Moving in a U-Haul from U.S. to San Miguel. Safe or crazy?

Hi KforKansas,

Welcome to expat-blog!

I moved your post on the San Miguel de Allende forum for better views.

I suggest you to go through the San Miguel de Allende forum, you might find some more interesting information.

Regards,

David.

Thanks, David. I quickly discovered a couple of groups and resources to help me answer these questions. (Mostly, on this one, not so much. I'll hire a mover. :=>) I'll add the forum you recommend to my list, and I most appreciate your suggestion.

Best,
K

Would you share the other resources and groups where you are finding answers. I am going through the same thing as I plan my move. 
Any answers re:  good movers to transport things to SM from U.S.?
Thanks, RDABK

My conclusion, gleaned from talking with a couple of friends who've made the move and also from reading some of the forums is that it's best to hire a moving company that specialized in this sort of thing -- and not to count on instant results. There's paperwork and hassles that can be circumvented by people who do this all the time and know the requirements and, probably, how to play the game.

Buena suerte!

--KC

If you mean U-Haul literally, the company. They will not let you come to Mexico with their equipment.

We lived in San Miguel for two years.  Do yourself a favor and don't move there until you have spent plenty of time.

San Miguel and Mexico are totally corrupt and dangerous.  San Miguel has A LOT of crime, eg, kidnappings, murder, burglary, extortion, robbery, MANY HOME INVASIONS and there is NO police protection (in fact they are part of all of it).

Prices are higher than many places in the States and the food is pretty disgusting (the supermarkets remark the dates on the poultry, meat, milk, etc)

We spend two years of Hell down there and are still trying to sell our house.

The expats who live there and love it have their heads buried in the sand but believe me they will soon be cut off.

Hot, dry, dirty, unfriendly, dangerous, corrupt and not to mention animal brutality EVERYWHERE.

A disgusting country!!!!

Expat for Good: I retired at 55 and moved to Mexico almost 14 years ago, and I've visited San Miguel often. I have even become a Mexican citizen. You obviously had some very unpleasant experiences, which I can assure the original poster are totally atypical.

Mexico is far safer, contrary to U.S. media reports and some hysterical people who come and don't fit in, than most of the United States.

That every single aspect of Mexico, no exceptions, is dreadful in your opinion is laughable.

I hope you have found a happier place for yourselves elsewhere.

FelipeZapata wrote:

Expat for Good: I retired at 55 and moved to Mexico almost 14 years ago, and I've visited San Miguel often. I have even become a Mexican citizen. You obviously had some very unpleasant experiences, which I can assure the original poster are totally atypical.

Mexico is far safer, contrary to U.S. media reports and some hysterical people who come and don't fit in, than most of the United States.

That every single aspect of Mexico, no exceptions, is dreadful in your opinion is laughable.

I hope you have found a happier place for yourselves elsewhere.

Or you are responding to a "troll"!

Alley cat: It's possible, but I tend to think not. San Miguel is, of course, Mexico Lite and attracts people for that reason. And even being Lite, it's overwhelming to some.

I see the disgruntled person has, according to his/her profile, moved on to France. No doubt France has better dining opportunities. I'll grant that.

But then there are all those French people!

FelipeZapata wrote:

Alley cat: It's possible, but I tend to think not. San Miguel is, of course, Mexico Lite and attracts people for that reason. And even being Lite, it's overwhelming to some.

I see the disgruntled person has, according to his/her profile, moved on to France. No doubt France has better dining opportunities. I'll grant that.

But then there are all those French people!

Maybe they were French to begin with, another possibility?

Ah, French, of course! That explains everything.

FelipeZapata wrote:

Ah, French, of course! That explains everything.

we packed up our things 3 years ago into a budget truck and headed to the yucatan, we have been here 3 years now. my husband drove our armada with our three cats and i drove the 19 ft truck with some of our more special items. in laredo everything has to be gone through by a broker and put onto a mexican tailer for the rest of the trip. i would not have brought any of the furniture if i had it to do over. yes , you will hear this over and over but i believe you can get everything you need in mexico. the drive was no problem but lengthy because we were following the trailer that was bringing our belongings into mexico and it was a very underpowered vehicle
with our possessions. pack your car to the hilts but leave everything else behind...thats my best advise. you can always have things shipped to you if you feel you really want them. many of the things i treasured were damaged when gone through at checkpoints and when repacked in nuevo laredo. i  had packed things so carefully and made my list so detailed, i was not expecting the broker to open every box and unwrap everything, in laredo i went to the lot where they were unpacking my boxes and found them strewn all over a greasy asphalt parking lot and my smaller boxed items just thrown back into cardboard boxes that i had packed and sealed so carefully. i used a broker that i had gotten many positive references from. i think allot of it depends on who is working on the day you move. then to add insult to injury we were stopped at the checkpoint at  the crossing in laredo where they went through everything again and then at the checkpoint again about 100 miles in where my possessions were went through again. by the time we arrived in the yucatan our things were such a mess and our furniture very damaged, many things went straight to the dump or had to be refinished. leave your things behind is the best advise i can give you...

