My wife has just purchased her grandfather’s 1941 Plymouth. The car is in a town just outside of Guadalajara Mexico and we would like to transport it to our house in southern California. Does anyone know of a reputable auto transport company that will transport a vehicle from Mexico to the United States?
Not right off hand, from out here, BUT…
If none are listed in your local yellow pages as such, ask local car dealers who they use to do that very same thing whether they be purchasing or repossessing.
Most repo crews will also haul for hire although not advertized.
General towing companies will also go get transfers and purchases.
Be SUPER ready with mucho paper work, proof of ownership, and proof of hiring the hauler.
Here at my Ford dealer it is the same guys who repo that go the the auctions to bring back dealer purchases.
Unless you are lucky enough to get a specific recommendation your only recourse is to do a lot of homework. Google “shipping car from Mexico” There are companies that offer that service. This one has links to the Federal requirements.
http://www.shipmyvehicle.com/Canada_MexicoVehicleShipping.aspx
I’m not recommending it. It does seem to have a lot of information. The more informed you are the better your chances of avoiding problems.
You might also try contacting a major U.S moving company. If they don’t do it they should be able to point you in the right direction.I had great luck with United.
Good luck. Auto transport within the US is not difficult. Crossing borders with another country, now things get interesting. You need a company that is familiar with customs laws. Also there are issues with Mexico/US borders with regards to drug traffic. This particular move might not be easy.
Caddyman lives in Mexico so maybe he’ll chime in. I know some of the import rules are waived for cars older than 25 years. Might be easier to get a Mexican outfit to haul it to the border, then drive it across and have someone else pick it up.
How it usually works, a Mexican company will ship the car to the border where it is transferred to an American auto-transport company…There are import-export brokers right on the border who can help make arrangements transferring the car from one shipper to another…
But FIRST, check with U.S. Customs to see if they will ALLOW you to import a car into the United States that does not meet U.S. safety or emissions standards…They can be fussy about importing cars into the United States…
Now if you had a legal California registration for the car, and installed those plates just before YOU DROVE THE CAR ACROSS THE BORDER YOURSELF, ( El Paso? ) that would simplify things…But if it comes across as freight on the back of another truck, that’s a different story. But in either case, having a Cali Title in your hand will make things much easier…
To find a shipper in Guadalajara, ask a new car dealer in that town to recommend one…Explain what you need done to him…