First and foremost I have to say that this was our experience. I doubt it is like this for everyone or anyone. At least I hope not!
I decided that we needed another car one night as I lay awake while the brain was spinning. The Land Rover has been amazing, but the kids go to school in San Pancho, the town next to us in one direction and Ozzy works in Higuera Blanca, the town next to us going the other direction. We figured that in one month we were spending anywhere from $600 to $700 dollars per month on gas and I had turned into a taxi driver. The gas station had become our personal slot machine, visiting it everyday to feed it a 500 peso, which is about $43 dollars. It was making me sick. I kept hounding Ozzy about going to look for a car and it never happened. He was just too busy. I didn't want to do it alone, I needed support. Didn't happen from him so I took my Spanish speaking children with me one Sunday afternoon and we went car shopping. My friends who just bought a car said go to a dealer. They will do everything for you, get plates, insurance, etc. All that can be very difficult to do here on your own. So I went to a few dealers. I first hit up the Toyota dealership. The lady took my name and number and said someone would call me who spoke better english. Next up was the Ford dealership where I found the car that I wanted. A used, white, EcoSport. Not sold in the USA. The lady who was working that day, Martha, seemed nice and spoke a little english, she also showed me a brand new car and I explained that it was too much. She said okay and stood there and smiled...a bright red lipstick smile. I told her that I would bring my husband back the next day to test drive the car. She smiled and said okay. I walked out of there with our money and dignity, not running from car salesmen and women.
I came home and told Ozzy that I found "the one". So we went and drove it the very next day, which was Monday. We decided to buy it and sat down with Martha to seal the deal. We didn't want to get financing in Mexico so I had to transfer money or pay with a credit card. There wasn't any wheeling and dealing so we really didn't know the total price of the car with taxes, fees, etc. So I asked Martha how much the car would be and she figured the price out on a "post it" note and gave it to me. Yes, a "post it "note. OOKAY! We told Martha that we wanted to buy the car. "First I make sure it is okay" says Martha, meaning that the car needs to be inspected mechanically, (yes, they do not do this until someone is ready to buy it) There were also one or two things that needed to be fixed. From home, while we were waiting for the inspection, I was going back and forth with Martha about how I could pay for the car and what is the actual price, not the "post it" note price. Three days later Martha said I could pay for it with a credit card. Great, I called Amex and told them there would be a large purchase from Mexico and they okayed it. We were getting our car today. WAHOO! Though I still didn't know how much it would cost. I get an email from Martha telling me they don't accept American Express (which would have been great information to know). Okay and I still can not get the price out of her. I didn't hear from her for a few more days so I was getting a little worried that she had sold the car to someone else. Finally I received an email, I do not remember what it said but I panicked and got pissed so I had a friend who speaks Spanish call Martha for me and find out what the hell was going on. Martha said she was sorry that she had not gotten a hold of me because she had been busy and been in meetings. My friend found out that the car was fixed, checked out by Ford and that I could come and pay for it. We were getting our car today. WAHOO! I asked my friend to ask her what the price was and Martha was like, duh, I gave her the price. Oh yeah, on the "post it" note. Duh, my bad!!!
