But is this true?Well, the fact is you can buy half a dozen brand-new vehicles in Mexico for thousands less than that – so it can’t be just inflation.
Here are some examples of what’s available across the border:
2026 Renault Kwid. This small crossover is comparable to the Hyundai Venue – which at $20,550 to start is the least expensive new vehicle available in the United States – except the Kwid costs $247,500 Pesos (MXN) which works out to $14,300 in U.S. dollars – and it comes standard with a manual transmission, which the Venue isn’t available with.
Hyundai Gand i10. This is basically a Hyundai-badged Chevy Aveo and both are available in Mexico for $279,900 Pesos (MXN) or the equivalent of $15,100 U.S. dollars.
2026 Nissan March. You can buy this little five door hatchback in Mexico, for $259,900 Pesos, which is just over $15k in U.S. dollars.
2026 Nissan V-Drive. This is basically a Nissan Versa, which is no longer available int he United States It lists for $284,900 Peso, or $16,450 U.S.
That’s five brand-new vehicles available in Mexico for thousands less than the least expensive new vehicle you’re allowed to buy in the United States.
Emphasis on allowed.
The federal regulatory apparat has effectively out-regulated such vehicles, meaning that for one reason or another, they are not fully compliant with every Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) and so aren’t legal to bring into the country. The same is true as regards the Tiny Cars Trump was talking about last year that he apparently saw in Japan and wondered why you don’t see here. It’s because it’s not legal to import – or sell – them here. It’s the same story as regards the many sub-$15k Chinese EVs that Americans can’t buy.
The other reason some of them aren’t available here is because their manufacturers decided not to offer them here. Why? Because there’s less profit margin selling a $15k car than there is selling a $20k car (to say nothing of a $50k car). Mexicans are still a lot like Americans used to be in that they live more modestly, most of them. They are less debt-enslaved is perhaps a better way to put it. Americans were once leery of signing on for more than three or four years of new car payments. They now routinely sign up for six years and because so many do, the rest of us are placed in effectively the same position – because the manufacturers focus on higher-priced vehicles with higher profit margins, knowing most people will willingly finance them for six years.
The point is that inflation – while it has increased the number of dollars people in the U.S/ have to come up with to buy things like cars – cannot be entirely blamed for the fact that one can no longer buy a new vehicle in this country for less than $20,000. You could buy one for thousands less than that – using U.S. dollars converted to Pesos – in Mexico.
The problem is you couldn’t – legally – drive it home to the U.S.
Inexpensive cars such as the ones just profiled cannot be registered/plated in any state in the United States. Never mind that the cars profiled all have air bags and “modern” fuel-injected/computer-controlled engines that don’t “pollute.”
The issue seems to be that they’re affordable. The oligarchy that runs this country wants to keep people poor by making everything – especially cars – onerously expensive. People who have to live from paycheck-to-paycheck tend to be preoccupied by that and so rendered politically harmless.
. . .
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[…] https://www.ericpetersautos.com/2026/04/21/its-not-just-inflation/ […]
In the long run, poverty and other reduced buying power may prevail over government and industry efforts to keep vehicle prices high. There is an interesting article in the NYPost today about the high number of brain, spinal and other injuries suffered by e-bike riders and pedestrians in New York City. Commenters observe that, in NYC, there is apparently little or no enforcement of whatever licensing and insurance rules that may apply and the injuries so far are quietly tolerated. The assumed justification for the leniency, in that sanctuary city environment, is that it helps the poorest, many of whom are recent immigrants. If large enough segments of the population can’t afford mainstream transportation options, they will seek and demand alternatives, and each of those seeking an alternative has a vote.
OT but funny. NASCAR n EVs again:
https://www.jayski.com/2026/04/21/nascar-evaluating-potential-of-using-electric-vehicle-in-oreilly-series/
The NHTSA was formed by the Highway Safety Act of 1970, though its antecedents went back to 1966. Likewise, the EPA was formed under Nixon in 1970.
It just goes to show that the party of Lincoln, though it falsely poses as ‘conservative,’ in fact is a centralizing party that annihilates state sovereignty and concentrates power in Washington DC — just as Lincoln did.
Whacked hard enough this November, the Repugniclown party — now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Israel — may just shrivel up and die.
