It is common around me to see one rather ordinary car like a Taurus, Camry, or minivan towing another one or two cars behind it. These cars usually have some sort of damage and I am assuming were bought as totals for cheap. They are always heading west or south and driven by a Mexican guy. I guess they are taking these back to Mexico to repair where labor rates are cheap and this can be done economically. Some of these cars look pretty decent but with some accident damage. Others look like complete wrecks and I wonder why they would even want them. For example, I saw a completely beatup Nissan Versa sedan at the rear of one of these trains. It was smashed all around with busted glass. Others are late models with only one impact that could probably be restored nicely so can see why those are worth it.
Also, another question… How hard is this on a transmission to tow TWO cars behind? I always figure that would be a real bummer to buy one of these that had pulled two cars behind for 2000 miles or whatever back to Mexico. I would figure this has to significantly shorten the life of a transmission.
Anyone familiar with what is going one here as I see it frequently?
Two things - probably against the traffic regs, and those cars probably aren’t suitable for flat towing, with eventual damage to the automatic transmission set in ‘neutral’.
1 Like
They have to pass cops all the time. I see this on interstate highways all the time and around here they are over 1000 miles from Mexico. They are usually going 5-10 mph lower than the speed limit and have tow lights and all. So you are saying that ANY car, even the ones being towed would likely be a bum deal. I guess the trans fluid and such wouldn’t be circulating properly without the engines running.
I always thought flat towing was illegal as well. Of course I have done it for short distances on backroads, not 1000+ miles. A guy I know has a Chevy Equinox that ate the timing set (I hear this is common) but is otherwise in good condition. A local scrap place will give him $500 as long as he gets it there. He is probably going to pay for a tow as he is concerned about getting a ticket for flat towing. Last I heard it was just sitting outside as the tags are still current and it has insurance but is on the list of things for him to get rid of.
I don’t know that towing one car is illegal, but I’d think towing two is.
Some vehicles can be flat towed, but not a lot of the popular ones. Here’s a 2020 list, for example:
dtg_2020.pdf (roadmasterinc.com)
1 Like
Lots of RVs will flat tow a car behind them. Sort of a dingy for a big boat.
RV mags make lists of cars that can be flat towed.
It is legal to double trailer in some states. Truck towing a travel trailer towing a boat. All must have brakes as I’d expect the car trains would.
As @texases posted, towing cars in neutral will damage the transmission.
I suspect the cars are going to Mexico never to return to the US
I’ve seen them leaving the Nashville area for over 20 years now, normally one being towed, don’t remember two behind the same car, but maybe 4 to 6 different sets of 2 cars being towed… But yeah, they are heading south of the boarder… They remove the front bumper of the one in tow and the rear bumper of the one towing and weld on the attachments in order to tow…
I’ve never seen that in my area of Calif. My guess, it is illegal here and would immediately yield a substantial traffic ticket, and the broken cars removed from the road (so they would actually get towed, but not to where the driver wanted … ).
I expect you are right that the broken cars will be repaired and sold to someone who needs a car in Mexico. The ones that seem unrepairable will be used for parts.
I suppose it’s also possible that the cars are shipped to overseas destinations. Cuba has been a destination for well worn cars from the US for a long time. Cars also find their way to Africa. How far are you from a port? It doesn’t have to be a huge port. Wilmington, NC has a good RO/RO business. I’m not suggesting you’re wrong, just offering other possible destinations. Hispanic workers are almost all I see for road and lawn work these days. Maybe low pay is why you see them, no matter the destination.
These folks often don’t have the chance to obtain a college education or go to a trade school, so they take on the work that’s available and learn that way.
I think they are recent arrivals because most don’t speak English. The language barrier will keep them from working in a lot of jobs, especially customer contact jobs like most trades and sales. I hope they learn English. It helped my grandfather get employment and eventually open his own businesses. Learning English opened doors for my father in law that weren’t available without that skill.
1 Like
Yeah, usually you have several sets of these in tow as you see. Yes, I have noticed the deal with the bumpers and now I know why. Sometimes you have a caravan of some towing one car while the others tow two.
I guess many of our cars live another life and don’t just go to the crusher in certain situations. I bet they have a list of criteria for what is worth buying and hauling south or not.