Driving Across Mexico

[Trailwalker]

This is a trip that I've been researching and planning for a year. We crossed at Eagle Pass, Texas, spent a night in Torreon, Mexico and arrived in Mazatlan last night. We had more police stops than I've had in 45 years of driving in the states, but all of the officers were polite, checked our papers carefully, and sent us on our way with smiles.


We check into our airbnb today and will enjoy beach life for a couple of months.

 

[Ronstar]

Enjoy and stay safe! Niece's husband is a corporate pilot and flew to Mexico a few days ago. Needed to stay for a few days. Couldn't leave the plane there. Left the boss there and flew to San Diego to park the plane for a few days. Then flew back to Mexico to pick up the boss and then fly home. Odd that he couldn't keep the plane for a few days in Mexico. Don't know if that is a Mexico rule or just what the boss wanted to do.

 

[Montecfo]

I would love to do that but those persistent travel advisories give me pause.

 

[marko]

Enjoy and stay safe! Niece's husband is a corporate pilot and flew to Mexico a few days ago. Needed to stay for a few days. Couldn't leave the plane there. Left the boss there and flew to San Diego to park the plane for a few days. Then flew back to Mexico to pick up the boss and then fly home. Odd that he couldn't keep the plane for a few days in Mexico. Don't know if that is a Mexico rule or just what the boss wanted to do.

I'll be polite and say it was a "prudent" decision.

 

[Dtail]

I would love to do that but those persistent travel advisories give me pause.

Same here in general.

 

[flyingaway]

Are you driving an old broken car to Mexico?

 

[dixonge]

Travel advisories are generally too broad and late - been living here with a million of my fellow expats for most of the last decade. We generally disregard them.

 

[punkinhead]

I would love to do that but those persistent travel advisories give me pause.

The dangers are very localized and the situations are fluid so it's best of you know some locals to get the realtime scoop. US govt travel advisories are too generalized and out of date to be of much use. I worked in Mexico for 2-3 months a year for decades and love the place. Next Spring I'd like to drive my RV to Guanajuato for the rally car race.

 

[Trailwalker]

Are you driving an old broken car to Mexico?

No, but my wife did request that we not take her newish Subaru. I've got an older compact pickup truck in good mechanical condition that blends right in with the locals, except for the Wisconsin plates. We haven't seen many old broken cars. The cars here are very similar to what we see in the United States, except more variety. I especially like the smaller compact pickup trucks from Volkswagen and Ford that aren't available to us in the U.S.


I don't anticipate doing much driving in the next two months, but the condo complex has underground parking with a gate/guard. There are lots of stereotypes about Mexico that simply aren't true (and a few that are).

 

[Trailwalker]

Tonight’s Mazatlan sunset.

 

[oldie]

I would love to do that but those persistent travel advisories give me pause.

Just look at the UK travel advisory for the USA: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa -

- "Protests are commonplace across the USA, some of which can become violent."
- "Snow storms during winter can disrupt critical infrastructure, including causing power cuts as well as delays and cancellations throughout the major transport hubs in the USA"
- "Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in the USA. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners."
- "Forest and brush fires (wildfires) are a danger in many dry areas."

How much of this is true for the USA as a whole, except "yeah that **** happened in some isolated parts of country months-years ago and unless you happen to be just there, your chance to be affected by it is ridiculously tiny?"

Well, this is the same for Mexico advisories.

 

[Surewhitey]

From 2011-15 we drove the country from Laredo to Playa del Carmen a few times and also Chiapas, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende, Belize and all over the Yucatan. Never experienced any problems. Drove only daylight hours and kept a bible in the dash. Had bottled water and candy for toll booth workers. A couple of times we were even loaded up with living goods and just parked under light in a guarded parking lot.

Ditto on the localized reality. Also, we were advised not to drive a flashy car or big suv/truck as they are more likely to be stolen. We had some friends who stayed in Laredo for the night before crossing over and their truck was stolen, so Mexico is not the only place to worry about...

The car visa building is "down the road, under the bridge" which is a scary statement to hear at 5am, so don't freak out like I did... Your mind will be scrambled thinking about it the first time. Long story.

 

[Trailwalker]

The car visa building is "down the road, under the bridge" which is a scary statement to hear at 5am, so don't freak out like I did... Your mind will be scrambled thinking about it the first time. Long story.

We obtained our TIP (temporary car import permit) and our FMM (tourist visa) near Allende about 30 minutes south of Eagle Pass. This is not a step anyone wants to forget about. Without the visa and TIP, an American plated vehicle can be confiscated and the driver arrested. Vehicle insurance in Mexico is also mandatory. We purchased ours from Lewis and Lewis online.

I really love it so far in Mazatlan. We joined a high level pickleball club and play three times per week with mostly Canadians. Almost every sunset has been spectacular. A great dinner for two with a drink overlooking the sunset is as little as $25. We had a huge shrimp platter last night. Carnival starts soon. It’s a huge celebration here but more family oriented.

 

[MichaelB]

I spent my adult working life in Latin America and believe safe traveling is not about the safety of the destination and is about making smart choices and avoiding doing dumb things. Most bad outcomes are the result of doing really foolish things.

If the OP is comfortable driving in strange places, can communicate in the local language, and makes smart choices, it should be a great experience.

