Welcome to another article featuring the Mexico Minute!
A big question that we get all the time from people moving to our fair city of Playa del Carmen – mainly from Americans and Canadians (of course) – is whether they can bring their car with them so they have transportation they are used to when they get down here to Mexico. And if they are legally able to, what are the guidelines?
In this video, I dig into what is actually involved with importing a car to Mexico and what to keep in mind if you do indeed decide to drive down from the United States. Or Canada.
Importing a car to Mexico!
There you have it, gringos! Yes, it can be done and yes you can make the drive down here safely and soundly.
Just a couple quick observations about the actual drive:
- Stay on the toll roads or cuotas – safer and generally speaking, in much better condition
- Get a Garmin navigation system and download the maps for Mexico in English. Best investment I made for driving down this way. Period. End of story.
- Don’t drive after dark while traveling through the country, the north, the central, any known trouble spots or places you don’t know. Just don’t. Even Mexicans take that really seriously. Feel free to drive at all hours of the night in the Riviera Maya. Cancun, Playa del Carmen, Tulum and all spots in between are fine. No more danger here than in the United States.
- Speed bumps – learn the sign that indicates an upcoming speed bump – or “tope” in Spanish – and then realize that especially in the north and central parts of the country, there are many without warning signs. They are serious about their speed bumps down here. I hit a huge one about dusk north of Tampico and watched sparks fly behind my car in the rear view mirror. It’s essentially the only speed control device they have since virtually no police have radar. At least once a day, I saw a car broken down next to a speed bump with a busted axle so keep a sharp eye out.
So be careful and have a blast experiencing a new country the best way possible…. and Bienvenidos!!
