Recently, the government in Mexico instituted a ban on imported vehicles. Now, you can only bring in vehicles built for the 1998 model year. That includes the 1998 Ford F150.
Why such a limitation on imports?

Used-car dealers in the United States, especially those near the southern national border, were buying old vehicles at auctions for a small price. They would then ship the vehicles to Mexico and sell them for huge profits. According to an article in the Los Angeles Times, though, more than three million of these older (and slightly more junky) cars found their way across the border in less than three years.

New-car dealers in Mexico certainly aren’t happy about the old cars coming into the country. It cuts down on their profits for several reasons. One main reason is that a large number of Mexico’s residents prefer the larger cars that were only made 15, 20 and even 30 years ago. I like to call them the “Big Boat Cars.” These cars also tend to be less expensive than the smaller, newer cars in the Mexican market as well.

But with the new restrictions that allow only importation of vehicles made in 1998 and later, the Mexican Association of Automobile Distributors hopes to change the nation’s image. Right now, American car dealers along the border tend to think of the nation as “the world’s biggest automotive garbage dump.”

With growing demand for newer vehicles, this means prices will likely skyrocket for the 1998 Ford F150 and other Ford vehicles made in the last few years. One Houston dealer expects prices to rise by about 10 percent. This is just one more way that the Ford F150 continues to be one of the most popular trucks in the North American market.

To purchase a used or certified Ford F150, visit our Ford dealers in St. Louis Missouri or our IL Ford dealerships.