fast 2.7t 343 hp

I have contacted a Guadalajara Audi dealer at www.audimex.com with the prospects of buying an S3 or S6
My sis in law has a home in La Paz so the car will be registered there

I live in San Diego and have heard of others doing it. Apparently it is easier then bringing a car from overseas or Canada

This is only an excercise now.

Will let you know how it plays out. Kinda Curious if it can be donw and the price

muhammadc

*Thinks hostile s-car takeover in states bordering mexico*

Bollinger

There are better ways of doing this.

If you ever get pulled over in a car with Mexican plates, you are going to be put in a world of hurt. Other than that, it should work.

Jimmy Pribble

...so what? Despite our reputation as isolationist, we welcome all visitors (just don't come to stay).

Welcome to Texas, now get out!

phred

Seems to me a year or two back, someone came really,really close to doing this and had done heaps of research. They were going to put the car in a shipping container in Mexico and then sneak it out somewhere in the big PX - something like that. But you'll never be able to register or smog the car, and the Mexican plates trick probably won't work for long.

Get a Golf and trick it up into an A3/S3. Neuspeed et al. would love to help you out.

Bollinger

I live in California also (moved here in '91) so I know somewhat of what I speak. California has very high license fees, so many people have incentive to register their cars out of state. CHP (and local police) are no dummies and know about this. Thus, they are instructed when they pull over a car to cite you if you live in state (CA driver's license) and are driving a car plated out of state. It's a fine and after 5 days turns into a huge fine.

Want to try the "I'm driving a friend's car" thing? It works. Once. They will write on your record what car you were driving and when. If you get pulled over again in the same car, it's a truly enormous fine.

I had several friends run afoul of this because when they brought their cars into CA from out of state (when they moved here), they naturally didn't transfer their registrations, because what cash-strapped recent college grad wants to pay that extra dough?

That's all I'm saying. Just hope you never get pulled over, because they will put an end to your shenanigans real quick.

Look, it's not rocket science. Find someone (a friend? random person?) in Mexico who has a Golf (assuming you are getting an S3), swap VIN plates with them. Now your S3 is merely a Golf with a lot of Audi badges on it. And the VIN will run just fine so you can plate it and everything.

You can swap VINs permanently, or just once when registering the car. Or, you could duplicate their VIN plates. It's easy, take a picture of their VIN plate, or make one in Photoshop. Get some metal to make replacement plates. Photo-etch the replacement plates, then anodize them or tint them black, then sand the black off the high spots. Blammo, you have your own VIN plates. Cut them apart and attach as needed.

I doubt the US and Mexico cross-check VINs, so if you dupe the VIN off a car in Mexico you can probably register the VIN here.

Heck, you could probably even just write down the VIN off a random Golf you see in Mexico (one with Mexican plates). This is more risky because you're linking yourself with a random person. Also if that car in Mexico is reported stolen, suddenly you are driving a hot car. Better to have a partner in crime down there.

I've never known anyone to apply this scheme across national lines, but it could be used to different effect across state lines before. Note that this will mess up warranty issues and possibly the S3 won't pass emissions (bet it will). The persons who told me about this didn't have to deal with these issues since their cars were older.

DrHandball

than just running out of state plates. I'd be real careful with the VIN approach.

Bollinger

How do you think CA can fine you for running out of state plates if it isn't illegal?

I agree the VIN system would seem to be "more illegal", however if done correctly you basically can't get caught unlike the out of state plate system.

Jim

Any halfway competent adjuster will figure out you don't really have a Golf. Or he'll give you the $5K a used Golf is worth and then you'll be out your, what, $35K investment.

Bollinger

However, I'm not sure that Mexican auto insurance is good in the US anyway. As I understand, if you insure you car as residing even in different neighborhood than it actually spends its times, then your insurer can deny coverage. They do this because they calculate your expect chance of losses based on where you are (even with on-again, off-again zip code ban in CA).

So, I would imagine if you insured your car as belonging in an entirely different country, your insurance company might find a way to put the screws to you.