What’s a VIN? Vehicle Identification Number, for the uninitiated. The VIN indicates where the car was assembled, the manufacturer, the year of assembly, and lots of other fine details. Critical, when thinking about buy a car to use in Mexico. (Critical any other time to be certain there were no accidents or the car was salvaged.)
Three years ago I bought a terrific 2003 Honda CRV with the intention of driving it to and using it in Oaxaca. Despite our best intentions, the plan went awry two days before departure, when I discovered quite by accident that the VIN number indicated that car was assembled in the United Kingdom. Because of NAFTA rules, it could not be brought into Mexico.
I recently sold that car, and now I’m looking for another Honda to buy and bring here. Seems I can’t find a CRV in the model year 2003-2005 that was made in the USA. How can I tell? The VIN number has to start with a numeric — like a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 to indicate it was assembled in either the U.S., Canada, or Mexico. All the CRVs I’ve looked at online have VIN numbers that begin with J (for made in Japan) and S (for made in the United Kingdom). You won’t believe how many sellers I’ve queried to send me the VIN number. They want to know Why? I explain. All the CRVs in this model year range that I have found start with J or S. If anyone knows anything differently, please share. Please! ‘Cause I’d really like another CRV.
Lots of myths circulate among the ex-pat community about bringing cars to Mexico and keeping them here. Someone recently told me the car has to be exactly 10 years old. Not true!
My trusted friend in Austin, Texas, who is originally from the village I live in, is my car advisor. He tells me that cars up to model year 2007 can be legalized at the border and ready for Mexican registration.
To register a car in Mexico, an expat must have a permanent resident visa. Otherwise, it has to be registered to a local.
Right now, I’m looking at what may be the next best thing to the Honda CRV — the Honda Element EX. Looking for model years 2003-2005, with a manual transmission, 4WD, in good condition, under 130,000 miles. Anyone out there have one they want to sell? Of course, VIN number is the most important element. It must start with a number!
As the car saga continues, I will be writing more about whether I buy a car in North Carolina and take a road trip to Austin with the right Honda. Stay tuned.
Car Talk Oaxaca: Funky Honda Element Qualifies for Mexico
Some of you have followed my saga of trying to bring a car to Mexico. I recently sold the Honda CRV that I bought a few years ago with the intention of driving it to Mexico and using it here. Not possible, I found out, because it was assembled in Great Britain. Cars imported to Mexico have to start with a numeric VIN number that indicates it made in North America (USA, Canada or Mexico). Thank you, NAFTA.
I could not find a Made in the USA Honda CRV in the model year I wanted to replace the one I sold that had the right VIN. I even tried the Toyota RAV 4. No go. All assembled in Japan. (Sidebar: my Canadian friend Lynda who lives in Oaxaca part of the year, and has a permanent resident visa, must take her Toyota RAV 4 out of the country. Why? Made in Japan.)
So, I started to hunt for what I imagined might be the next best thing, a Honda Element. I happily discovered that since their introduction in 2003 until their demise in 2011, all were assembled in Ohio, USA. That qualifies. And, because so few of them were made, they are not that easy to find. But, right there in Durham, North Carolina, a black 2004 Honda Element came up on Craigslist. Not perfect, but good enough for my purposes — practical, affordable, solid transportation for the right price. Good for schlepping and hauling.
While in Oaxaca, my dear North Carolina friends Ted and Jo-Anne offered to help me check out this car before I negotiated the purchase. Thanks to them, a car like the one above became mine today. They picked it up for me and will park it in their driveway until I get there in early December. There’s some stuff that needs fixin’ but overall it’s a good car that will be ready for a road trip to Austin, Texas, before Christmas.
Why Austin? That’s where I will deliver it to a friend from Oaxaca, who for a fair price, will “legalize” it for Mexico, help me get Mexican automobile insurance, and drive it to my village so he can visit his family. A win-win for all of us. All I will need to do after he gets here is to go to the local office to get Oaxaca license plates. I know him and I know his family. It’s a perfect solution to the dilemma of being without personal wheels to explore the region and the need to restrain myself from buying more than I can transport by foot or in a small moto-taxi/tuk-tuk. Comparison shop for furniture? Explore a remote village in the Mixteca? Make a trip to the nursery to buy fruit trees? Without a car, a major undertaking.
I will be blogging about the road trip and the experience of getting the car ready to bring to Mexico. Meanwhile, what to name it? Maybe Little Black Box?
Meanwhile, I’m soon on my way to Mexico City to catch a San Francisco flight to be with my family in time for Thanksgiving.
Wishing you and your loved ones a healthy, joyous holiday filled with goodness: creating fondest memories, preparing and eating delicious food, and delighting in the sustenance of thanksgiving.
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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Oaxaca Mexico art and culture, Travel & Tourism
Tagged car, drive, import, legalize, Mexico, NAFTA, Oaxaca, register, regulations, rules, Vehicle Identification Number