TheSamba.com :: View topic

Mon Aug 17, 2015 11:41 am

Hi, new member here but please read first, judge if I'm an idiot in 1 minute.

I have spent 2 days reading thru forum posts here and elsewhere on the web trying to figure out an answer but to no avail. I am hoping that the fine members of this forum can help clarify things for me as my internet searching has produced more questions than answers.

The Dilemma: I am traveling in Mexico with my wife and have the chance to buy a '92 Beetle in decent condition with apparently good papers for approx $1,100 US. We would like to drive it all over Mexico and eventually take it back over the border to the US to drive back to our home state of NY or else sell it in Texas and fly home.

What I know: It is not possible to bring a vehicle over that was manufactured after 1995 because of EPA/DOT regs. Also, a vehicle manufactured 25 years ago is exempt from these regs but an import tax of 2.5% must be paid at the border. Additionally, no matter if it is exempt from national EPA/DOT regs it will never meet California regs due to smog test being impossible to pass for these vehicles.

Sidenote: These cars have zero rustproofing because they were built for the Mexican market and so they will never survive a Northeastern winter and so we must sell it in Texas / Arizona / New Mexico if it is to continue to exist as a US citizen.

The Questions: (1) is $1,100 US too much to pay for this vehicle? (2) I am unable to find any info about whether a pre-1995 vintage vehicle will be allowed in to the US despite being slightly less than the 25 year cut off. It seems that cars before 1995 are exempt from needing an OBD-II computer and this seems to be the main reason that these cars aren't allowed in the US. Will a 1992 model be permitted into the US? (3) Are all of my assertions about the facts of this case correct or am I way off base?

Thanks for any and all help in answering these questions. If nothing else I'd ask the mods not to delete this post out of hand because the material has been covered elsewhere if this thread can serve as a sticky clearinghouse of definitive information about Mexican Beetles and the US border. Perhaps together we can put these questions to bed once and for all time and noobs such as myself will never have to ask again.

Tue Aug 18, 2015 8:14 am

http://www.cbp.gov/trade/basic-import-export/importing-car

Here you go, links to everyone who you need to deal with. I have answered this question many times here.

Where in New York are you? If you manage to get this in the US I would get it to New York it would make a nice weekend driver for someone.

While you at it I would pick up a copy of "know before you go" before you head out of the country to avoid issues at the POE when you reenter the US.

Tue Aug 18, 2015 11:49 am

Thanks, I hadn't seen this page somehow in the search. Sorry for asking what must be a constantly posed question but as much as I was able to discover I still couldn't get a definitive answer.

Hell, I'd take an opinion at this point. It looks as though any vehicle not older than 25 years is just not going to work. This is close but that probably isn't going to cut it.

I live in Brooklyn so the question of a weekend driver probably isn't realistic for us either. We would likely sell it on arrival.

Tue Aug 18, 2015 1:12 pm

Not a problem answering your question. It just seems to come up a lot. Are you visiting family in Mexico, if so just store it there for a few years.

Tue Aug 18, 2015 2:16 pm

Bankara:

$1100 sounds like a fair price, but you are correct < 25 years old and you are out of luck. It's a question of compliance for import, > 25 years old and the vehicle does not have to comply.

Now just because you are able to import it (>25 years), it doesn't mean that it will pass registration requirements for NY (or any state).

As far as the price goes, I paid $7000 for my '96 a few years ago (we can bring in 15 year old cars into Canada :D ).

If you want a Mexican Beetle, there are some in the US that come up for sale from time to time. Some of these are 're-pans', a Mexican Beetle sitting on an older pan (ie 1968) and registered as such. Some are grey market cars, unmodified Mexican Beetles registered in the US.

As others have posted, search around on Samba and elsewhere and there are all sorts of threads on the subject.

Tue Aug 18, 2015 5:20 pm

My friend has a 2002 Mexican beetle in SoCal. They did a pan swap with a 74 and i believe thats how he got a clear title.

Tue Aug 18, 2015 10:10 pm

Bankara wrote: We would likely sell it on arrival.
Then what's the point of importing it?

Wed Aug 19, 2015 8:50 am

Well, the car is more for the 1000 mile adventure than for anything else. I'd love to have a project car but the lack of a garage to work on it in makes it kind of a difficult proposition.

I also originally was considering leaving it in California as we are planning on moving out there but it seems that even it gets an exemption from DOT/EPA regs that the smog test can never get passed for LA area and thus it won't be possible to keep the car in California.

In any event it looks as though we are SOL on this one but thanks to everyone for the advice!

Wed Aug 19, 2015 9:32 am

If you get it through customs, you might consider selling it as a parts car.

I might be interested in some odds and ends from the car.

Wed Aug 19, 2015 1:50 pm

I unfortunately don't have any family down here to drop the car with but I do have some friends and I may see if I can leave it with them. In less than 2 years it'll be legal so maybe if I'm reeeeeaaaaally patient... :?