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Professor

Aug 30, 2011, 2:20 PM

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Taking a car into the U.S.

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Hello all!!

Quick question.

I bought a 2004 Chevrolet Tracker IN Mexico City three years ago and will be going back to the U.S. in mid September for good. My brother in law will drive the Tracker to Laredo,Texas for me and I was wondering if anyone knows the paper process I will need to go through to get the vehicle legal in Texas.

Thanks.

davidkrug

Aug 30, 2011, 2:56 PM

Post #2 of 7 (763 views)

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Re: [Professor] Taking a car into the U.S.

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This should answer your question: http://www.foreignborn.com/...importingyourcar.htm

Retirement: World's longest coffee break. ~Author Unknown
Visit Me Online at: DavidKrug.org

YucaLandia

Aug 30, 2011, 6:07 PM

Post #3 of 7 (737 views)

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Re: [Professor] Taking a car into the U.S.

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Trackers were made in Mexico, for use in Mexico from 1989-2008. 2004 was the last year that Trackers were made-in and made-for Canada and the US. If your Tracker was made for sale in Mexico, it may not or does not (most likely?) meet US emission and safety standards for importing. I think you need to talk to a pro that knows what conversions that might need to be done to make a Mexican Tracker eligible to import into the USA.
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sioux4noff

Aug 31, 2011, 10:31 AM

Post #4 of 7 (676 views)

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Re: [Professor] Taking a car into the U.S.

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This is just second hand info so take it for what it's worth.
When I lived in Waco, TX I had a coworker who moved from Queretero to Waco. He went to the DMV to get the title transferred on his quite new Jeep Liberty.
He gave up in utter frustration because without a title, the clerks at the DMV were unable to figure out what to do. His factura and corresponding paperwork were not at all familiar to the DMV office. It had nothing at all to do with the type of car, they just didn't know how to, or if they could, help him.
He drove the vehicle in Texas for a while with the Queretero plates, then returned it to Mexico, sold it, and bought a different car in Waco.
This was a college educated person who spoke decent English. He was also unable to find anyone at the DMV office in Waco who spoke decent Spanish which surprised us all at work. The office secretary spoke Spanish, but had to call her boyfriend for help.

(This post was edited by sioux4noff on Aug 31, 2011, 10:47 AM)

fordmexico

Sep 2, 2011, 8:13 AM

Post #5 of 7 (581 views)

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Re: [Professor] Taking a car into the U.S.

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Its a 2 stage process. First you must import the vehicle into the USA. Second, after getting CBP clearance you must take those documents to the state DMV. Unless the vehicle is assembled in the USA or a NAFTA country, getting the vehicle so it meets USA safety and EPA requirements can be a very time consuming and costly affair.

From the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Website

https://help.cbp.gov/...ehicle%20importation

From the same site - How to Register a Foreign Registered Vehicle in the USA

https://help.cbp.gov/...ehicle%20importation

(This post was edited by Rolly on Sep 2, 2011, 8:22 AM)

DavidHF

Sep 2, 2011, 9:12 AM

Post #6 of 7 (560 views)

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Re: [fordmexico] Taking a car into the U.S.

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I'd ignore the issue. Drive it up there. If you ever get pulled over just say it's your Mexican car and that you spend a lot of time in Mexico and use it to go back and forth. Otherwise, sell it.

sioux4noff

Sep 2, 2011, 5:41 PM

Post #7 of 7 (522 views)

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Re: [fordmexico] Taking a car into the U.S.

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Thanks for the information. That explains why my friend was having so much trouble. No one explained to him the need to nationalize the vehicle to the US first.