# Cuba and cars **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 12, 2005, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuba-and-cars/298934 "2005-04-12T05:07:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuba-and-cars/298934/21 "2005-04-12T20:34:13Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > Except it didn’t work. > > Nice idea, but not a very successful smuggling technique. But you’ve got to admit that the guy who did it, must be one helluva good mechanic. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuba-and-cars/298934/22 "2005-04-12T20:39:50Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > But you’ve got to admit that the guy who did it, must be one helluva good mechanic. Aye. He might even be able to make a living converting cars to boats! Either that, or (if he makes it to the U.S.) he can hook up with a Canadian or Mexican and import Cuban cars and work on them. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuba-and-cars/298934/23 "2005-04-12T20:47:24Z")
> [@Johnny L.A.](#): > > Aye. He might even be able to make a living converting cars to boats! > > Either that, or (if he makes it to the U.S.) he can hook up with a Canadian or Mexican and import Cuban cars and work on them. Actually, at the end of the article, it says he did finally make it to the US. He had to do so by way of Costa Rica, though, and was pissed that he couldn’t drive up on the beach in Florida. ---
**Author:** ![Scruloose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@Scruloose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scruloose)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuba-and-cars/298934/24 "2005-04-12T21:17:51Z")
The Coast Guard, rightfully so IMO, took a lot of heat for sinking the first vehicle those guys used to “drive” to Florida. I have it on good authority that the CG tried to save the second one, but couldn’t. Too bad. I think there’s a museum in Miami dedicated to the various craft that have been used to make the transit, and those vehicles would have been perfect additions. I’m glad those guys finally made it. Anyone with that much drive, skill and creativity would make an excellent contribution to any country. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuba-and-cars/298934/25 "2005-04-12T21:31:53Z")
Okay. Supposing I, as a Canadian, went to Cuba and (magically) satisfied all Canadian and Cuban requirements for legally bringing classic Cuban cars to Canada. Would US people be allowed to buy them and bring them to the States? ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuba-and-cars/298934/26 "2005-04-12T21:41:40Z")
If, once you got them into Canada, you obtained a Canadian title for the thing, I doubt that there would be much of a problem, since the US buyer’s money would be going for a Canadian car (that was probably originally a product of the US, anyway), and I doubt that a DMV in the US is going to bother asking where the Canadian got it. They’re going to be more concerned with finding out if the car was stolen or not. AFAIK, the US embargo against Cuba only applies to things bought directly from Cuba and not a third party. I know that no one prohibits buying stuff in the US, exporting it to Canada, and then exporting it to Cuba. I’m guessing that’s how that late model Ford van showed up in the news account I saw on Cuba a few years back. There’s been some efforts to try and prohibit such things, but they’ve fallen flat (seems the Canadian courts have enough sense to throw the whole thing out). ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 10:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuba-and-cars/298934/27 "2005-04-12T22:26:57Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > Define “roadworthy” for a car built when seatbelts didn’t exsist, backup lights were _optional_, and dashboards were metal. My grandfather’s 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 had two optional lap belts installed in the front, and none in the back. When we were having the car restored, we were told that North Carolina doesn’t require seat belts in a vehicle if they weren’t originally installed. (I don’t know if you would need to provide proof of this or not; we do have the original invoice for the car.) We did have two lap belts installed in the back though. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2005, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuba-and-cars/298934/28 "2005-04-12T22:33:42Z")
> [@Jeep's Phoenix](#): > > My grandfather’s 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 had two optional lap belts installed in the front, and none in the back. When we were having the car restored, we were told that North Carolina doesn’t require seat belts in a vehicle if they weren’t originally installed. (I don’t know if you would need to provide proof of this or not; we do have the original invoice for the car.) We did have two lap belts installed in the back though. Generally, in cars that old, cops/vehicle inspectors will ask if they were original equipment if you don’t have them. They’re also pretty lienient when it comes to such things, since they might not know off the top of their head when it was mandated that all new cars be built with seatbelts, and if it goes to court, it’s going to get tossed out on it’s ear fairly quickly. ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuba-and-cars/298934/29 "2005-04-13T01:53:16Z")
> [@Tuckerfan](#): > > This is done to prevent hordes of 'Merkins from streaming across the boarder and loading up on cheap **new** cars as well as cheap drugs I know prescription medications are cheaper in Canada than the US but I always thought that most other things inclduing new cars would be cheaper in the US than Canada. ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [April 13, 2005, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuba-and-cars/298934/30 "2005-04-13T02:05:46Z")
> [@Imasquare](#): > > I know prescription medications are cheaper in Canada than the US but I always thought that most other things inclduing new cars would be cheaper in the US than Canada. There’s a thread about it here, but I’m not going to kill hamsters trying to find it. **GingeroftheNorth** gave a first hand account as I recall. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cuba-and-cars/298934.md?page=1)