No tears from this corner. But here’s the rub. Nixon signed all of that bullshit, but it was passed by an overwhelmingly Democrat congress. That, and the 55 mph speed limit, though Nixon’s transportation secretary, Richard Volpe mentioned lowering speed limits and implementing speed governors a couple of years BEFORE the fuel crunch of 1973-74. Nixon proposed lowering speed limits in an address to governors in June 1973 as a way of addressing spot fuel shortages that were already taking place beginning May 1973. It seemed as if it was all pre planned. Teh oil embargo was the catalyst.
Yes, the Repbulbclown party is no better. Save for the 55 mph limit, they never reversed anything
Indeed during that 73-75 oil crisis, my dad was working in a midwestern refinery. He has told me many times that all their tanks were full, and they were running well under capacity. That the whole “crisis” was a crock of crap.
Americans should consider buying a cheap car in Mexico and driving it across the border.
Another idiot running his mouth about stuff he knows nothing about. You first.
See what happens when you try to register it.
FAFO
Lighten up, Francis…
I successfully registered a M-151 military jeep in Michigan without incident.
These vehicles were never intended to be sold to the public due to their handling characteristics–rear swing axles, a la Corvair design.
The military required the frames to be cut into four pieces before civilian acquisition could take place. I happened to be at the right place at the right time, using my military connections to get a “roller”.
It was titled (green title) by the Michigan Secretary of State as a “assembled vehicle” without incident. My insurance man (AAA) had no problem with it and insured it as well.
Your assertion that it is fruitless to purchase a car in Mexico and drive it across the border is just wrong.
There are ways to get around the truly “foreign title” problem.
Where there’s a will, there’s a way…
I think you need to “get some” in order to mellow your unduly critical and defensive attitude. “Getting some” would do you some good…
Lighten up, already…
P. S: the state of Michigan cared no one wit that it had no airbags or seat belts…that would be a federal problem…
Ah . . . Another retard.
You first – stop running your mouth. Man up. Go buy a new Mexican car. Go get it registered, licensed, and insured.
Why is it that you retards always have the answers for everyone else but yet you haven’t followed the same advice in your own lives?
Why so emotional, Retard Hunter?
It’s possible to do a lot of things that are quasi-legal, or outright illegal…but it entails taking on a certain amount of risk.
Most people are pretty risk-averse, and honestly who can blame them? The system can be very…unforgiving. Which is probably not the greatest long-term play on its part, but in the here and now it creates certain realities that are a bit…unpleasant.
Is it worth it to you, to spend the time & money to do this only to have the state confiscate the car & send it to the crusher? For which you will most likely not be compensated?
The system will get what’s coming to it in due course. In the meantime, we have to choose our battles and live to fight another day.
The federales have a 25-year exempt to import and nearly all states allow (as in you get your permission slip) collector, 25-year old and similar specialty models.
Anything newer than 25 years old is a risk. Some people get through, the majority don’t. The federales only allow vetted importers to handle the paperwork you need to get the title or MSO (statement of origin from the manufacturer) you give to your DMV.
They also track them down later.
https://www.reddit.com/r/WTF/comments/1krbu8/us_customs_and_border_protection_destroyes_a_150k/
This is nothing new. Back in the day, Monte Carlo SS’es could be had with 350s in Mexico and only a 305 in the US.
Mexico allows Chinese brands to be imported also. Are there some really low priced models from those car makers?
We all subsidized those billion dollar losses on EV’s. That is most of the increase…
Would it be possible to purchase one of these non-compliant vehicles and obtain a license plate through an LLC established in Montana?
Rgister the vehicle in Montana.
If I am not mistaken, Montana has one of the most lenient license plate systems in the USA.
It’s not a state problem. It’s a federal problem since it can’t be imported.
A vehicle has to come through Customs and Border Patrol, the EPA and DOT before it ever gets to a state. Some states do have more lenient title rules. Maine and Vermont are usually were I hear of grey market cars coming in.
The Montana registration can be a trap since most states don’t like tax “dodgers” who drive out of state vehicles. If you have actual property or a business in Montana you can kick it back at them but a PO Box LLC can be tougher to work around.
The Whistlin’ Diesel guy got into a bit of legal trouble over this in his home state of Tennessee. It’s done by a lot of groups, RV’ers, supercars, etc.
