shipping car versus buying

Here's a quote from a page on this site:

Step 1. Customs

Clearing customs and paying duty is usually done at an office close to the shipping dock. The duty collected is based on country of origin on the car and is calculated using the book value or Bill of Sale, whichever is greater. The VIN number is used to determine origin: if the first digit is 1, 4 or 5 it is a U.S. car and there is a no duty owed. Vin's starting with 2 or 3, there is a 6% duty. Vin's starting with 6 or with a letter it is 3.5% duty. The U.S. Customs Office will accept personal checks, cash, certified checks and money order. You can call the Customs Office at (340) 714-1600 for more information.

https://www.vimovingcenter.com/car/

my understanding is any foreign part

I assume you mean any foreign part in a car subjects the car to import duty.

There's no such thing as a 100% US-made car these days. All current US-assembled cars have about 15% or more foreign parts in them: http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/How_American_is_Your_Car/

From what I could find, the first digit of the VIN number only indicates the country of assembly, and the car can have any percentage of foreign parts.

And "US" apparently means "US or Canada".

Years ago, I cleared a Ford thru customs for an elderly couple and they had to pay duty on it because it had parts made in Mexico.
While the US has a trade agreement with them, it didn't extend or apply to US territories. Best to check.

Is no one reading my posts? The VIN number says it all. It could have 100 foreign parts but if the VIN starts with 1, 4 or 5 there is no duty.

This is from the link I already posted about VIN numbers and what the first number means.

World Manufacturer Identifier
The first three digits make up the World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI)

Country
The first digit in the VIN indicates the vehicle's country of origin, or final point of assembly. Here are some examples:

Value Country
1, 4 or 5 United States
2 Canada
3 Mexico
J Japan
K Korea
S England
W Germany
Y Sweden/Finland

Years ago, I cleared a Ford thru customs for an elderly couple and they had to pay duty on it because it had parts made in Mexico.
While the US has a trade agreement with them, it didn't extend or apply to US territories. Best to check.

Many "domestic" brands are manufactured in Mexico for the cheap labor. It's not because there were parts from Mexico. That car was made in Mexico.

My most awesome Nissan truck was made in Tennessee and has the '1' vin.
This was one of the reasons I chose it over the toymotor alternative.

Years ago, I cleared a Ford thru customs for an elderly couple and they had to pay duty on it because it had parts made in Mexico.
While the US has a trade agreement with them, it didn't extend or apply to US territories. Best to check.

Many "domestic" brands are manufactured in Mexico for the cheap labor. It's not because there were parts from Mexico. That car was made in Mexico.

(tu) He is correct.(tu)

I agree.

Whatever the reason, parts or entire vehicle, after 20 years, those particular details are a bit vague. I do recall the car owners not being pleased at having to pay the duty to have car released by Customs when they believed they were buying a wholly American product.

Great info Tommy! Thank you.