Autos

Volkswagen. I bought a VW Crossfox in 2009. Easy on gas, easy to park. Surprising big inside, yet small outside.

Dtimms wrote:

What would be a good choice for a car, make and model for Mexico.  I would like to consider: economy, durability, service and repair, comfort.  Probably used for short trips and in town.  Rough road use a possibility, but not a necessity.

Rough road use is a  guarantee in mexico. Many choose suv's, but that wouldn't be my choice. Many streets are quite small and narrow., parking is tight, and driving is fast, and suv's are prone to rollover, as well as being a popular car to take. . So a light weight car makes more sense. You also have to look at maintaining that car so you would want to choose one with a lot of dealers or shops familiar with that car. Toyota, and V.W. come to mind. There are Chevy dealers , but with the issues Chevy has had I would stick with proven history.

Rough roads in Mexico don't exist everywhere. I've lived in 8 states and the south is a different world than the border states. The north have great roads comparable to US or Canada with less potholes because of zero necessity to winter plow or salt. Very wide & spacious,  and well-paved using good asphalt composition, (hence higher cost of living) i.e. Torreón, Cuahuila (although the roads were misbuilt due to an engineering SNAFU...very weird) I live in Tampico, Tamaulipas and my residential street (rich neighbourhood) is identical to my Canadian street. You can drive ANY vehicle you want & Mexicans do - everything from SMARTcars to Chevy Suburbans. Think smaller and sturdier in the south and whatever you want in the north. Dirt roads are few and far between in the north unless you're driving to small towns (los pueblitos).

Thanks!

Thanks.  I have a Volvo Vagon in the USA, which is quite dependable, but parts and service in Mexico rule that out.

Dtimms wrote:

Thanks.  I have a Volvo Vagon in the USA, which is quite dependable, but parts and service in Mexico rule that out.

Mexico sells and services Volvos. My doctor has a real nice one.

I would NEVER have a new car in Mexico.  A small SUV such as RAV4 or similar is good because you may get caught in a flood.  Also with the potholes/topes everywhere I wouldn't have a low riding car.  Foreign cars tend to be very expensive when it comes to getting parts.

maryellen1952 wrote:

I would NEVER have a new car in Mexico.  A small SUV such as RAV4 or similar is good because you may get caught in a flood.  Also with the potholes/topes everywhere I wouldn't have a low riding car.  Foreign cars tend to be very expensive when it comes to getting parts.

If I were you, I would move to higher ground and out of that pothole, tope ridden pueblo. New cars in Mexico are serviced here and parts are not expensive unless you brought one in from NOB.

Well, CanadaPatriot that's odd, some of the worst roads I have seen have been in the Northern part. You must have a small expat community that remains self contained.

There are plenty of good roads in the south also, but there are still topies. Apparently you don't have pot holes or speed bumps. I haven't been to Tampico, but  the other places, had some topies and bachies. Even Cancun has some rough spots on the edges.

Unless your response was meant to be satirical.

Canadianpatriot  This is satire right ?  The south has some great roads and some not so good city streets. You have topies, right ?   Or is this Canadian humor ?

Vw,Nissan and Chevy seem to be very popular.I bought a 4cyl diesel Nissan.I wanted a Toyota hilux but it does not come with a diesel option in Mexico.

if you are driving anywhere in a larger city it's IMPOSSIBLE to avoid potholes esp. at night if poorly lit...or a sudden flood. And there are restrictions if you buy a Mexican plated car and you don't have the proper visa.

maryellen1952 wrote:

if you are driving anywhere in a larger city it's IMPOSSIBLE to avoid potholes esp. at night if poorly lit...or a sudden flood. And there are restrictions if you buy a Mexican plated car and you don't have the proper visa.

It is true that magic potholes pop out of a quantum fold in the universe, but not often. The same for driving along and then wham, blam - a flood. I have been in severe rain storms and simply pulled off the road to higher ground at a nearby OXXO. I was driving on a well traveled street in Oaxaca when I suddenly realized that an open manhole was directly in front of my left wheel. Within a few feet of the abyss, I managed to swerve and avoid it only to hit the concrete manhole cover. The bump wasn't as bad as the possibility of losing the entire left wheel assembly.

Mary ellen195, you should probably explain what you mean by this "And there are restrictions if you buy a Mexican plated car and you don't have the proper visa"

What restrictions, and what proper visa? I can guess what you mean, but most just coming to Mexico would not understand.

Depending on the state where you wish to register the car, some states require a Residencia Temporal while other say a Visitante is acceptable to register that car and get placas.

If you Google "driving a car in mexico: you will find all the info necessary depending on the type of visa you have which is on many of the expat websites/forums other than this one.

Sorry travellight, I've never heard of "topies and bachies". Sounds like you may be from "across the pond". What are they? But my comments weren't meant to be satirical. Just my experiences in the places I've lived.
Unmarked missing manhole covers are an issue and flooded streets make driving treacherous at times but the original post was about what cars would be best to use in Mexico and unless someone has a Sherman tank, one must always drive with caution in Mexico. As I said, the roads in Tampico are well constructed with virtually no speed bumps even in the wealthy residential areas - not like DF where they exist even on high-speed thoroughfares. I like living in a country where I don't have to drive a dinky car because I like luxury sedans...As long as one doesn't drive fast and maintains focus on the road conditions & traffic, one can drive whatever in the northern cities of Torreon and Tampico. Mexicans drive Audis, Beemers, Benzes and Caddies in every state I've lived in. Another trick is to try to travel on the same roads to & from, that way you know what to expect.

maryellen1952 wrote:

I would NEVER have a new car in Mexico.  A small SUV such as RAV4 or similar is good because you may get caught in a flood.  Also with the potholes/topes everywhere I wouldn't have a low riding car.  Foreign cars tend to be very expensive when it comes to getting parts.

Part availability isn't difficult if you live near the border or in any major city. Foreign cars are expensive to fix everywhere.
I "contracted" a recommended mechanic who works for a GM dealership so he gets all my business and in turn I get a great rate plus I buy his kids something for Xmas each year and small tokens of appreciation for he and his wife now and then. Plus I send him business from friends. Building alliances is part of the charm here & it goes a long way. It's a win-win situation. The biggest plus is the trust factor that's established...I can't do that in Canada - one can expect to always get fleeced. For specialty parts, he can order online and have it shipped but Mexico can get virtually any standard part for any model.

'Sorry travellight, I've never heard of "topies and bachies". Sounds like you may be from "across the pond".

Ah, that explains it you live in a expat bubble free of Spanish. Topies are speed bumps. and bachies are pot holes. You have been living in Mexico Spanish free.

I'm completely fluent, smart guy. You're just spelling them poorly. Baches are potholes and "topes" are speed bumps.

I'm completely fluent, smart guy. You're just spelling them poorly. Baches are potholes and "topes" are speed bumps"


You were aware of what I meant,, and apparently never misspelled a foreign word in your life.  How fortunate you are to be so superior to others. It must make you a very popular person at parties..

I'm going to take the high road on this and recommend that you cease from replying to me regarding any of my posts. Your combative behavior is counterproductive to the blog and serves no purpose.