It goes back some years and the first people I heard doing it were full time RV retirees. They’d sell their home and travel year-round. If you have no permanent address why not just call a Mailboxes Etc “home” and use the location to your advantage? They have a completely legitimate argument, they’re not “dodging” anything.
The rest of us doing it because our home state is stupid with ownership taxes are sort of “dodging” their dumb rules that shouldn’t exist but do none-the-less so you have to expect to fight the Man.
I’m still driving a small 90’s car. It works well but good luck getting in more than 4 2x4s into it at a time. 🙂
Reasons like that is why families had a larger car for everything and then later a smaller car for commuting or errands.
Did you think it was piracy when Trump took control of Venezuela’s oil revenue? U.S. has been doing the same to Iraq since 2003 and no doubt Trump intends to do that to Iran.
“Washington has suspended security co-operation and US dollar shipments to Iraq from its oil sales, demanding that Baghdad forms a new government without Iranian influence and arrests militia members accused of attacking the US embassy and troops, Iraqi officials have said [Shia won Iraqi elections in January (same as Hezbollah in 2025 Lebanese municipal elections; Lebanon hasn’t done a census since 1932 or Shia would be almost 50%)]. …Since the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled Saddam Hussein, the US has exercised de facto control over Iraq’s oil revenue.” Every dollar Iraq gains from selling crude oil enters an account at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, from which Baghdad makes withdrawals to pay government salaries and imports. The New York bank supplies Iraq with hard currency for foreign exchange transactions. Oil revenue makes up nearly 95 per cent of the federal budget and the country depends heavily on imports to meet the demand for food and goods for key sectors of the economy.” [So without dollars they starve!]
https://www.thenationalnews.com/news/mena/2026/04/21/us-suspends-iraqs-dollar-access-as-pressure-tactic-to-curb-iranian-influence-and-militias/
If TPTB control countries by their bank accounts, no wonder they’re doing the same to us!
TPTB also aren’t just robbing countries; they are robbing us! We are the ones paying $2 more per gallon of gas to big oil companies! We, the consumer, paid Trump’s “illegal” tariffs (and are still paying them on coffee etc.)! But Trump is giving the ‘illegal’ tariffs back to the corporations using the USG as a clearinghouse. During COVID big drug companies got billions for ‘vaccines’ while 27 million were laid off (18 million were “temporary” but by December 2020 according to AI most were permanent); 200k small businesses bankrupted; while big corporations got to stay open and, like planned parenthood big franchises, collected PPP loans meant for “small business” and “PRF” relief.
I, again, think you have some cogent points, Eric.
People sure as hell would buy new cars priced $15k or less, in droves. I don’t care if they are “sub-compact”. In my advancing age, I am increasingly preferring smaller cars. The leviathans have their purposes, but are enormous hemorrhoids when it comes to casual or daily driving.
I think it has been said and it is true that companies used to sell cars, but they’re now more interested in selling financing. The avaricious pursuit of the profit margin is doubtless a factor as well.
I sure wish a manufacturer could come along and buck the trend.
I couldn’t agree more about big vehicles.
Unfortunately, American carmakers stopped making smaller cars because “people were moving towards Trucks and SUV’s”
The other issue is that FMVSS has made smaller sedans undrivable with their small window apertures and snubbed grills which make it hard to see in front of the vehicle.
I have given up on any hope of sanity in this market. No one speaks for car drivers. No one.
Off topic, but here is an excellent article by Mike Adams, who appears to be a man after my own heart when it comes to the proper use of “green tech”:
https://www.naturalnews.com/2026-04-20-why-energy-freedom-ultimate-form-personal-liberty.html
The Sun Cannot Be Taxed: Why Energy Freedom Is the Ultimate Form of Personal Liberty
“Solar collection is an inherently decentralized, personal act. Buying a panel and installing it is not just a financial decision; it is an act of quiet economic and practical defiance. It is a direct withdrawal from the centralized energy cartel. As I’ve stated before, centralized systems are instruments of control, whether it’s the power grid dictating your thermostat or a captured medical establishment profiting from your sickness [8]. True freedom requires technological independence. The act of capturing your own energy severs one of the most vital chains of dependency.”
