• From: Bethel Park PA
  • Registered: 2004-06-27
  • Posts: 686

Topic: Mexican Beetles - Clarification

From other posts it seems clear that importing a Mexican Beetle - the whole car, not a new body on an old frame - is not legal and can not be done.

Other posters, however, indicate that they do indeed own imported actual Mexican Beetles.

Would any of those owners care to inform the rest of us exactly how they managed to get thier Beetles?  I would suggest they reply as a guest, without signing in.

David H
'66 VW Beetle w/sunroof
http://tinyurl.com/qhw59
"Where am I going ... and why am I in this handbasket?"
  • From: Northern Illinois
  • Registered: 2004-03-27
  • Posts: 1,105

Re: Mexican Beetles - Clarification

A Mexican Citizen that can legally enter can simply drive a Mexican Beetle over the border into the United States.  If he should happen to forget his car on the USA side when he returns then it would be up to the new owner on the USA side to determine the best corse of action.

Some simply take a title from their old Vw and put new plates on the Mexi
Some convert the chassis
Some cut the VIN # out of the tunnel & weld a new one in
Some don't drive it
Some, who have more lenient states can take the Mexican paperwork and get the car legally registered in their state as is.
Some states like my own Illinois this may be possible up until the new VW needed to pass it's annual emission control test. It would WAY pass any sniff test as it is about a clean an engine as there has ever been but the car would fail the OBDII plug in test where the emission control folks delve into the cars memory looking for fault codes. The new Mexis do not have OBDII. This would cause the car to get a rating of "FAIL" even if it technically is cleaner than any other car on the road (which it is).

-Darby

3 Reply by Jack

  • Jack
  • Guest

Re: Mexican Beetles - Clarification

I have a REAL Mexican beetle, with Original Mexican VIN. The VIN is located on Driver Side Door Pillar behind seatbelt (Visable through glass). It is also sitting on the original mexican pan, Transaxle and all.  It is registered with a Title as 1997. It was originaly Titled in Arkansas, then retitled in my home state. I have owned it since 1999 and I am the third owner. I had a difficult time getting insurance for it. And when It was vandalized I had a lot of trouble getting insurance company to pay up. There is nothing on the books for them to go by on this nonexistent automobile.

I also need a Fuel Pump for it if anyone can help me locate one. The Beetlemex site wont reply to my e-mails.

  • TomB
  • Moderator
  • Offline
  • From: Austin, TX
  • Registered: 2004-03-27
  • Posts: 1,095

Re: Mexican Beetles - Clarification

For the fuel pump contact Antonio Trejas at partsvw@hotmail.com. He will FedEx parts from Mexico City.

Your Beetle was titled by mistake. It happened to a few in Texas also, when the local office didn't know what to do. After a year or two period the State noticed the situation and contacted each owner to revoke the titles! When you live in an area that does emission tests, it would probably be caught, since the government has no listing for it to show what to check. Doesn't matter they run as clean as mountain air, they won't test it if it isn't on the list. Here a 97 has to be checked by OBDII fault code reading. Can't read the Readiness code? Won't pass. The Mexi computer has fault codes, but is not OBDII compliant.
If you get in such a situation, the cure is to get a 73 pan and move everything over so it becomes a legal 73. You need to run a fuel return line (added in 75), but the seats and all will otherwise fit.