Quite right. Leave virtually everything behind. And that includes your car, which will be a persistent headache, even more so now that the rules have changed with the new visas.

When I moved to Mexico in 2000 I flew down on Delta with two suitcases. That was it. And that is all you need. Be adventurous.

If you plan to stay here, start from scratch. It's fun, and it's certainly simpler.

overtherio.blogspot.mx/

I think for the most part you are right. We came here months ago with just a bunch of suitcases, yet there are some items I miss. They would easily fit in my car (also in the states) so we are going to have the adventure that includes driving my car from the U.S. into Mexico and renewing the FMM.

Has anyone used an attorney to cut through some of the red tape?

Hi, "K for Kansas!"
I usually never have time to get on this forum (I'm a Realtor here in San Miguel), and am finding that most of the feedback below is not terribly helpful.  You've learned you will need a Mexican moving company that will meet you in Laredo and get you through customs (a good one, which we can recommend, can ensure that you won't have everything opened), but you might also join some of the local Yahoo groups, like the San Miguel "Civil List" and "Cool List."  Buen suerte with your move!
Greg Gunter
Coldwell Banker SMART

I loaded my C-class RV as much as I could, fastening items with strong beams etc. Drove from Canada to Acapulco, via El Paso. You can never duplicate such a trip experience with a shipping company.  Had some problems, mainly due to the age and condition of the RV. Some road conditions caused vehicle damage, use motorways and best roads, even if longer. Overnight at sizeable fuel station where no camp sites are available or too bad to use. Keep a generator operational, needs oil. Air condition needed when parked.

You need to return / export your RV within 2 years, MX law. Forget selling it. You might not be able to _renew_ your road permit while not at "home". You may have to create your own.
Recommended: GPS simple to operate, mark a place to return to! Portable computer with WiFi. Voltmeter to check 115 vac supply, long cable with typical American 13 amp connector. Outside light all round to check area before exiting vehicle during night. Rear view camera for backing up, inside window - else it may get wings.
Set of bulbs _all_ round, and fuses for RV and motor area. Before you drive off in the morning, count your wheels. When in MX buy cheap phone and Telmex SIM and list emergency numbers.
Good luck - and enjoy the trip.

I drove from Alberta Canada to Mexico city stay on the toll roads, (listen to the local news) If you need "any kind" of assistance there is phone number for each toll road section that you call. Buy yourself a Garmin voice prompt GPS for finding Banks, gas stations, hotels, restaurants, emergency services, etc. Make sure your GPS includes Mexico or you will pay extra. My GPS was a live saver all the way (6100km) from address to address. I have not seen any U haul centers here check to see where your drop address is before you leave and phone to make sure. I live in Mexico city.

Hi K for Kansas,

I made the trip from San Miguel de Allende to San Antonio, Texas with a small trailer last month. The trip was uneventful and no questions were asked at the border.

Last week,  a health insurance customer of mine made the trip from Virgina to San Miguel de Allende with a larger trailer. He too made it just fine and had no problems at the border.

Hope this information is helpful.

Hi K.
Welcome!  My advice: 
1. Bring as little as possible. Get lean n mean.
2. Consider a moving company Zoomalo that knows how to work the system. They get around some of the beurocracy and their prices are on the lower end. 
3. We found a cheap legal advisor from the Yucatán who organizes all the check lists and stuff that are all on the internet but one needs to be a juggling administrative genius to stay on top of.  Yucatanyes.com
4. Make sure you're on top of the pet requirements. Mx did a switcheroo on the form a year ago and a lot of people missed it causing big inconveniences. 
5. Sign up for the civil list on yahoo groups civil_sma and in Facebook San Miguel de Allende civil List.
6. Sma is built on crystals which either repel or attract folks. You'll know soon enough if this place is for you.

You got this!
L

We are in the process of getting quotes and an interesting problem has come up...we packed and moved all of our goods to a storage unit and are now being told: "if you packed it yourself...we can't ensure it"!  This presents a big problem as we spent tons on Home Depot HD boxes and stuffing materials and to have to pay someone to repeat that process at a much hirer cost is insane.

"Moving in a U-Haul from U.S. to San Miguel. Safe or crazy?"

Crazy

Simply not worth the risk.  A LOT can go wrong.

Msoutherland62 wrote:

We are in the process of getting quotes and an interesting problem has come up...we packed and moved all of our goods to a storage unit and are now being told: "if you packed it yourself...we can't ensure it"!  This presents a big problem as we spent tons on Home Depot HD boxes and stuffing materials and to have to pay someone to repeat that process at a much hirer cost is insane.

Make sure that you're dealing with an honest company.  Did they not make this policy clear beforehand?

Just protect yourself against bigger headaches down the road if this is any indication.

We put everything in storage and then we are going to find out where and this came up AFTER we put it all in storage.

Msoutherland62 wrote:

We put everything in storage and then we are going to find out where and this came up AFTER we put it all in storage.