Yep.
I’ve been looking into getting a solar system of my own, also. With batteries. My roof is pretty well positioned for it, but it needs replaced in a few years, so I’ll look more after that is done. I estimate that with a good setup I should be able to get pretty close to grid-independent.
Also, I’d like to sink a well (my state is very permissive about this, YMMV). For similar reasons.
Hey Publius,
Good plan. If you can sink a well, do so. Here, it would be over a thousand feet through rocks and who-knows-what to get to the water table. It is difficult enough to dig down 3 feet. So, for us, it is rain-catchment. Free water from the gods, anyway.
It’s amazing that, if you have so much as a little land, much of what you need can be obtained for free. It’s just a matter of being able to make use of those gifts.
Absolutely agree, but with a caveat. Your climate makes all the difference, here in the upper Midwest life is made possible by prodigious energy use, 120 years ago by burning big piles of wood or coal, and lighting with lots of candles and oil or gas lamps (shorter days/longer nights). A couple of my outlying properties have small solar installations for the times I need lights or to run a few tools. My home and shops need many kWhrs of electric and many gallons of propane to stay running.
In a place like Arizona, a decent sized solar could run a swamp cooler and lights and a fridge, and water could be heated with direct solar. But not here.
Good article Eric and fair points made so I’ll eat a little crow as a guy that is usually pushing the inflation angle with you.
However, the reality of the US auto market is most people would not willingly buy these subcompact cars at a $15k-20k price in volumes sufficient to make it worth an OEM offering them here.
Times are a changing so maybe the subcompact market will become more acceptable to people out of necessity. Especially if cheap credit were to dry up.
Don’t forget most Americans couldn’t drive a manual transmission if their life depended on it. However, I don’t think we are to the point where Muricans’ will willingly drive subcompacts just yet. Especially in a sea of oversized behemoth trucks and SUV that currently dominate our roads.
How old are you? You don’t think youth that can’t afford cars wouldn’t buy these? Who started buying Japanese compact cars in the 70s and made American companies follow? Maybe gov’t is purposely pricing young people out of cars.
But it’s not the 1970s though. Attitudes have changed in the USA. Small cars were available up until not that long ago. Cars like the Spark, Fiesta, or Sonic were around but nobody bought them. BID is right that people have deemed small vehicles to be unsafe especially when you are sharing the road with massive SUVs. Parents won’t let their kids near those things. Maybe when the day comes that people have to buy a car they can truly afford, they will return.
A few years ago, we were in Portugal. We stayed in an Airbnb. They neighbor had a really nice VW Polo. I was telling the guy I would love to be able to buy that car back home. He looked at me like I was a little crazy. He just didn’t understand what has happened to the US car market.
Once turn 18, youth make their own decisions (that’s who bought toyota in the 70s: primarily budget-conscious consumers, commuters, and young drivers). Funny how no-one says a word about jogging or riding bikes/motorcycles with massive SUVs but a sub compact is too dangerous.
“ Funny how no-one says a word about jogging or riding bikes/motorcycles with massive SUVs but a sub compact is too dangerous.”
Uhmm . . . Retard, plenty of people do think motorcycles are too dangerous and therefore don’t buy them. In case you haven’t noticed motorcycles are a tiny niche market compared to automobiles.
People are not rushing out to buy motorcycles instead of cars despite $4+ gasoline and the much lower purchase price of a motorcycle.
Hi Retard,
You assume the smaller motorcycle market share is because of a generalized perception of less safety and not merely impracticality and limited use due to widespread inclement weather (winter)?
Hi Burn it,
I think lots of Americans will consider buying subcompact cars if gas stays above $4/gallon on its way to $5 and above. The increasing cost of everything, thanks to the Orange Douchebag’s war for Israhell, will force some hard choices on those living paycheck to paycheck. Do they eat, pay the utility bills, pay the rent, or buy gas? Probably won’t be able to afford all simultaneously.
Barter.
The answer is barter. Whenever & wherever possible.
Also, increasingly it looks like another part of the solution will be minimizing our electronics and converting them to use open-source platforms.
Cut the parasites out of the equation.
As Twain said, “It’s easier to fool a man than convince he’s been fooled.” and Upton Sinclair’s observation, “It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends on his not understanding it.”