Guys coming to door wanting to buy Ford truck??

[sanmiguel]

Used cars are very expensive to purchase in Mexico versus the USA. They can be imported legally to Mexico when they are ten years old. A lot of those caravans you see are "Katrina cars" i.e. those which have been declared as salvage. They are unsafe to drive by US regulations but there are no such prohibitions south of the border. So yes, these guys are indeed casing the neighborhoods but not necessarily for nefarious purposes. They are looking to buy trucks and, because of the price disparity, they can offer you above blue book and still make money when they sell them in Mexico.

[eepstein]

Ha ha, that must be another "only in Austin" type of thing. For the very few people in this area who actually drive a car, it's actually a very good thing. You never have to lock your doors, or worry about theft. No crooks in this part of the country would even waste their time stealing a car!! Heck, for us lonely and proud car drivers, we should have WAY cheaper insurance!!

Originally Posted by JohnJHS

Anybody else have guys coming to the door offering to buy their Ford truck? Seems to happen to me about once a month for the past few months. You can't even really see my truck that well from the street. The guys are always Hispanic. I live in Brentwood.

I always say it's not for sale. It's just strange.

[BentBow]

Yes, any truck they see sitting for any period of time, they will go ask if they will sell it cheap.

Had a 92 Dodge Dakota(actually still have it) Before taking it to the hunting property, I had many come ask if I'd sell it.

Illegals looking for a cheap ride.


Don't just sell it to them and let them drive off. Go transfer title and registration, before they drive off in it!!! If they wreck it, you are held liable, even if they are not illegal.

[Tim_Barton]

Originally Posted by achtungpv

If you drive I-35 on a regular basis, you'll see these guys caravaning south. Usually there's 2 - 3 loaded down trucks in a row. The AAS did an article on them a few years ago. They fly up north, pick up a used truck, as they drive down I-35 they fill it up with garage sale and give away items, drive it to Mexico or Central America, sell it all and repeat.

Hauling out the garbage.

[sanmiguel]

If, during the month of December, you see caravans of trucks laden with appliances heading south towards Laredo, you are witnessing the "paisanos" bringing their families needed products at Christmastime. These people are heroic in that, during these troubled times in Mexico, they still brave the annual trek in support of their families. The route they must take is not only the scene of narcoviolence, but they also need to set aside several hundred dollars to payoff corrupt officials not to confiscate their hard earned gifts.