Job Discussion Forums

profgizmo · Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2005 5:08 am Post subject: Bringing a car to Mexico

We are driving a Mazda minivan down to Oaxaca, Mexico when we come there in July. It is fairly new with low miles, in good reliable condition. Since there are 3 of us, and we will have a lot of stuff, and we will be there for awhile... it seems to be the best way for us to travel around. However, I would just like to know what the pros and cons are to having a car there. What about driving around in Mexico, parking, what precautions to take, etc. We have already bought a "club" for the steering wheel, and our wheels have locks on them. We have thought about a car alarm, but here in the US, people ignore them completely. Is that also true in Mexico? We hope to use public transport as much as we can when there, because I know it is most economical and convenient- but we have the car for long trips, since we plan on traveling a bit too. Any advice on this topic? I would love to hear what your experiences have been with having a car in Mexico. Thanks, Dana

magpie · Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 54

Dana:

Since I am living in one place this might not be too helpful. I drove down here last August in a 2000 Honda Civic packed to the gills with stuff plus two cats. I am in a smaller town, and there is no real parking, so my DOS found me a place to park my car in an auto body shop of a friend. I pay $250P a month to leave it there, though I can access it any time. It's much safer than on the street. I would suggest trying to find a place like this that is safe where you can leave it when you might travel out of the area on public transportation.

Of course, get car insurance, and do all the normal things you would in the States, before taking a long trip--have the car serviced and everything checked. Volkswagens seem to be the most popular car here other than American made vehicles like Fords and Chevys. In some areas it's a long drive between gas stations -- I never allow myself under half a tank and a Honda can get great mileage. Also, the bathrooms in most of those stations are really nasty--just a warning.

If you are coming down 180 along the gulf coast I can be of help as that's the way I've driven down here several times, and know the really rough spots on the roads. Take the tollroads when you can--they are worth the money!

profgizmo · Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 3:40 am Post subject:

Thanks for the info. I was just wondering also...how much is gasoline down there now? It's really expensive here right now. I had read somewhere that the Mexican govt sets the prices, so does that mean gas prices are the same throughout the country, or do they vary from one area to another?

magpie · Joined: 27 Mar 2004 Posts: 54

There is only one gas station company PEMEX and yes gas is the same price no matter where you go. Like home, larger cities have many more stations and the small towns may have only one--if that. I never let my tank go much below half--unless I'm sure there's a station nearby--for safety sake.

Don't drive after dark, pack as light as possible and watch out for the topes.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

Gasoline at Pemex is about 6.3 pesos for regular and 7.4 for premium.
That�s per liter. A gallon is roughly 4 liters, so you're talking about $2.40-$2.80 US per gallon.

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

The rule of thumb is that gasoline is twice as expensive in Mexico as it is in the US. Folks who live near the Texas border routinely cross to the US and fill up their big pickups' tanks and gas cans.

I had a car for 6 years--an old VW beetle that I brought from the US. I don't think a car in necessary in most areas.

I have never seen a Mazda, so you might want to bring spare parts with you

thelmadatter · Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 5:11 pm Post subject: car

One thing I still kick myself for is selling my car before I came here. I did that on the advice of the guy that hired me. It was a great 92 Toyota Tercel, I was the only owner and I took very good care of that car. Extremely reliable. While owning a car is not absolutely necessary here (and I dont own one now), I really miss having a car. I plan to buy a small pickup truck sometime this year. Not to go to work in (I live 5 min from work, walking) but for road trips and any major shopping (as I cannot STAND waiting for delivery people who never show up).

Oh well...

As for gas, if ls650 is right (and I think he is, but I havent paid attention to the price of gas in a while), Mexican gas may now be more or less on par with US gas. I heard average for gas now in the States is about 2.30-2.60 a gallon Shocked

Thank goodness I never saw the attraction of SUV's.