Hi "Msouthherland62", this is a very personal advice based on our move to Mexico 2 years ago.
Experience:
We sold/gave everything we owned back 4 suitcases (26" lightweight for total 4x50lbs), 2 carry-on luggage (2x22lbs). Book 2 one way tickets to Puerto Vallarta, rental car from house to airport hotel, nice final suppers with family and friends,  book pick-up service at the airport to La Penita de Jaltemb, our 2bdr/1bth rental apartment had been cleaned and waiting for us.
Buyers of car and RV were happy ( good prices), kids were happy, needy persons organisations were happy.
Total cost of move was less than $2000 Canadian
From there on, bought various needed items via internet (amazon Mexico, Coppel Mexico, etc.. and delivery at the door) or local vendor...prices were comparable to US or Canada (item 55" ruko tv, weber bbq, wood cabinets, dinnerware, etc...)

Advice:
Make a big garage sale from your storage place
Pack the essentials in max 4 suitcases and 2 carry-on
Book plane, etc...

Result:
Less stress, less cost and ready for a happy life in Mexico

Adios y buen dia a todos, GyC.

Glad you responded and thank you.

mexicogc wrote:

Msoutherland62 wrote:

We put everything in storage and then we are going to find out where and this came up AFTER we put it all in storage.

Advice:
Make a big garage sale from your storage place
Pack the essentials in max 4 suitcases and 2 carry-on
Book plane, etc...

Result:
Less stress, less cost and ready for a happy life in Mexico

Can't say that I agree that it's simply less stressful to sell everything and buy in Mexico.

Cost is generally higher in Mexico for electronics and quality, modern furniture.  You can find a local carpenter who can make furniture at a good price, but generally will be more rustic.  That's fine if you are going for that style.  But expect to pay considerably more in Mexico for a comfortable sofa and not get the same quality you could in the US.

Lots of items (furniture in particular) will be on backorder, so expect to pay and wait as well.

I can only speak based on my years of experience in Queretaro.  Maybe customer service, quality, and availability is much better in more Americanized parts of Mexico.

The logistics of moving everything are a challenge, but don't expect for there not to be challenges and frustrations in buying here.

Hi "mejms", more and more good quality products are available in Mexico and even some made in Mexico. Even if we live in a remote area in Nayarit, the local stores will look up from their providers if they can get what you want ad match the price you saw online. (mattress, TV, tablet, furniture, iPhone, etc...). What I think they lack is our area is good clothing but they are getting better.

As an exemple the following TCL TV is available via Amazon MX ad Amazon USA the cost in Mexico sis equal or cheaper because prices includes all taxes Amazon Mexico $14999 pesos or about $750 US Amazon USA $699 + taxes
https://www.amazon.com.mx/TCL-65S425-MX … amp;sr=8-1https://www.amazon.com/TCL-37-70-inch-W … amp;sr=8-3

The same applies to furniture and other products , personally, never had delayed delivery or faulty products maybe I am just lucky, touch wood!!!

Adios y buen dia a todos, GyC.

Thank you for providing an excellent description of your experience! I am currently weighing pros and cons of various ways of moving. Have been slowly coming to the conclusion to "pack my car to the hilts and leave everything else behind".  Your post sealed it for me - thanks!

Did you make the move on a tourist visa or did you get temp resident visa before moving?

Hi "RetiredChicky", we had travelled Mexico since 2003 RVing (10 years) renting (3 years) then obtained our Visa entry for permanent residency.

This after numerous checks with Canada and Mexico authorities in regards to income tax and having the nonresident status for Canada and Permanent resident status for Mexico.

To avoid double tax return requirements (not double taxation), we don't work in Mexico, we don't buy property in Mexico and don't have a Mexican bank account.

Adios y buen dia a todos, GyC.

I just reached this same conclusion! I am moving to SMA to start my Phase 2 life of simplicity...so i had to ask myself...why am I stressing about how to get all my stuff down there?!  I am putting together a few boxes of memorablia that simply cannot be replaced and either stashing it in my sister's attic or will ask her to mail it to me when I have an address.

Thanks Mexicogc!

One thing we did, was to scan all pictures we had (over 50 years of pictures and some for parents and grandparents)  and purchased a picture frame which is turned on in the morning.
We had new pictures taken with the phone or tablet.
We sometime stop and look at the pictures a minute up to 5 minutes and remember events etc...

Adios y buen dia a todos, GyC.

David, this post has really nothing to do with San Miguel.  Its about the safety of transporting valuable goods across long distances in Mexico, particularly Northern Mexico and is applicable to anyone moving to Mexico from the US.

On the Pacific Coast (Baja) people often go in convoys/groups for more safety.  Its a lot more dangerous in central Mexico apparently.  But as you're in Kansas (centrally located in the US) it would be way out of your way to travel down the coast, hop on that ferry to Mazatlan, then make your way southeast to San Miguel. 

Too bad one couldn't camouflage the trailer as something else....like a garbage truck or scrap waste.  Just something utterly repulsive and valueless. 

You might want to mention how much stuff you have, in other words how large a transport vehicle you need to use.  Surely furniture isn't so expensive there.  Maybe you could bring down just the bare minimum.  Electronics are expensive thanks to huge import taxes but would you get hit with that?  Better find out.

FelipeZapata wrote:

Ah, French, of course! That explains everything.

Hilarious;!