
JohnnyBoy
Nov 21, 2008, 9:24 AM
Post #3 of 65
(5004 views)
Shortcut
|
Re: [RogerTX] Advice on best vehicle for traveling in Mexico?
|
Can't Post | Private Reply
|
Roger, If you have been in Mexico recently, Mexico City specifically, and know it well enough to know that you really like it there, then you must know quite a bit about road conditions, security, availability of reputable repair services, etc. I live in a large northern Mexican city, Hermosillo, which thinks it is the Phoenix, or at least the Tucson, of Mexico. They try very hard to make it as much like a nice US city as they can. But when it comes to the roads, well, it ain't happenin'. I drive a '97 Ford Ranger pickup with 125,000 miles, in excellent condition, because I and the previous owner have maintained it well, as you have your BMW. But it is slowly, but surely, falling apart because of the rough roads in Mexico, the highways and the city streets. Never in my life I have been driving down a city street anywhere in the USA, that was so rough that my new, high-dollar CD player would skip, but it happens all the time in Mexico. I am glad I decided to sell the new Toyota Camry I inherited when my mother passed away. I knew it was too nice to be driving around in Mexico. Now, I do see absolutely beautiful new cars in Mexico, in Hermosillo. Lincolns, Cadillacs, all sorts of nice SUVs. Lots and lots of BMWs, too. Most of them very new. So some people, ostensibly Mexicans, are OK about laying out mega-bucks for beautiful, expensive vehicles and then tearing them apart on these horrible roads. But I am not. I think you ought to have the toughest, sturdiest thing you can get, but of a common variety, such as Ford, Chevrolet, Toyota, etc. for which a dealership can be located in case it needs repairs. I have had really abysmal luck with Mexican mechanics. They simply do not understand the concept of fixing it right nor of fixing it right the first time. I thought the Midas place here with English speaking manager and service writer was going to be an answered prayer for me. But not so. Two experiences there have been costly, expensive nightmares. Once for a simple alternator. The other time for a battery. Not complicated stuff. I think you need a vehicle that is tough and that can be serviced and repaired by people who know what they are doing. I am not 100% convinced that dealerships always know what they are doing, but they ought to. It is more reasonable to assume they do more so than any other workshop you might randomly select. Ultimately you will want to find someone knowledgable and dependable to work on your vehicle. I have finally found such a place, but it takes time and some networking with local people to find such a place/person. In the meantime, better have a tough, dependable vehicle, or be ready for grief. Good Luck. jb
|