Driving in Mexico is not that bad (we used to do it when I lived in Arizona) and you get the luxury of visiting a lot of little places you might now otherwise. And as magpie says, bathrooms can be pretty nasty but if you stop where there are a lot of trucks, there are decent services (and food). Bring TP to be on the safe side.

profgizmo · Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 6:41 pm Post subject:

Yep, gasoline here in the US has gone really high and there are no signs it will come down anytime soon. The avg is about $2.29/gallon and in California- it is up to $2.55 or more. So much for cheap gas, maybe Americans will finally get rid of their gas-guzzling SUV's...we can only hope. We have a mini van, which gets decent mileage. I would trade for a car, except we have a business here which requires transporting equipment about, and we just bought this van-hate to trade it out now.

I read somewhere there were no Mazdas sold down there. I will definitely bring oil filters for oil changes. Hopefully, it wont need repair, it only has 25,000 miles on it now. I will have it checked out before we leave.

Is car theft a problem there? Or does having foreign plates make any difference to thieves? I guess car break- ins are more common. Is this something to be seriously worried about? Does a car alarm help at all?
Thanks for your comments- this really helps to be prepared.
All the best, Dana

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

Car theft is definitely a problem in Oaxaca--as are break-ins.

Cars stolen in the cities of Veracruz and Oaxaca are sold in Central America.

Oaxaca has become, over the past 10 years, a somewhat rough spot for all kinds of crime. The huge influx of tourists has meant high prices and a lot of resentment on the part of the locals. I am always much more careful there than I am in Mexico City.

profgizmo · Posted: Wed Apr 20, 2005 7:11 pm Post subject:

Well, I guess then it is probably good that we won't be in Oaxaca for long. We are staying there about a month or so-taking Spanish classes, then moving on. I think we will probably end up spending most of our time in Guadalajara, although that depends on where my husband gets a job.

Moonraven: Just wondering... which cities have you lived in and which one did you like best and least?

That's really the purpose of our trip mostly- to figure out which areas/cities in Mexico we like and would consider coming back to in the future.

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

You might want to check some of my previous posts on cities of Mexico. My home base since 1993 has been a small town just south of Cuautla, Morelos. No gringos, mostly domestic tourism--for the Ruta de Zapata and the balnearios. I like it better than anyplace else in Mexico.

I have also lived in Saltillo (dusty and contaminated air from the brick factories--the same as in Oaxaca), Metepec (small, cold, 40 minutes into Mexico City), Huachinango, Puebla (cold, but nice mountain town), Puerto Angel (raw sewage running down the streets to the bay in the rainy season, no services), Loma Bonita (a dump with a terrible climate--hot and intensely humid). And I have visted a lot of other cities.

profgizmo · Posted: Thu Apr 21, 2005 5:11 am Post subject:

About the balnearios.... I have read there are quite a few around Cuernavaca and that general vicinity. Which ones are the best? Are they all hot springs? Sounds quite wonderful...look forward to going there.

moonraven · Joined: 24 Mar 2004 Posts: 3094

The ones close to Cuernavaca are not hot springs--but the ones close to Cuautla are. Depends on whether you like cold, lukewarm or warm water. The warmest are at Atotonilco, 40 minutes from Cuautla. They are my favorites.

And then there's Agua Hedionda (Stinky Water) in Cuautla--famous for its sulphur content.

Flo · Joined: 29 Mar 2004 Posts: 112

You can get most parts for your car here, but when you buy them you have to specify that your car is "gringo". I drive a car which is very common here, but it is from the states. The engine in my car is a different model from the Mexican cars. I think it is the same engine as the Gran Marquis or something. Very strange. Also, some of the replacement parts are difficult to fit, but they do work. For example, the battery post are the opposite on mexican cars. So, when I bought a new battery, my battery cables were not long enough to reach the post on the opposite side of the battery (yes, it was the correct battery). In the end we had to do some rewiring. It was a mess but it worked out in the end.

A friend of mine owns a refaccionaria. If you have questions about parts for a specific vehicle, PM the details and I wll check into it for you.