Tag Archives: Vehicle Identification Number

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.