You need to get a good Aduana in Mexico city and @ the border.
Having two Aduana's is safer than one in Mexico.

So, the current thought is to have the car shipped to my friend's factory located in Tijuana, and then I can go and pick it up from there. Relatively easy grab across the border. He will go with me to get it (from his factory), and I can also take my assistant (who speaks fluent Spanish and goes to TJ all the time). But, I would then probably have to convince the seller to make the deal contingent on its safe arrival in TJ - not sure if he would agree to that, and not sure what I could offer to make it more palatable to him. He knows who I am (founder of Pelican, author of a bunch of Porsche books), but that only goes so far?

Thoughts?

-Wayne

I'm guessing a few more handfuls of folding stuff. Just so everyone feels they have won.

That's like saying to someone who lives in San Diego that you'll buy his Porsche if it makes it safely to Little Rock, Arkansas - distance wise, I mean.

Well, I always say - it's your car, but my money.......

Or like buying something online, and having the purchaser be responsible for getting it safely to you...

-Wayne

Wayne, since the seller is apparently unwilling or unable to recommend a broker, I was going to recommend a northern Mexico delivery with you driving it over. Anyone in the US is going to be unable to identify and evaluate brokers from a distance and it’s just to risky to try to do it yourself. They should be able to ship the car domestically.

The safest way to compete the transaction is to fly down and look at it in person, arrange domestic shipping to Tijuana, and payment contingent on the car making it that far in the same condition as you saw it. You would receive it in TJ and drive it over the border yourself. For payment You would supply a letter of credit reflecting payment upon satisfactory delivery. Any large international bank local to you can help you write the letter of credit. Use International Chamber of Commerce Terms https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Incoterms and select arbitration through the American Arbitration Association as the forum for dispute resolution. An arbitration award can be reduced to judgment and enforced in Mexico or the US.

And if the seller is being a little uncooperative, that in itself is raising a few red more red flags.

Think about it. If you were the seller of a rare classic car, and you had come across a buyer with big money and genuine, you would be doing everything you could to make the transaction work and go as smoothly as possible.

Actually, the Seller does appear to be working extra hard to get this deal done. Sorry if that impression was not given in previous posts. He's not acting in a scammy sort of way either, but calling various companies, and trying to get quotes to get the deal done.

Nothing to add, but good luck Wayne, those have always been one of my favourite cars.

What year is the car? It may matter for the taxes, says my Mexican co-worker. She's going to TJ this weekend and can ask around re: procedure/forms/duties.

pm'd you

Friend of mine got a Dinalpin in FL last year. Already imported. There's not that much difference from a real Alpine except thicker Fiberglass which is not a bad thing. That used to be my dream car until....I drove his.

I simply do not fit in it. Period. It's not just my body, my feet don't even fit the pedal box. I had to drive it in my socks. Once in; it's everything you hear, wicked light, responsive, nervous, happy to turn and handles like a rally car.

My personal beef is those are now $80K plus, and I cannot see myself trading a perfect early 911 of the same value, made of metal and with a nice noble engine for a tupperware with a Renault 8 engine and a relatively crappy box. I love that tupperware but man, it hurts at current values. My friend is struggling mightily to fix it up, he says he shops for parts at Home Depot more than in auto parts stores. But you can find a lot in France still if you have the time to import stuff.

Last thing the CA DMV will only let you easily register a 66 or earlier car, younger and it's a pain. If you do, please document the process...I was trying to import a Peugeot too but the CA DMV discouraged me.

I would seriously consider a life long memory maker road trip. Meaning one way air ticket and drive it back. Think of the cool stories you will share. Everyone is going to ask you how you brought it back. What an awesome story to share with some fellow MIT alum.

Just thought maybe the owner of Garage Los Ponchos could get someone to handle bringing the car up here for you? They are still around according to several videos on You Tube where guys took their cars/trucks/campers to them for work.
John

I know a couple of Maoris in the Los Angeles area. They could do that. And if anyone got suspicious they could say they were just there to buy drugs.

International sales are a PIA and always the buyer's problem wrt logistics. If I was selling a car and someone in another country wanted to buy it, (which has actually happened a couple of times), I'd make the car available for his shipper when he arrives to pick it up, nothing else. If someone wanted to first ship my valuable car hundreds of miles away before paying for it, I'd laugh and cut-off all communication. Nothing leaves without being paid for in full.

Denis I totally agree. And I guess I was lucky when I bought the SC sight unseen in England then had to sent to New Zealand as I had nothing but cooperation. The seller said RUF GB was just down the road and knew the car, and had actually sold the car to the PO. I spoke with them and they did a PPI as per what I wanted done then offered - for free, to be an intermediary in the sale process. They took the car and once the PO notified them he had been paid and I said Karmann shipping would come and collect it from them, they released it to my guy. It was very easy.

Well, normally, I would also agree. But this car is in Mexico City, and as I have found out, there is a) not an easy way to get it out of Mexico City, and b) not that many people looking for a Dinapline within Mexico City. So, unless the guy wants to keep it for a long time, I'm probably his best bet. It's not like selling a car in the UK or somewhere in the states - his options are somewhat limited.

I did find a Pelican customer who owns a Mexican moving company, and hopefully that will work out. But we've contacted about 10 places now and they are all super sketchy and/or won't deliver to where we want them to go. So, hopefully this last option will work out. We might be able to get it to Laredo and then get it over the border and stored in Texas, and then I can pick it up in Texas when I head through there in August (family RV trip).

-Wayne