Mexico

[DeLana]

Has any owner on this forum ever taken their Hi-Lo to Mexico? If so, what did you find both good and bad about the trip? And how well did your Hi-Lo hold up on Mexico's roads? Thank you in advance for your comments.

 

[cva34]

I would worry about BULLET first with what just happened in last few days... not tryin to be funny either

 

[JackandJanet]

I haven't taken my HiLo to Mexico, but I HAVE driven into Mexico, both to Rocky Point and to Mata Ortiz. The roads themselves were fine (twisty through the mountains on the way to Mata Ortiz and NO shoulders on much of that road, with steep drop-offs). We also went on a bus trip about half-way down Baja California and that road was fine.

We never had any problems, but there ARE "inspection points" along the way and you never quite know what to expect there. There are also points where you might be asked for a monetary donation for various causes.

I honestly think the worries about violence are somewhat overblown. We used to volunteer at a Nature Conservancy Preserve near the border and often saw migrants on their way north. They would ask for water, but other than that, were no trouble.

Yes, we hear about the shootings, and other violence, but we never hear about the normal day-to-day life in this area. We've found Mexicans to be generally friendly and welcoming.

- Jack

 

[DeLana]

Jack, thanks for the information. I agree with your assessment and guess I'm more worried about how rugged our Hi-Lo would be. As a plus, the new diesel fuel formula (from what the "snowbirds" tell me) is now being sold in Mexico, so our 2010 F-250 power-stroke diesel truck would not be sucking trash diesel. And I hear the roads have improved (mostly the expensive toll roads though). We wanted to visit a friend in the small town of San Miguel de Allende in the mountains. Heck, it may be better to fly and then take a bus in Mexico since Mexican citizens have their own brand of driving rules. Thanks again.

 

[JackandJanet]

Yes, Dee - they DO have their own rules. Additionally, you would need to have "Mexican Insurance" to drive into Mexico, which is not horribly expensive, but I don't really know how well it works, since we never had to file a claim.

Then, you go through the rigamarole of stopping inside the border on your way down to register your vehicles so they can be sure you are not going to be selling them or buying new ones while in Mexico. Coming back, you have to do the reverse process inside their border. There were no instructions to do this, and if we had not been with a couple that makes regular trips, we would not have known how to find the place or to do it at all. I have no idea what happens if you don't make these stops (which took a bit of time) and try to return to the States without the proper paperwork.

The busses in Mexico work better than the ones in the US, in my opinion. But, they can be crowded, old, dirty and you have to be wary of pickpockets. Carry your money, credit cards, passports, etc. inside your clothing. A friend of ours had his front mounted fanny pack opened on a bus and his wallet was taken on a trip we took from Guadalajara south to Ajijic. Other than that, we had a great time!

- Jack

 

[DeLana]

Jack, I think you have convinced us not to take the Hi-Lo into Mexico once we looked at the pros and cons of doing so. ALso, another RVer who drives a Class C from British Columbia, Canada to Mazatlan, Mexico every year for six months informs me that most of the damage he gets to his RV is from the topes he does not see or expect while driving through small towns when he exits an autopista. And you and I know the top halves of our Hi-Los simply rest on the outriggers when the top halves are in the towing position with no clamps to secure the tops to the frames; the tops would be bouncing around if perchance we hit a hard tope unexpectantly. And my information is that there is a lot of topes. Don't get me wrong, I love our Hi-Lo, but what we envisioned ten years ago when we purchased it was not putting it on roads outside of the US.

So, our decision is to fly and bus up the mountains to San Miguel. With the explosion of tourism in the last few years, there are new and very modern express buses on line from large cities (but not cheap from a Mexican citizen's prospective) which have "bells and whistles" like meal service, Wi-Fi, and reclining seats; good reviews on them.

Thanks for your input.

 

[JackandJanet]

Dee - I think you've made a good decision. I would be reluctant to drive my truck into Mexico unless I was in a convoy with others (preferably who had been there before too).

Yes, I DO know about the upscale busses. They had them in service when we took the "Chicken Bus", but they only ran a few times each day. The bus we took came at about 5 minute intervals as I recall. It was kind of fun too, actually - other than the pickpocket incident.

With just a little care, you can have a very enjoyable trip.

- Jack