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GringaMexicana

Hello all! I would be very appreciative if you all could give me your opinions. I am moving to Aguascalientes the end of June(probably for good). I just got a job offer there(whoo hoo) but it has put me in a bit of a rush to get everything straightened out. There are some things that I can't part with and sell. Actually a lot of things. I have an insane amount of books and sheet music and pictures and clothes & musical intruments etc. and from the research I have done while in Aguascalientes, some of these things are cheaper here in the USA.

I have a couple options.
1.Drive my car down packed with stuff.
Concerns: Should I really do that alone as a 20 yr old female, Will my 1999 toyota make it? Will I be able to legalize my car once I am there?

2. Fly down with what I can and ship the rest.
Concerns: Mail is not reliable and stuff will probably get stolen. It will cost a butt load of money.
3.Hire a mover to do it. - I like this option because I can take a lot of my furniture and not have to go searching for a bunch of stuff and I can bring my Piano. Whoo hoo! I can also buy my appliances here like a washer and dryer(which not many have in Ags) on craigslist for cheap and take it with me.
Concerns- Can I hire them if I am only going to have a tourist visa( I will eventualy have a FM3, I just have to do it when I arrive). Is it worth it. The estimates I have got are between like 2,800-3,000. It is almost worth it to me if I don't have to worry about so much.

Any advice???

sarliz · Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Posts: 198 Location: Jalisco

I have a friend who went the professional mover route and brought down furniture, books, and the like. I think they even kept her stuff in storage for her for a few months while she did her TESL course and found an apartment. I think she paid around 2,000 dollars and seems very happy with her decision.

I took the sell everything except for some stuff in my mom's attic route, which I'm slowly bringing down one carload at a time. And I hit up my friend for reading material.

GringaMexicana · Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 2:28 am Post subject:

MELEE · Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 1:36 pm Post subject:

Sam is the expert on these sorts of questions.

But until she gets here, here are some points to ponder.
Until you have your FM3 you will either-not be allowed to bring all that stuff in or be taxed VERY heavily on it.

You will be able to bring your car for as long as you are legally in the country. But you might want to think about trading it in for a different vehicle.

You might want to find a place to live BEFORE you bring the piano, to make sure you have a suitable place for it.

A dryer?? really who needs a dryer in Mexico. Solar dryers (aka clothlines) are king.

Samantha · Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 2038 Location: Mexican Riviera

The 1999 vehicle sounds relatively new by local standards. Not even 10 years old, so if it's in good repair, by all means drive it down. I have an older vehicle than that here and it's still doing fine. It hasn't met a "tope" yet that it didn't like, exept when there are 4 or 5 people in it! If your car rides low this can be a problem in Mexico. Get it serviced really well before your trip. Mine came all the way from Canada without a problem.

You can cross the border with quite a bit of stuff as a tourist. The snowbirds that live half a year down here do it all the time on tourist cards. I wouldn't mention anything about coming to Mexico to work as that complicates things (in the mind of the Aduana officer). You will want to find somewhere with off-street parking. Car permits can be obtained online now and mailed to you. Check out the Banjercito website for details. You will stop and pick up and pay for a tourist card after driving across. You can buy your foreign car insurance online also and print off the policy. Do comparisons in this area as the prices tend to vary, depending on the company.

Do a list of everything you have in your car and put typical garage sale low prices beside each. Show them the list if you get asked, as that usual prevents them unloading your car piece by piece. My "snowbird" friends who travel with dogs never get questioned. They recommend using those bags you can suck the air out of as it makes more room in the car to bring more stuff. Pack your blankets, pillows, linens, clothes in those. Don't bring anything newer than 6 months or anything in it's original carton, as that is when the duty can rear it's ugly head. Used items for your personal use should be fine.

Sell the electric dryer. Dryer's here are gas. An electric dryer will wreak havoc on your electricity bill. As Melee says, many homes don't have dryers. If you have a place to hang clothes out without them being stolen then that's cool. The sun does it's work and the clothes smell fresh. I did without a dryer for about 5 years. We finally bought a used gas dryer for 600 pesos and, amazingly, it still works. New ones aren't cheap here.

For the big move, if you can find a mover to do the move on both sides of the border for $2000.00USD then that's a really good deal. I would make sure you really want to live in Mexico before going to that expense though. Most people spend far more than that for a major move, and then if they decide Mexico isn't what they expected, there is that big cost all over again to get their things back "home". A mover can tell you what they require from you as far as an FM3/Menaje de Casa (which is your one-time duty free move to Mexico). Things in this area continue to change, so do lots of checking and get it in writing to prevent surprise charges surfacing at the border. That happens frequently. Also, investigate the mover's insurance coverage for the Mexican side of the border.

Lots to think about...everyone does this differently. Some people sell all and buy replacements here. That CAN be a hassle. You have to do what feels right for you.

GringaMexicana · Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 5:18 pm Post subject:

MELEE · Posted: Tue Apr 22, 2008 5:54 pm Post subject:

dixie · Joined: 23 Apr 2006 Posts: 644 Location: D.F

spiral78 · Joined: 05 Apr 2004 Posts: 11534 Location: On a Short Leash

I've got a dog that doesn't shed any hair (honestly, not even one - I can rub him on my black wool suit and not even a single on of his white and grey hairs rubs off).

But, since you're probably not going to trade in your handsome friend for a schnauzer or poodle...too bad you haven't got a dryer, dixie! Or is that your friend's name??

dixie · Joined: 23 Apr 2006 Posts: 644 Location: D.F

leegleze · Joined: 19 Apr 2008 Posts: 18

Having lived and taught in Mexico for six years, I can say that this is the best "gringo" website I've seen regarding moving questions: http://www.rollybrook.com/Page%20Directory.htm#Useful

On this page, you will find the link for a sample menaje de casa, which is an absolute necessity if you are moving your own stuff down by U-Haul or using a moving company. There's all kinds of other great advice and examples regarding health and car insurance, prohibited items, etc. Well worth exploring. Good luck with your move! How exciting!!!

Samantha · Joined: 25 Oct 2003 Posts: 2038 Location: Mexican Riviera

You may not have noticed that Rolly's website states it is $1200.00 pesos for a work permit. That is incorrect information. It is closer to $2000.00 pesos.

guatetaliana · Posted: Thu Apr 24, 2008 2:25 am Post subject:

That site is useful for getting a general overview, but I think most of the info and especially fees are quite out of date...

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

No offence, but leave all that junk behind. When I came to Mexico I came with two suitcases and a wad of cash. Once you have a job, a visa and are all settled in, you can always ship down what you can't buy for cheap locally.

jillford64 · Joined: 15 Feb 2006 Posts: 397 Location: Sin City

Spiral78, what kind of a dog is that?!