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| The "Post It" Note. Our Official Price Breakdown. The commission is not for Martha, it is for using a credit card. |
So, we go down there that night. I haven't mentioned that this had to be done this week, which was now into the second week from which I orginally found the car because I was leaving the country for 15 days. I wanted this car because I didn't want to go through all this shit again. We get there to pay for it out of our Mexican bank account. Well that account daily withdraw limit only let us get half of the money. So we have paid for half of the car. I get on the internet at the dealership to transfer money from my Delta credit card into the checking account, (because I didn't bring that CC with me dammit!) to pay for the second half and the flipping transaction was declined. We have no other options so we leave the dealership for the second time without our car and they now have half of our money. I have to go to work the next day so the rest of this is on Ozzy which I was trying to avoid because he has been so busy working that he doesn't have a second to spare. So the next day he has to go to the bank after work to get a cashiers check to pay for the rest of the car. He leaves work and what do you know, the bank closed at 4. He is pissed. He goes back to the next day to get the cashiers check and goes home since if he went to the dealership to pay for and pick up the car he would have to drive two vehicles home. The next day he loads up the kids, after school onto the public bus during rush hour and heads 1 1/2 hours into Puerto Vallarta to pay for and bring the car home. We are finally getting our car today. WAHOO! He gets to the dealership with kids and check in hand at 5. They are open until 7. He gives the check to Martha and she smiles and tells Ozzy that the "transfer of ownership office" closed at 1pm (which would have been great information to know the last time we were at the dealership) and he cannot drive the car home, so he and the kids have to get back on the bus and go back 1 1/2 hours home with no car and now they have all of our money. He pretty much lost his shit at that point in the Ford dealership. To the point where some people even came out of their offices to listen to him rip into Martha. From what Ozzy said, she just smiled with her "lipstick grin". So Martha takes it upon herself to deliver the car to Ozzy in Sayulita the next day with what Ozzy called "a posse". I think they were afraid he was a safety concern but hey, we finally have our car! WAHOO!
We bought the car in Puerto Vallarta which is in the state of Jalisco. Sayulita is in the state of Nayarit. We wanted to have the plates changed from Jalisco to Nayarit mainly because you only have to renew Nayarit plates every four years as opposed to every two years for Jalisco. In order to get the plates changed we needed an electric or phone bill to prove we lived there. Great, we have one for our house so we proudly take it to Martha. This bill is not actually in our name either. Just the one we pay. Not going to work. Martha needed the passport of the person on the bill (which would have been great information to know). We didn't know who the person was much less get this person to hand over their passport. We don't really know of anyone who would willingly give these to us, especially the passport so we are kind of screwed right now. This was not even necessary for our visas. But wait, Ozzy has a shop and an electric bill with his name on it. Score, we are in. The problem is that bills are only delivered every two months and this will be the first bill. CFE Electric company cannot give me anything with Ozzy's name on it until that bill comes out so we have to wait to get the bill. I think we waited about a month for the bill. In the mean time I was driving around with no plates but I did have a 30 day permit to drive the car without plates but I had to drive the hour into Vallarta to get a new permit every 5 days and pay 800 pesos for the permit.
Guess what? As unbelieveable as it might sound, the plates are not ready. So I go to work and forget about it, but on the way to the airport at 5 am coming out of the jungle we get pulled over by the "Federales". Aka, " The Federal Police"! Shit, we weren't speeding so I know it is the plates or lack thereof. Christmas is over so the pulling over for bribes has pretty much stopped, maybe he was falling asleep and needed something to wake him up. Ozzy was very calm, he spanglished his was through the plate situation, even offered to wake up our bilingual children to translate for him. He shined the light in the back seat and saw our two blondies mostly asleep got a big smile and said never mind. Tugging on the heart strings! He let us go. Yeah. We were a little concerned that he may confiscate the car and leave us on the side of the road and I would miss my flights and we would be stranded.
I get back from work on January 3 and immediately email Martha and tell here we need to finish this once and for all. Response..."the offices are closed for the holidays I let you know". A week later, another email to Martha. Where are my plates? Response..."I get your plates, first I need $2300 pesos"... for registration which is due at the beginning of each year (which would have been great information to know) especially since we paid $2000 pesos for plates when we bought the car. "When you give me money? I get plates. Call me." So I call Martha and make a time to drive the hour to the Ford dealer and give her $2300. When she first needed the bill and passports she said that she would need all of this again to pick up the plates but not the actual car. So when I go to pay her she says "Okay, tomorrow or Saturday plates". I ask her, "Martha, do you need the passports?" She says "let me check". Yes, she needs the passports. I ask, "Martha, Do you need the electric bill?" "Oh yes, I need the electric bill." Come on Martha. At this point I could do her job.
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| Our new Mexico Ride. |
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| With plates! Wahoo! |
Done and done. Oh wait, we don't have the title. One more thing Martha hasn't told us about and I don't even have it in me to fight for it, though I will because that is my car damnit. I own it outright and I want the papers to prove it. I am sure it will be a "that would have been great information to know" situation. SIGH!
