BajaNomad

Canadian in Baja - Where to Buy a Vehicle, Baja, US, CAD??

Hiloire - 1-4-2025 at 12:20 PM

Looking for a 4x4
Conundrum to solve, Canadian drivers license
- buy in Baja, Mexican plates, pros/cons
- can I buy in US, say California & drive down? How does that work with regards to registration, etc.?
Or,
- fly to Canada (better $$ for vehicles, but then have to drive here and leave every 6-months?) Is there a way around this?

Goal: to do as little traveling to obtain a vehicle that will stay put in Baja for as long as possible while keeping costs low.

dutra - 1-4-2025 at 12:27 PM

Do not buy in CA. We have this smog thing where every 2 years you will need to drive across the border to smog to get the new registration tags. Not sure what Canada does for cars this is what I and a lot of people have done. Call the Clay county treasurer in South Dakota. You will give them your pink slip to the car and they will issue you one in South Dakota with plates and tags I think about $200 and every year its about $90. All thru the mail. I fly down tags every year to my place. Just call them up

surfhat - 1-4-2025 at 02:00 PM

Hey Nomad friends, The Dakar is back for two weeks of off-road thrills from my comfy at home position.

Toby and Sunderland have given up riding and are driving as teammates in a car! Our favorite Ricky Brabeck is hanging in there on his moto.

I have looked on my local cable tv provider and cannot find any Dakar broadcasts, so my Youtube page is it for the time being.

Feel free to move this if it deserves its own thread. Now back to this threads topic du jour.

mjs - 1-4-2025 at 02:06 PM

Calif dmv form Reg 5103 can be used to register a vehicle located out of state with an exemption for the smog check. Does not apply to vehicles in Tijuana or Tecate.

South Dakota is easy but you need a SD drivers license or a US social security number.


Edit to fix per Cabo's catch. Thx.

[Edited on 1-5-2025 by mjs]

stillnbaja - 1-4-2025 at 03:19 PM

Quote: Originally posted by surfhat  
Hey Nomad friends, The Dakar is back for two weeks of off-road thrills from my comfy at home position.

Toby and Sunderland have given up riding and are driving as teammates in a car! Our favorite Ricky Brabeck is hanging in there on his moto.

I have looked on my local cable tv provider and cannot find any Dakar broadcasts, so my Youtube page is it for the time being.

Feel free to move this if it deserves its own thread. Now back to this threads topic du jour.


same way to stream SX next Saturday....Dakar on Peac-ck

CaboMagic - 1-4-2025 at 06:12 PM

Quote: Originally posted by mjs  
Calif dmv form Reg 1503 can be used to register a vehicle located out of state with an exemption for the smog check. Does not apply to vehicles in Tijuana or Tecate.

South Dakota is easy but you need a SD drivers license or a US social security number.


Calif DMV form 5103 (your numbers are transposed)

surabi - 1-4-2025 at 06:33 PM

Hiloire- If you just come down on a tourist visa, I don't think you can register a Mexican vehicle under your name.
And if you bring a vehicle down from Canada or the US (and you probably can't register a vehicle in the US as a Canadian, either.)

According to Mexican aduana regs, your vehicle is supposed to leave the country when you do, i.e. at most after the 180 days your tourist visa is good for, but I know Baja officials seem to go by different rules.

The only way you can "get around" any of this is to just drive a Canadian vehicle down, leave it in Baja, and hope you can get away with that and that the vehicle rules in Baja don't change.

You would have to keep your Canadian vehicle's registration up to date, but there is a rate class you can put it in, at least in B.C. (don't know what province you are from) for vehicles which aren't being driven in Canada that doesn't entail being charged for vehicle insurance, which in B.C. is normally part of your registration cost.

bajatrailrider - 1-5-2025 at 08:13 AM

You dont need a SD driver license South Dakota Plates

Lee - 1-5-2025 at 11:09 AM

Quote: Originally posted by bajatrailrider  
You dont need a SD driver license South Dakota Plates


Don't need a SD license to register an out of state vehicle. You do need a local address for a SD license.

surfhat - 1-5-2025 at 12:02 PM

Every time I see a South Dakota license plate in my north SD coastal area, I always question why such a 'diversion' is worth the effort.

With the several vehicles I have brought down over the decades, I never considered registering any of them in South Dakota.

Maybe I should have done so since a Mitsubishi two door 4wd model I had stored on my private property at the time and made a special trip down to pick up had somehow had been dispensed without my authorization after the property was sold. Grrrr.

This was on stored on private property. I, to this day, wonder where my vehicle went or possibly still is? It was a perfect East Cape vehicle with ac at all times to keep the dust factor at bay.

Such is life. I continue to hope that a universal form of karmic justice will prevail in the end.

I have been given more than I ever expected, and for that alone I have received my reward for the love we all feel for our own personal Baja moments. May all such singular Baja experiences be honored by us all.

I know they are deep down once we get past some north of the border political issues that only serve as a distraction to the real world.



bajatrailrider - 1-6-2025 at 07:40 AM

Quote: Originally posted by Lee  
Quote: Originally posted by bajatrailrider  
You dont need a SD driver license South Dakota Plates


Don't need a SD license to register an out of state vehicle. You do need a local address for a SD license.
Wrong none of us have SD lic. they mail new reg. to calif. address.

bajatrailrider - 1-6-2025 at 07:57 AM

South Dakota plates work for us. In Calif cant reg. dirt bike or SXS (off road buggy) or off road truck. On our cars trucks no smog inspection. Last year I bought a Lexus in Calif I did transfer it in my name. It goes to CA only few times a year. So I buy day issuance this did rise a flag w calif DMV. Sent a letter to Cal address car is not insured your plastes . Will be non op Called them told them car gets Day insurance only when driven in Calif . Not when parked at house done no problems.

Lee - 1-6-2025 at 10:02 AM

Quote: Originally posted by bajatrailrider  
Quote: Originally posted by Lee  
Quote: Originally posted by bajatrailrider  
You dont need a SD driver license South Dakota Plates


Don't need a SD license to register an out of state vehicle. You do need a local address for a SD license.
Wrong none of us have SD lic. they mail new reg. to calif. address.


Maybe we're thinking the same thing but reading it wrong.

No SD license to register out of state vehicle.

A local address (in South Dakota) is needed for a SD license.