Is it legal to buy a new car in Mexico and bring it back to the US?

[US 41]

I was looking at some car called a Nissan Tsuru. Apparently you can buy a brand new one in Chihuahua, Mexico for $7800 USD, which is dirt cheap for a new vehicle. Below is a photo of it. They kind of look like my father's old K Car.



There are some other cars down there that you can buy brand new for around $9K cheaper than you can in the good ol' USA where they constantly rip you off. So my question is could I take a greyhound bus down to Chihuahua, buy a Tsuru (or other car), bring it back to Indiana, and then get it plated here? (We don't have emissions tests where I live and I don't plan on moving.)

I'm half tempted to go down this this winter and go buy one. I just want to make sure I'd be buying something I could bring back and get plated here. I'm not sure if I could since I'd be buying in another country.

[NJRoadfan]

The answer is NO. The car doesn't meet US safety and emission standards.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/

The car in question was actually sold in the US from 1990-94 as the B13 Nissan Sentra.

[kphoger]

Specifically, the answer is that it would theoretically be possible if the car were manufactured to US emission standards, but cars sold in Mexico are not made that way.

Even US citizens who nationalize their car in Mexico cannot renationalize their car later in the US unless they can satisfactorily prove they haven't had any work done on the car in Mexico that would jeopardize emissions. That's very rare, and most expats who nationalize their car in Mexico do so with the understanding it can never again be tagged with a US plate.

[Brandon]

The answer is NO. The car doesn't meet US safety and emission standards.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/

The car in question was actually sold in the US from 1990-94 as the B13 Nissan Sentra.

That's not entirely accurate, reading the NHTSA information.  If the vehicle in question is 25 years old or older, it does not have to meet US safety and emission standards.  More modern vehicles could be, if they meet FMVSS.  You would, I think reading the information, work with a registered vehicle importer on newer vehicles that meet FMVSS.

[Avalanchez71]

Not that it could be done nor plated but did you even factor in import taxes?

[corco]

The answer is NO. The car doesn't meet US safety and emission standards.

http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/import/

The car in question was actually sold in the US from 1990-94 as the B13 Nissan Sentra.

That's not entirely accurate, reading the NHTSA information.  If the vehicle in question is 25 years old or older, it does not have to meet US safety and emission standards.  More modern vehicles could be, if they meet FMVSS.  You would, I think reading the information, work with a registered vehicle importer on newer vehicles that meet FMVSS.

Which with the sole exception of the Nissan Micra (which Nissan federalized to possibly sell in the US- you can get them in Canada), are going to be makes and models in body styles already available or identical to vehicles currently sold in the U.S.

If you want a new Tsuru, you're best off finding a junkyard Sentra and doing a VIN swap somehow. This would be illegal. Otherwise you'd have to bring several Tsurus up, retrofit them to pass crash tests/emissions/etc here, and then crash test them. This is to say it's not going to happen unless you're ready to spend $100,000+ to import a Tsuru that is so heavily modified it's not even fun anymore.

tl;dr: if this were easy I would do my car shopping exclusively in Mexico.

[Takumi]

No. Unless it's 25 years old. In which case you can just buy a Sentra for 1/30th the price.

[jakeroot]

A Citroen C6 made its way to the US several years ago, presumably by way of a diplomat (immune from import laws). It eventually found itself on the private market. You could theoretically bribe the Mexican consulate to import one for you, and then sell it to you (even though they aren't supposed to sell to anyone else except other diplomats).

[corco]

A Citroen C6 made its way to the US several years ago, presumably by way of a diplomat (immune from import laws). It eventually found itself on the private market. You could theoretically bribe the Mexican consulate to import one for you, and then sell it to you (even though they aren't sell to anyone else except other diplomats).

Rooting for an administrative error is also an option- register at a small town DMV and hope they don't know the rules.

[Avalanchez71]

A Citroen C6 made its way to the US several years ago, presumably by way of a diplomat (immune from import laws). It eventually found itself on the private market. You could theoretically bribe the Mexican consulate to import one for you, and then sell it to you (even though they aren't sell to anyone else except other diplomats).

Rooting for an administrative error is also an option- register at a small town DMV and hope they don't know the rules.

I think most states would edit and audit. 

[kkt]

A Citroen C6 made its way to the US several years ago, presumably by way of a diplomat (immune from import laws). It eventually found itself on the private market. You could theoretically bribe the Mexican consulate to import one for you, and then sell it to you (even though they aren't sell to anyone else except other diplomats).

Rooting for an administrative error is also an option- register at a small town DMV and hope they don't know the rules.

I'm sure US41 is not the first person who ever thought of this.  Expect the required bribe tip to only be worthwhile if you want to import something exotic, not just a cheap economy car.

[US 41]

Well Dang! So much for that brilliant idea. I was hoping I could just go down and buy it in Chihuahua, drive it the Presidio / Ojinaga crossing with my bill of sale, come to Indiana and plate it. I knew my idea was going to be too good to be true.

On a side note I wish they sold very basic brand new cars (similar to a Tsuru) in the US that meant our standards. Something cheap (less than $10K) that wasn't very fancy at all, but still ran great.

