Neuvo Aventuras! Buying a Car in Mexico is... Different!

You can buy an incredibly nice luxury car for the price of a used car in the USA.

Another AWESOME thing about living in Mexico: Chinese Cars! We discovered it was going to cost us $100,000 pesos ($5,000 USD) to import our Tesla. Additionally, the low-to-the-ground profile and tight sport suspension was definitely not suitable for the "texture" of the roads (cobble stones, speed bumps or "topes" everywhere and potholes big enough to bathe a small child in!).

Oh, and no dealership or nearby mechanic was a factor too. (Thanks to Trump, they canceled the proposed Tesla dealership here in SLP). Add all that to the African Asshat who was ruining the Tesla brand and it was easy to decide to dump the car.

Besides, zooming around Mexico going 50% or more over the speed limit, in a bright red car

that had no front license plate and a US back license plate, was probably not the height of wisdom. We dumped the Apartheid Auto just in time! Its value dropped a whopping 20% within a month after we sold it to Carvana and I got replies from dealers stating they wouldn't even take them in!

Staying Green Without Getting Stranded

We decided on hybrid because, while President Sheinbaum is an Awesome “Green” liberal who has degrees in Physics and Energy Engineering, and who was mentored by Obrador (“The Bernie Sanders of Mexico”), her Infrastructure Bill (yes, she actually passed one!) will take years to have chargers everywhere.

The First Way You Save Money Here

We looked at the usual brands we’ve owned before, first. Mercedes, BMW, Lexus etc. and the prices were about the same as in the USA – with one HUGE difference. If the sticker says the car retails for $1,200,000 pesos ($60,000 USD) that’s what you pay. Period. In the USA, you would add taxes and fees that usually ended taking that price close to $70K! So there is a significant savings right away!

Enter The Dragon

After the brands we knew, we looked at the Chinese cars and SUV’s. Brands like GWC, Chirey and BYD dominate the roads here.

The BYD was Amazing! The ride was as smooth and luxurious as the Mercedes – even

when we hit those metal speed bumps that were bone-jarring in the Tesla. The acceleration was definitely solid. And the tech! Amazing! From what I saw on YouTube, this car has tech that rivals or exceeds the Tesla. Oh, and the six year, 150,000 KM (90,000 miles) bumper to bumper warranty didn't hurt!

It cost HOW much?!?!

This car cost the amount of a down payment!

One other thing… The Price! We first looked at the BYD Song – their SUV, which is by far the most popular vehicle here but we ended up deciding on a sedan - the King, their full-sized hybrid. The King is comparable to a BMW 5 series, Mercedes E-Class or Lexus ES. The biggest difference? The car retails for TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS!!! That’s less than half the price of the cars we’ve normally considered in the past! All I want is a really nice, luxurious car - I don't need the logo. So yeah, yet another very easy decision!

Mexicans Can Finance – Without a Driver’s License! Expats Pay Cash.

Gringos with temporary residence are extremely hard to get financed. Even if you make 100x the cost of the car, it's tough and US credit does you zero good. It's possible but the term will probably be less than the time left on your visa. However, they were more than happy to offer financing to my lovely bride, who is a Mexican citizen. She has no credit but if you put $10K or more down? Voila! You’re financed! Cash is definitely king here. Which is actually more equitable for the populace, in many ways.

Oh and they didn’t seem bothered by the fact that she doesn’t have a driver’s license! They just include the first year's insurance ($700 USD) and as the salesman said "She's from Texas. Maybe she just wants to park it on her lawn, like so many people in The South do!"

Car Dealer are the Same Everywhere!

But then they tried to include Paint Protection, Wheel & Tire Protection and some other crap in the payments without telling us. When I added up the payments with ½ down, we were going to pay $5,000 in interest on $12,500 financed. No thanks. Again, I didn’t know they so

"courteously" threw in those extra products but the numbers made the decision. The sales people were fantastic but car dealers are the same everywhere! Sketchy AF. Be aware of that! So we just paid cash.

Click play and watch. Love it!!!

Just like when we got the Tesla, we’re now going to BYD school i.e. watching YouTube Videos. After a couple of weeks, we are nowhere near understanding all the things the car can do but we've figured out a lot of it (like watching Netflix, Prime, Disney etc. while my wife goes shopping in the mall etc.) In the meantime, the ride is awesome and even the “texture” of the streets in the older parts of the city, no longer makes our teeth clatter!