gary

 

Why not take a saws all and MAKE it into a pick up truck, I don't mean to be rude, but before I'd let the gov take it, I'd cut it up, or can you as said earlier, drive to Texas, register it in your name, and then drive it back, or maybe have an inlaw go with you and put in their name??? and Stan, by the way, the Mexican gov. has ordered 3 more pumps for the nuclear plant that they haven't paid for yet, but we're doing our part to keep your power on so you won't sweat so much in the heat.

 

If I had a choice I would definately 'modify' the vehicle before it was taken from me. Unfortunately if this ever happened it would be too quick for me to do anything.
Anybody have any idea how difficult it would be to register a Canadian vehicle in Texas and then sell it pronto? Suppose to do this I would need a Texas address, so that idea is no good anyway.

 

Sell it to Hoss

 

Stan a couple of thoughts:

In Texas you used to be able to use a PO Box for an address for drivers licenses, etc. May still be able to, someone comment on this. Also some states have temporary registrations. I know MO does. And some states do not have EPA regs and inspections, Alabama does not have an inspection program. Do you have a title? You should be able to register it in the states with a title, any one of them.

 

Stan, Sometimes the most glaringly obvious solutions tend to allude all us

I have the perfect solution for your dilemma!

Just give the car to ME

JusttryingtobehelpfuldonthitmeLary

 

Well, like most others I don't have much advice but if you are worried about driving it through the states with expired tags why not tow it?

Give you an excuse to give the truck a nice long workout

 

What province are your current tags??