 

[Surewhitey]

I spent my adult working life in Latin America and believe safe traveling is not about the safety of the destination and is about making smart choices and avoiding doing dumb things. Most bad outcomes are the result of doing really foolish things.

If the OP is comfortable driving in strange places, can communicate in the local language, and makes smart choices, it should be a great experience.

Ditto... If you go to the club until 2am & stumble home, you will be robbed, pretty much anywhere.

 

[kevink]

We lived in México for 5 years and drove down to Lake Chapala twice from Colorado and of course drove all over the country during our expat years there. Over the years the biggest change, safety-wise, has been that the areas near many of the most popular border crossings have become the diciest. Crossing with a full tank of gas, getting your vehicle permit and staying on the toll roads for a couple of hundred miles before you first stop is a good idea.

The cuotas (toll roads) are often much more pleasant, relaxed and safe than any highway we've been on in the U.S. On the other hand, driving on regular highways let alone in cities and villages is often nerve-wracking, as one deals with various combinations of unseen/unmarked topes (speed bumps), untrained/unlicensed drivers, giant holes in the road and other hazards with no warning signs, etc.

I agree with others here that the State Department warnings are generally overblown, and way too many Americans have a very distorted idea of relative dangers in general between México and the U.S. As a tourist you're very unlikely to be a target unless you do something stupid, but on the other hand the simple fact of the matter is that the cartels run the country (they have more money and are far better armed than the government) and there is no rule of law, so if you are a crime victim - most likely it'll be petty theft or robbery - there's no recourse. "Nothing good every comes from an encounter between you and the police" is life in México rule #1. Locals don't even bother reporting such crimes, as they know that nothing will be done - and chances are excellent that the local police were in on it. And if you live there rather than just visiting you also come to understand that mordida - bribes to traffic cops and such - is just a fact of life.

I still feel safer though in most parts of México than I do in the U.S.. Without getting even further into politics the fact that pretty much only the police and the narcos have guns helps a lot. And as one good expat friend there (who has lived happily for decades in a small town in Michoacán, one of the most beautiful places in the country and one entirely run by the cartels) says "the fact that the important things work so well here despite no rule of law is a tribute to the goodness of the Mexican people".

It is a wonderful country.

 

[Fermion]

I still feel safer though in most parts of México than I do in the U.S.

People say Mexico is fine as long as you stay away from X,Y,Z area, but the same thing is true about the USA.

Bumdiddle, Nebraska is a lot safer than downtown Chicago.

 

[Trailwalker]

We drove from Mazatlan to Saltillo today via the toll roads. Fairly uneventful but long day. We should be across the border into Texas at mid-day.

 

[Montecfo]

Just look at the UK travel advisory for the USA: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/usa -

- "Protests are commonplace across the USA, some of which can become violent."
- "Snow storms during winter can disrupt critical infrastructure, including causing power cuts as well as delays and cancellations throughout the major transport hubs in the USA"
- "Terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in the USA. Attacks could be indiscriminate, including in places visited by foreigners."
- "Forest and brush fires (wildfires) are a danger in many dry areas."

How much of this is true for the USA as a whole, except "yeah that **** happened in some isolated parts of country months-years ago and unless you happen to be just there, your chance to be affected by it is ridiculously tiny?"

Well, this is the same for Mexico advisories.

Yes snowstorms and brushfires. Did not see anything about kidnappings in US though.

 

[Music Lover]

We spent 6 weeks in Mazatlan from the first week in January to the third week in February, never saw any signs of trouble.

We were surprised at how many people in the neighborhood where we rented came down in their vehicles, many of them from Canada where it's a 4000 km or longer drive. We flew and were happy to take a bus or cab when we went out.

 

[SunnyOne]

Trailwalker & Music Lover - which neighborhoods would you recommend in Mazatlan for American snowbirds? - won't have a vehicle, so will be traveling by foot and need taxis or Ubers. Relatively close to restaurants, the malecon, other expats, live music? Thanks

 

[SunnyOne]

Montecfo - no, no mentions of kidnappings in the US, but neither do they mention random mass murders - which is something often mentioned by other countries to their citizens when visiting the US.

 

[Montecfo]

Montecfo - no, no mentions of kidnappings in the US, but neither do they mention random mass murders - which is something often mentioned by other countries to their citizens when visiting the US.

Well, it is clear there are unique risks to Americans travelling in some parts of Mexico, that go beyond general safety risks when travelling. And of course drug cartels. These are real, but I understand that folks may still find them acceptable.

I love Mexico but they give me pause. And I find it interesting for an extended visit.

Not meaning to derail an interesting thread.

 

[Out of Steam]

The advice I've heard and read about driving in Mexico seems to almost universally say to use toll roads whenever available.

 

[rodi]

Trailwalker & Music Lover - which neighborhoods would you recommend in Mazatlan for American snowbirds? - won't have a vehicle, so will be traveling by foot and need taxis or Ubers. Relatively close to restaurants, the malecon, other expats, live music? Thanks

Trailwalker and Music Lover:

Echoing and adding my own question. Leave for Mazatlan tomorrow. We're staying in the historic centro. Any must do/sees? Any great restaurant recommendations?