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hoda022290
Newbie
Posts: 4
Registered: 8-29-2014
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Driving a Car to Baja and selling it
Nomads,
As the title says I'm thinking of driving a car to Baja and staying for a week or two and selling it. I have seen a lot of mixed information about
what you can and can't do and I'm still a little confused. As long as I stay in Baja whats required of me to legally drive around? If I sell the car
in baja do I have to go through the process of "importing" it or does that only apply to cars that will be driven in the mainland? What do I give the
buyer in Baja? Do I have any legal responsibility for the car after I hand it over? Is it tied to my passport in anyway? Do I have to pay a bond that
I won't get refunded or is that only for mainland entry? Also, I am a dealer in California so the car I wan't to take down isn't registered and I can
easily transfer it to my name and register it but will I need to wait until the "pink slip" or title comes in the mail from the dmv or can I just sell
it with the current registration? Depending on the answer to these questions is any interested in a 2001 BMW 325ci  !?
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gnukid
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 4410
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you can do what you want, you can sell a us plated vehicle to a us licensed driver in mx using the back of the title per usual. its not really
possible for a non-licensed driver to complete paperwork with us dmv. but you can declare it abandoned or sold and turn in the back of the title in
the usa, and the car never has to complete the step of being officially sold with a dmv. the mexican would then have to drive it as a onapafa paper
plate or complete importation. but the letter of of the law says you are not supposed to sell to a mexican non US license driver without importing it
first though no one has ever been held responsible for this as far as I know. Basically yo must do something to close out the paperwork since a
mexican may not not. and if they do not then you are still the official owner and are liable for it until you make an official dmv declaration. just
don't sell it and then say it was stolen. Selling a "chocolate" in baja is very common situation, but vague.
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jimgrms
Senior Nomad
Posts: 664
Registered: 9-30-2005
Location: oceanside ca
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Mood: its always good
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hoda 02
what is the name of your dealership,?now that i see how honest and straight forward you are as a dealer i want to stay far away.
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David K
Honored Nomad
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Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Hmmm... and I always heard a TOURIST (FMM) cannot make money in Mexico... or even do unpaid work. That requires a work visa. A tourist is someone on a
vacation and not going to Mexico to sell things (and thus take away income opportunities from Mexicans).
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dasubergeek
Senior Nomad
Posts: 694
Registered: 8-17-2013
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You're going to have a swell time once you realize that the value of an unimported car is about 40% of an imported car, and that your car is 13 model
years old and cannot be legally imported. For nationalized cars (blue plates in BCN), cars must be 8 or 9 model years old. For fronterizo cars (orange
plates in BCN), cars must be 5-10 model years old but can't be driven past Empalme without being temporarily imported with a bond.
As gnukid said, you might be able to find someone who's willing to drive around with ONAPAFA or ANAPROMEX paper plates, but again, the value of your
car is way less.
Why not sell it up in the States?
[Edited on 8-29-2014 by dasubergeek]
[Edited on 8-29-2014 by dasubergeek]
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desertcpl
Super Nomad
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I am a retired dealer of many years
this smells a little fishy to me
he should know the ropes on this
he could get in big trouble selling a vehicle like he is thinking
I think the OP has a reason he wants to lose it in Baja
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vandy
Senior Nomad
Posts: 538
Registered: 10-10-2003
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If your state requires it, get your title and bill of sale signed and NOTARIZED in the US.
If you have to sell it quickly, you will take a beating.
No car papers needed for Baja Mexico except your license and registration.
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pacsur
Nomad
Posts: 191
Registered: 8-28-2003
Location: San Jose del Cabo,BCS
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Save your gas money driving down.
Besides what everybody else says, I saw your ad for the BMW this am on Craigslist, you won't find anybody down here to buy that gem, old, high miles,
and a beemer for $80,000? Best of luck...
[Edited on 8-29-2014 by pacsur]
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AndyP
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Location: Eugene, OR
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I've always been curious about this too... I drove down last spring in my 92 toyota pickup, and the locals were constantly asking me if I'd consider
selling the car. So if I drove down an old beater sometime and planned on selling it- say in La Paz- and flying home, what would I do? Just take
cash and hand over the keys, no paperwork in Mexico and then list it as abandoned at the DMV back home?
Could I or the buyer reasonably expect to run into trouble somehow?
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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| Quote: | Originally posted by dasubergeek
Why not sell it up in the States?
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Why not try to sell it here on BajaNomad? You could even throw in delivery.
If you try to sell it to a National down here, you had best know, and be on good terms with him. He could drop a peso on you for doing something that
they have an active interest in.
.
