There's a similar phenomenon here in Texas. Mexicans (real ones that live in Mexico -- not to be confused with our ever-burgeoning population of illegal aliens) will come over and buy total-loss cars from insurance auctions. Then they tow 'em back over the border and use them over there, presumably with a few repairs.

The "Mexican Caravan" is an interesting phenomenon of one marginally functional minivan towing several crashed cars using chains. The longest one I've seen was a total of five cars. I'm not making this up -- one tow van, going half the speed limit down an interstate, with four junkers sequentially chained behind it...each junker with its own "driver" to make sure they don't create their own "Mexican Caravan Pile-Up." I'd bet a tank of high-octane gas that not one of them is insured, but that's OK, because everyone in Texas has an uninsured/underinsured motorist policy.

And to think our state legislature and troopers let this kind of junk go on every day!!! //END POINTLESS RANT//

About the only useful thing that I can add here is that the U.S. does have a time-based allowance for cars that were never imported. I believe once they are 20 years old, they can be brought over and registered, but only for limited road use. This is how a lot of folks finally got the famous 1980s Porsche 959 over to the U.S. legally. I've seen a couple out and about, and you see them pop up in the Dupont Registry now and then, generally already titled in the U.S.

Cheers, John

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'98 E300TD (W210) | Sold 6/09 with 205k and counting
'04 VW Touareg V10TDI