Buying a cheap, used car in Oaxaca, Mexico, can be easy, as long as you know the rules. They include, of course, having a mechanic check over the vehicle, and ensuring there is no debt attached to the car. Otherwise, purchasing perhaps an old VW, GM, Chrysler, Ford or other car in Oaxaca, even a clunker Datsun, is easy - especially since there is little if any issue regarding complying with existing emissions control standards, and no concern (at least from the perspective of the ministry of transportation) about the vehicle passing a mechanical fitness test. It's hard to go too far wrong when buying a car in Oaxaca, which actually runs, for $1,500 USD. And car insurance? Well, read on.
Where to Buy a Cheap, Used Car in Oaxaca, Mexico
There are several options for buying a cheap, used car in Oaxaca. There’s naturally the used car lots or resale division of new car dealerships. However there's an avenue one encounters much more so in Oaxaca than in Canada or the US; it's common to find cars being driven or parked on the street, for sale, with a phone number. The lettering is generally in white on the back windshield of the car. A dollar sign with only one line through the "S" means the vehicle is for sale.
Every Sunday, beginning early in the morning, there is a used car market, known as a tianguis, stretching about a quarter of a mile or more on both sides of the highway leaving Oaxaca en route to Mexico City, near the suburb known as Santa Rosa. One can find a relatively late model car or truck, but the market seems to specialize in bargain basement priced older vehicles - cars, SUVs, pick-ups, often for trade as well as sale.
Look for a vehicle that's been owned by a non - Mexican. Canadians and Americans tend to take better care of their cars than Oaxacans, and have them serviced regularly. Oaxacans know this, and will always pay a premium for such a used car, for that reason. Look for signage that confirms that the tenencia, or federal tax required to be paid for the first ten years of a vehicle's life, has been paid and is current, since it often has not been paid. If the signage states one owner, that’s even better. Or course, obtain documentary evidence confirming everything. If there are delinquent payments, confirm that the vendor will pay them.
Since the cost of labor is very inexpensive relative to Canadian and American standards, don’t commit until you've had a mechanic check over the clunker. The $20 that you might pay is well worth it. Take the mechanic to the tianguis, car lot or owner's home. The mechanic will end up being a new best friend, since Oaxacan mechanics are masters at keeping cars and trucks running, no matter how old.
Before completing the deal to buy, ask to see a record of repairs, and originals of the documents confirming ownership, payment of tenencia and any ealier debt against the vehicle. Oaxacans tend to keep such records because official paper is important to them, more so than to a non - Mexican.
Mechanical Fitness Standards & Emission Control Considerations When Buying a Used Car in Oaxaca
There is no requirement concerning the obtaining of a certificate of mechanical fitness, in order to register the purchase of a used car into one’s name. This makes the task much easier, meaning that one should take even more care when it comes to having a mechanic check important safety matters like steering and brakes.
Emissions control is another issue. There are emissions standards for all cars in Oaxaca, new or used. And in fact one is "required" to attend for testing twice a year. However, this should not be of concern. When one registers the purchased vehicle with the ministry, one pays for the emissions testing for the applicable six month period. Then the license plates are provided (of course after the other payments have also been made). One is supposed to thereafter take the proof of payment to the emissions testing center, for "verificación," whereupon, after passing, a sticker is placed on the back windshield. Only a small percentage of car owners actually go for the testing and have the sticker. Only a very small percentage of cars older than five years ever go for testing. Transit police rarely if ever look for the verification sticker.
Even if Payments are Current, Buying a Used Car in Oaxaca Entails Several Additional Payments
For a vehicle that is ten years old or less, and therefore still subject to tenencia, there are at least six payments that are generally required to be made prior to obtaining a set of new license plates. At the "transito" offices, attending with the license plate number, serial number and name of the current owner, enables one to obtain a printout of monies owing on the vehicle to the state, as a prerequisite for transfering ownership. But it is always a good idea to ask if there is a possibility that other monies are outstanding. It's better to get an assurance, than to think that what appears on one piece of paper is everything. You may be sent to other offices. If not, simply ask where to go to allay any lingering concerns.
Fees that the used car purchaser will have to pay, aside from tenencia and emissions verification, include: the cost of the new plates, the cost of removal of the old plates (hopefully the vendor pays the amount since he, and not the ministry, removes them), something referred to as "toma de calcas," which assists in determining that the car can legally be transferred, a used car transfer fee, and a payment on account of the literacy program.
Documents to Take When Transferring a Used Car into One’s Name in Oaxaca
When transacting any type of official or quasi - official business in Oaxaca, a rule of thumb to follow is to bring along the original and a copy of proof of one's home address in Mexico such as a water, hydro or telephone bill, the immigration document that permits residence in Mexico (often the photo and document number page are sufficient for copies) and passport (once again with minimal copies). Buying a used car in Oaxaca is no different. There's one document that one need not produce, which some might consider a bonus: no proof of insurance is required, since in Oaxaca, having car insurance is optional, and not a legal requirement.
Still sure buying a used car in Oaxaca is the way to go, rather than renting? Even then, the rules of the road in Oaxaca might mitigate against driving at all.
Alvin Starkman - Alvin Starkman runs Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast. He is a paid contributing writer for Mexico Today (http://www.mexicotoday.org).
