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is it totally unthinkable...

 
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maefrey



Joined: 22 Oct 2005
Posts: 16
Location: East Coast USA
PostPosted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 3:54 am    Post subject: is it totally unthinkable... Reply with quote
...to drive down south of the border in a car? and I am speaking specifically of all the way down to oaxaca.

what kinds of obstacles would one expect? bribing cops? nonexistant gas stations? i am totally in the dark here...

.......
Thanks for all your feedback.
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thelmadatter



Joined: 31 Mar 2003
Posts: 1212
Location: in el Distrito Federal x fin!
PostPosted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 1:04 pm    Post subject: not unthinkable Reply with quote
The major north-south roads are in good condition and there are enough gas stations (just dont run on fumes, Pemex is the only option). Tolls are common on these roads and expensive.

Drove a bit in Sonora in the north and never ran into a cop, so I dont know about bribing. A friend of mine with a car here in Toluca has had to bribe cops driving in town but never had an experience on the highway.

The only caution Id give you is to not drive at night. Cattle, other unseen road hazards and on certain secondary roads I have heard of robberies (Rt 134 from Toluca to Zihuatanejo).
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sickbag



Joined: 10 Jan 2005
Posts: 155
Location: Blighty
PostPosted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 1:17 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
We drove down to Puebla a couple of weeks ago. Crossed the border at Nogales and down the coast to Tepic, then Guadalajara, Morelia and through DF to Puebla.

We didn't have any problems whatsoever. We did get ripped off at one Pemex station but only through our own carelessness. We even managed to negotiate DF during Friday night rush hour!!

We took our time doing it (5 days from the border) and it was well worth it. A great trip.
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lozwich



Joined: 25 May 2003
Posts: 1536
PostPosted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 1:34 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
sickbag wrote:
Crossed the border at Nogales and down the coast to Tepic,


This part of Mexico is also reported to be very dangerous for travelling at night in terms of likelihood of getting robbed. One way I've heard of it being done is to put a "fallen log" across the road, and then when the driver gets out to investigate, the robbers jump out from their hiding place.
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sickbag



Joined: 10 Jan 2005
Posts: 155
Location: Blighty
PostPosted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 1:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
lozwich wrote:
sickbag wrote:
Crossed the border at Nogales and down the coast to Tepic,


This part of Mexico is also reported to be very dangerous for travelling at night in terms of likelihood of getting robbed. One way I've heard of it being done is to put a "fallen log" across the road, and then when the driver gets out to investigate, the robbers jump out from their hiding place.


Yeah, I should've pointed out that we made sure we were holed up somewhere by around 8pm each day and pretty much avoided driving after dark.

Saw one bad accident outside of Guadalajara which prompted the worst in Mexican drivers - some of them jumped the central reservation to see if they could drive around the crash!!!!
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MELEE



Joined: 22 Jan 2003
Posts: 2583
Location: The Mexican Hinterland
PostPosted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 4:11 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
Not at all totally unthinkable. Lots of people have done it, myself included. I do think it would be better if it were not your first trip down. I think the ideal situation would be fly down, get settled, get to know the place, get a feel for how traffic moves, have a realistic idea of what things you do and don't want to bring with you in the car. Then, like six months or more after you have first arrived, drive down. I also think it is better if you have already have an FM3 rather then driving in with with your car and household items on a tourist visa, but in reallity that may not be an issue.

Unfortunately, ideal situations are not the majority of situations, and there are plenty of sucess stories of people driving their first trip down.
I'd suggest you check out The People's Guide to Mexico, great advise and great humor in that book. Also possibly a general Mexico forum, lots of retirees drive down and have a lot of free time to share their experiences! one site is mexicoconnect.com, but I think you have to pay to see all the content. Also if you get Sanbourn's car insurance they give you driving guides. Like other's have said, gas stations are plentiful enough, and I've never had to bribe a cop, but we were stopped one in the State of Mexico and hasseled by local police until we were saved by the Federal police who happened by. But that had to do with the car and my husband being Oaxacan. I've never had any problems in a car with US plates.
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danielita



Joined: 06 Mar 2006
Posts: 281
Location: SLP
PostPosted: Wed Aug 30, 2006 5:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote
...it is definitely doable. I do recommend the Guia Roji which includes all highways in Mexico plus a few local maps of some major cities, it can be invaluable when trying to navigate--especially if you are heading into Oaxaca and your highway is blocked by a demonstration. I do not recommend driving at night whatsoever. There are way too many things to pay attention to during the day (cows, topes, bicycles etc), let alone trying to navigate at night. The border crossing is a red light green light system, so if you have nothing to declare and have a green light you are OK. If you are crossing with a lot of household goods on an FMT, make sure you have a good story to explain it without mentioning the job. If you are well prepared and can go with the flow, it can be a great adventure.
Good Luck!
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maefrey



Joined: 22 Oct 2005
Posts: 16
Location: East Coast USA
PostPosted: Thu Aug 31, 2006 3:17 am    Post subject: Reply with quote
you guys are really helpful and thorough.

i guess i should clarify that i would only be going on a vacation and driving only because my friend and i can't pay 500 each for plane tickets. i figure i need

1. $20 tourist visa
2. mexican car insurance
3. $400 dollar bond plus $27.00 fee
4. hotels to stay at each night along the way

Well, with all that and gas to boot, a 500 dollar plane ticket is looking more and more attractive! Anyone know