Is it possible this was "properly imported"?

"JCAlan" (jcalan)
08/14/2015 at 11:21 • Filed to: None

According to the ad: “This is a 1998 beetle that was properly imported from Mexico in 98 and has spent most of its time in a garage. It has a 1600cc multi port fuel injected engine. The odometer still reads in kilometers even though the speedometer has been changed to mph, the odometer says 26141(roughly 16300 miles). I have had this car for twelve years and it still drives like a brand new car. Serious inquiries only. Call or text...”

How is that possible?

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DISCUSSION (25)

dogisbadob > JCAlan
08/14/2015 at 11:23

NAFTA? :p

Sam > JCAlan
08/14/2015 at 11:25

He may have made the case that it is functionally the same as a 1978 Beetle. But more than likely not.

SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie > Sam
08/14/2015 at 11:27

Yep, I’m with you. It’s technically possible, but unlikely. Especially in 1998. You could pick them up for pennies back then. They’re still cheap, but not like back then.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Sam
08/14/2015 at 11:28

See, if you could do that, people could get Defenders much more easily... and Mahindra Jeeps. WHY CAN’T PEOPLE DO THAT. There may be some complicated dodge involving construct-as-replica rules in some states, but I don’t think it’s the case here.

JCAlan > SidewaysOnDirt still misses Bowie
08/14/2015 at 11:31

Ya, it’s the 1998 part that makes me especially skeptical. If they were legal to import right off the bat, then you would see them everywhere, right?

JCAlan > Sam
08/14/2015 at 11:32

But a 78 Beetle is only street-legal because it’s grandfathered in, right? A newer car would have to meet safety standards. You would have to prove that it’s functionally the same as a car currently being sold, no?

Laurence > JCAlan
08/14/2015 at 11:36

Same way people get minis, defenders and the like in; vin swap from an older car, or all the parts off a mexibug swapped onto a U.S. registered beetle chassis

Coty > JCAlan
08/14/2015 at 11:36

Usually they unbolt the body and bolt it onto a legal pan.

Steve in Manhattan > JCAlan
08/14/2015 at 11:40

“The odometer still reads in kilometers even though the speedometer has been changed to mph ...”

What? My 300D went through a couple speedometers, and you have to change the entire head (and get a certificate). This smells fishy.

Coty > JCAlan
08/14/2015 at 11:43

If it’s something you’re interested in buying I can put you in contact with the owner of two legal MexiBeetles that can answer questions for you.

Laurence > Laurence
08/14/2015 at 11:44

I may be wrong; I checked the lisence plate,many it says it's registered as a 1998 Volkswagen. No idea how it got in now.

If only EssExTee could be so grossly incandescent > JCAlan
08/14/2015 at 11:46

They make exeptions if you can prove that the car isn’t significantly different from a version sold here. As long as the chassis, body, and safety equipment are the same as the last Beetle sold here it would be possible. The engine definitely isn’t the same but it may be identical to a USDM engine that Volkswagen had here, making it allowable.

Dogapult > JCAlan
08/14/2015 at 11:48

There were a few companies over the years importing Mexibugs “legally.” they all went under. Unless this is on a much older pan, it’s not legal.

JCAlan > Coty
08/14/2015 at 11:49

I’m not interested in buying it, just thought it was interesting. So.....it can be done?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > JCAlan
08/14/2015 at 11:52

You can make a new car in some cases that is a replica of an old one, and it only has to meet the old one’s standards. For example, Cobras. The critical part of that sentence is “you” - unless you somehow convinced VW of Mexico to give you a complete knock-down kit, you wouldn’t be able to pull that off, I don’t think.

Coty > JCAlan
08/14/2015 at 12:03

Yep. Don’t remember how.

DipodomysDeserti > JCAlan
08/14/2015 at 16:00

It’s legal to import cars that aren’t twenty five years old, it’s just very expensive. You’d have to find out the company that was imported it and figure out if they were legit. A few companies would use an old pan and then put the newer parts on it.

ranwhenparked > JCAlan
08/14/2015 at 22:07

If “properly imported” means it still has its 1998 Mexican VIN and original floor pans, than, no, it is not at all legal and won’t be until 2023.

However, if they did a pan swap with an older US-legal Beetle and it’s registered under that car’s title, then it is perfectly fine.

jester74 > Laurence
08/15/2015 at 03:41

There are a few out there. Here in DC, there is a 2004 Ultima Edition Beetle. Last year they were made in MX.

Leon711 > Steve in Manhattan
08/15/2015 at 03:44

completely different again, but a pal bought a freshly imported Eunos Roadster, all he had to do to convert the speedo was put a new speedo face in the cluster no checking required (in the UK at least)

Berang > JCAlan
08/15/2015 at 03:45

At that time swapping Vins was pretty common. But I think another possibility was that if you had a residence in Mexico and U.S. it was (possibly may still be) possible to register a car in the U.S. that was meant for Mexico? I only vaguely remember hearing something like this.

Steve in Manhattan > Leon711
08/15/2015 at 13:03

I had thought about that, and I did not know it was a thing. Still, I’d pull the gauge to verify. That’s a lot of money for a Bug that’s not even a Super Beetle.

Leon711 > Steve in Manhattan
08/15/2015 at 14:27

I’d be very skeptical of a 1998 bug in a country where the import laws so backwards. In the UK, the land of the free (import laws) and the home of the brave (biggest European market for convertibles) no one would bat an eyelid.

gmctavish needs more space > JCAlan
08/15/2015 at 15:59

Did he pretend it was a New Beetle or something? I only sort of know how your import laws work so that’s my best guess

vwbeamer > Coty
08/30/2015 at 12:59

I read an article about the cars in the late 90’s when this was done. They would buy a new Mexican beetle, and bolt the motor, body, suspension and a rebuilt older pan.

Completely legal.