bringing your car from the us to mexico?

I would buy once you arrive.   I believe having a US  car registered in Mexico (and  buying Mexican
insurance et al) is a bit pricey and  you and your vehicle  will always be  a target,  since the mindset is that all gringos are rich. 
Also for unethical cops who want to make some extra pocket money which does happen no matter  where you live in Mexico.

if you become a resident, you would have to get mexican plates, which i understand is red tape and substantial cost. if you are on tourist fmm 180 days, you can bring your car in on temp import for length of visa, $60 fee and $400 bail money on a credit card refundable when exiting mexico before
fmm expires. i paid $230 mexican insurance for 6 months.

You would need a Temporal Visa to have the car.  Permanente Visa can't have US plates

I wouldn't want to drive that far

mturcat wrote:

if you become a resident, you would have to get mexican plates, which i understand is red tape and substantial cost. if you are on tourist fmm 180 days, you can bring your car in on temp import for length of visa, $60 fee and $400 bail money on a credit card refundable when exiting mexico before
fmm expires. i paid $230 mexican insurance for 6 months.

I went through this, you cannot legally just get Mexican plates. They look at the cars paperwork and the Vin number. The only way to determine the most recent rules is to ask an importer. You also depending on the border, can't just put it on a card, some they accept, others they decide not to. I just used cash.  I did this every 6 months for 3 years before becoming permanent. I became permanent a year ago.