[corco]

The sad part is that this year (or maybe next) is the Tsuru's last year. New Mexican safety standards aren't going to tolerate the Tsuru, and it's going to be impossible to update it. I haven't seen an article in English yet, but here is one in Spanish:

http://www.lja.mx/2016/07/nissan-podria-suspender-la-produccion-tsuru-incumplimiento-normas-seguridad/

The last generation Nissan Versa I think is taking its spot as the base Nissan.

[US 41]

The last generation Nissan Versa I think is taking its spot as the base Nissan.

That brings up another question. If a Mexican dealer in Chihuahua sells me a car that we also sell in the US (for example a Nissan Versa), would I be able to buy that car in Mexico and bring it back since it would most likely meet our safety standards? I'm not sure if it would meet our emissions standards, but I'm not sure if that matters since my state doesn't require emissions tests.

EDIT: It says I can buy a brand new manual transmission Versa for $9900 (178,900 MXN), which is still a pretty good deal. There were Honda's and Toyota's even that I could save $9K on by buying them brand new down there instead of in the US.

[jwolfer]

I saw a German TDI Eurovan with a manual transmission on eBay motors... it was expensive but was legally imported somehow.. i would really like a diesel but our options in the us are limited, more so since the vw emissions hullabaloo

[kphoger]

No. A Ford Explorer sold at a Mexican dealership is not identical to a Ford Explorer sold at a US dealership. Ford doesn't manufacture zillions of vehicles meeting strict crash and emission criteria to be sold in a country with looser regulations. This would be a waste of Ford's money. No, the auto manufacturers design and build their vehicles specific to the country they're destined for.

There is no easy way around this. There's no point in trying to find a loophole. If there were a worthwhile loophole to be found, the expat community in Mexico would be all over it already.

[jakeroot]

There is no easy way around this. There's no point in trying to find a loophole. If there were a worthwhile loophole to be found, the expat community in Mexico would be all over it already.

It's not easy, but where there's a will, there's a way chance.

I met a gentleman last year, at the hotel I work at in Tacoma. He had a Mercedes Benz B class, which has never been sold in the US. His car was registered in California. He bought the car straight-up in Vancouver, went to a registered importer in California, was able to convince the local registration office that the vehicle met US safety standards -- and bam. Here's a photo I took. Judging by the plate series (starting with 5), the car has been in the US for some time.

[Avalanchez71]

Don't you think that the illegals would be all over this already?  If this was the case you would see huge dealerships on the border selling cars like candy bars to gringos.

[jakeroot]

Don't you think that the illegals would be all over this already?  If this was the case you would see huge dealerships on the border selling cars like candy bars to gringos.

No, because illegal imports (MB B-classes, Citroen C6s) have only been registered because someone was bribed, or didn't do their job correctly. There's no industry for illegal imports because there's no official way to import them. You just get lucky.

[jakeroot]

The "substantially similar" clause sometimes applies to cars that, while not officially sold in the US, are, underlying, the same as a car sold in the US. I've seen a few Acura ELs (sold only in Canada) with Washington plates. These are similar enough to Honda Civics that local registration offices have approved them, but I don't think every single Acura EL has been approved. You just get lucky.

As to the OP, you could attempt to prove that the Nissan Tsuru is substantially similar to Sentras of the past. They look identical, after all. Maybe your local registration office is easily persuaded.

[cu2010]

I met a gentleman last year, at the hotel I work at in Tacoma. He had a Mercedes Benz B class, which has never been sold in the US. His car was registered in California. He bought the car straight-up in Vancouver, went to a registered importer in California, was able to convince the local registration office that the vehicle met US safety standards -- and bam. Here's a photo I took. Judging by the plate series (starting with 5), the car has been in the US for some time.

Canada's standards are more in line with those of the United States. Local car dealers around here buy used vehicles from Canada all the time, and resell them to the American market. It's not uncommon to see used cars with speedometers in kilometers around here.

[Takumi]

Florida is pretty lax about legally questionable vehicles, but I'm not entirely sure why.

[jakeroot]

I met a gentleman last year, at the hotel I work at in Tacoma. He had a Mercedes Benz B class, which has never been sold in the US. His car was registered in California. He bought the car straight-up in Vancouver, went to a registered importer in California, was able to convince the local registration office that the vehicle met US safety standards -- and bam. Here's a photo I took. Judging by the plate series (starting with 5), the car has been in the US for some time.

Canada's standards are more in line with those of the United States. Local car dealers around here buy used vehicles from Canada all the time, and resell them to the American market. It's not uncommon to see used cars with speedometers in kilometers around here.

For sure. Most American cars are virtually indistinguishable from their Canadian counterparts (sometimes, the lights are different, but that's rare). The catch here is that the B class was never sold in the US (only recently as an electric car). There's nothing substantially similar to it here. The safety standards are basically the same in both countries, but it's harder to prove your point about the car being safe when there's no American counterpart to compare it to.

[Takumi]

I once read in one of the major car magazines about a B-Class that a diplomat (I can't remember where from) sold to a guy on the west coast somewhere. That may be the same one. Kind of ironic, since Mercedes is responsible for the 25-year rule in the first place. (Side note: screw Mercedes.)

[1995hoo]

I drove a Tsuru in Quintana Roo a few years ago. Had it up to 130 km/h on the way down to Tulum and while it was better than most other rentals I've had down there, on the whole I thought my brother's 1974 Beetle felt more solid at that speed (although the Beetle didn't have the nice AC the Tsuru did).