[Edited on 8-29-2014 by DENNIS]
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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mojo_norte
Senior Nomad
Posts: 725
Registered: 2-14-2006
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| Quote: | Originally posted by AndyP
I've always been curious about this too... I drove down last spring in my 92 toyota pickup, and the locals were constantly asking me if I'd consider
selling the car. So if I drove down an old beater sometime and planned on selling it- say in La Paz- and flying home, what would I do? Just take
cash and hand over the keys, no paperwork in Mexico and then list it as abandoned at the DMV back home?
Could I or the buyer reasonably expect to run into trouble somehow? |
if I may ask - what were they offering you for your 92 PU ? I have an 86 4wd and the Mexicans up here in CO are often asking if I want to 'sale' it -
but they don't want to pay much
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dtbushpilot
Ultra Nomad
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Location: Buena Vista BCS
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Well, looks like you all scared hoda away....got to have a thick skin around here....
"Life is tough".....It's even tougher if you're stupid.....
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hoda022290
Newbie
Posts: 4
Registered: 8-29-2014
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First of all since every one clearly hates dealers,
I'm a Mechanical Engineer and I'm about to start my Masters Degree at UC Davis in a few weeks and I just happen to have a wholesale licence and deal
cars on the side. Me selling the car has nothing to do with me trying to dump it, it has to do with me trying to cut my driving time in half. Yes the
car has a lot of miles. Yes the price I put up is expensive. If people in Baja are enjoy negotiating half as much as people in California thats the
reason for that. No I can't get into bit trouble because I'm a wholesaler and have to sell cars to a dealer anyways and can't sell to the public so
selling a car to myself is as simple as going to a friends lot and transferring paperwork. Every other car I have is in the 13-22k$ range which is why
I've decided it's much lower risk for this car if I took it down. Is any one interested in buying it from bajanomad. No you didn't scare me away. I
lived and traveled across southeast asia for a year and they are batsh** insane.
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Wally
Nomad
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Registered: 3-15-2006
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I've got a friend that's done this several times. He'll buy a mini van at wholesale, fill it up with household items or stuff for friends, drive it
down and sell it. The fastest he's every sold one was about a month. They are US plated. He won't sell them to Mexicans because they can't legally
buy. There is a fairly good market for US and Canadian registered cars here if they seat 5 more more people.
The Blue Book on that car (I own one) is around $3500 in excellent condition. Tack another $250 - $1000 on it because it's "here" (determined by where
"here" is) and you might get the Blue Book value. Maybe. But you can expect it to take at least 2 - 3 months to sell that car (more likely not until
around the holidays when the snow-birds start showing up).
The market for a US plated BMW is very small here for a couple of reasons: 1) you can NOT get parts, everything has to come from the States (trying to
find an oil filter is nearly impossible) and 2) they are just about the stupidest car you can have in the Baja. They aren't designed to travel on
these roads. (case in point, 2002 bmw 325i, 58,000 miles: replaced since moving here: struts... rim...2 complete control arm
assy...bushings...ball joints and strut mounts...all on both sides.
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SlyOnce
Nomad
Posts: 262
Registered: 12-26-2013
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I think what would sell very well in TJ is:
an old pickup, Ford Chevy or Dodge.
a old Ford Explorer or similar SUV
Something you'd sell around $US 1000 or so.
"Chocolates" are US plated cars sold in MX, they are NOT imported. Legal to sell and possess, they are illegal to drive, the MX owner can have the
car impounded unless he has a US green card and US drivers license. HOWEVER about 1/2 of TJ drives a "chocolate".
If imported, as they would say "nationalized", the car would sell for at least $US 1000 more. Its already been pointed out that there are certain
model years only that can be imported, and these are most likely not in the $1000 US range. Thus the flood of "chocolates".
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hoda022290
Newbie
Posts: 4
Registered: 8-29-2014
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Thanks guys,
I appreciate the insight guys. If this is the case I would probably either drive it down and back and plan different stops on the way up and down or
wait until something that would be popular comes across my hands and I have some extra time to spare.
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Martyman
Super Nomad
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Registered: 9-10-2004
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Hey Hoda;
Looks like you got some good advice from a few of us. Just ignore the goody two shoes types who tell you how illegal it is. This place has run amuck
with the "holier than thou" type and you have to ignore them.
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dtbushpilot
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3288
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Location: Buena Vista BCS
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Mood: Tranquilo
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Glad you stuck around hoda, post a trip report when you get back so that someone can tell you everything you did wrong....just kidding, most Nomads
are OK 
"Life is tough".....It's even tougher if you're stupid.....
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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| Quote: | Originally posted by SlyOnce
I think what would sell very well in TJ is:
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4cyl....small pickup...2-wheel drive. If I had a million of them I could sell a million of them.
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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desertcpl
Super Nomad
Posts: 2394
Registered: 10-26-2008
Location: yuma,az
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and your asking $80K for it HOLLY MOLLIE
Kelly has it about 7500.
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