Best vehicle for Mexico???

CanuckBob wrote:I will be looking to purchase a used mini van at the end of March. Something around $60,000 MXN. It needs to be Mexican plated. If anyone knows of anything let me know.

Gracias

Bob,
To each our own. Why do you want a minivan that's going to bottom out on the streets, doesn't ride well and is unstable on the highway? Why do you want Mexican plated, double cost for insurance and you have to pay registration yearly?

Why don't you buy a used SUV, plenty of those around. If you buy a Ford Explorer, you'll have the most reliable SUV on the road. I'll show you my 14 year old Eddie Bauer, but it's not for sale yet.

John:

- I prefer something that holds 7 or 8 people.
- I want something I can remove seats and haul cargo in if necessary.
- I prefer Mexican plated as I plan to travel all over Mexico and like to be inconspicuous.
- I don't need the extra fuel cost and maintenance of a 4WD.
- I rent a mini van every time I am down. I have driven 1000's of kms all over central Mexico with no problems at all with bottoming out or instability.

When I see posters making comment about mini vans, I have to wonder if they have ever driven one? Like CB, we have a preference for driving a mini van in Mexico and have driven many thousands of miles in Mexico. High centering has never been an issue with our Ford Windstar and with good shocks, never a problem. From a safety standpoint, the driver sits up higher and has a better field of vision. The high back seats are great for long drives as they minimize driver fatigue and one can load a great number of Mexican treasure with the rear seats removed. Parking isn't ideal but a driver with adequate experience can park in the tightest of spaces.

Have been driving a mini van (Ford Freestar) down here for 8 years without any prob at all.

John, obviously a mini-van is the BEST vehicle to own here. Put it in your lists! Exploders? Get real. Maybe yours has been reliable but you're one of the lucky ones. We owned 2 of them, both POS.

David wrote:John, obviously a mini-van is the BEST vehicle to own here. Put it in your lists! Exploders? Get real. Maybe yours has been reliable but you're one of the lucky ones. We owned 2 of them, both POS.

Why do you say mini vans are the BEST? If they were the best, why do you see the least amount of minivans vs. SUV'S in Mexico. SUV'S, foreign and American, far outweigh the number of mini vans here.

Exploders, you mean Explorers which have the best frequency of repair records compared to most vehicles. Look it up. Everone I know or talk to who owns an Explorer has had excellent success with them. Maybe you didn't maintain yours properly??? I do. I'll put my Explorer against any foreign or American vehicle for frequency of repair, total reliability and least maintenance cost.

Forget those highly touted brands like, Toyota, Nissan, Honda and the rest of the import cars that cost a small fortune to have repaired. I could go on and on about their non quality.

John I'v'e driven Toyota pickups since 1983,3 of them, total repairs-one water pump replaced and I did'nt pamper them.
Chris

Best may vary . It depends what people want to use the car for. There is no such a thing as the best of anything, it all depends. We have an Xtrail and it is best for what we do but if we want to haul 6 or 7 people we are out of luck. We had a pick -up and we love it too at that time, the mastiffs were at the back and we were at the front...

By the way John what was expensive was the tenancia it is now gone...hello..do you follow anything that is going on down here? The yearly fee is very reasonnable.
We got many multas..with Us platesthe first 3 years we were here we got stopped once with the Mexican plates in 8 years. It makes a huge difference especially around Mexico City .

But John only drives the best vehicle serviced by the best mechanic, lives in the best house in the best neighbourhood, eats at the best restaurants and uses the best contractors who use the best products. Therefore, he must be correct. :)

We love ya John...but here we go again.

For years, I have been of the opinion that the two best all around vehicles for living in Mexico are the Toyota Rav4 or the Honda CRV. This opinion is based upon the brand reputations, the clearance and the size. However, as Brigitte pointed out, it all depends on one's needs and requirements. When one has a wife who considers a vehicle to be nothing more than a large shopping cart, the basis for your decisions can vary!

We drive Nissans, mine is a very old Maxima, 1995, still runs like a dream, has less than 100,000 miles on it and looks incredibly bad. Under the hood it's a thing of beauty. The other car is also a Nissan, SUV, very comfortable, but not the best for hauling more than 5 people at a time. It is also old, and kinda beat up looking. So, whatever car you choose, I'd suggest one that runs well but looks a bit rough. The Maxima is low slung so tends to bottom out. Definitely go for Mexican plates. Less hassle all round, and a lot less multas, as pointed out by Brigitte.

We use Carlos for repairs. Very reasonable, and he does pick up and delivery free of charge. I think the name of his shop is escalera?

CheenaGringo wrote:For years, I have been of the opinion that the two best all around vehicles for living in Mexico are the Toyota Rav4 or the Honda CRV. This opinion is based upon the brand reputations, the clearance and the size. However, as Brigitte pointed out, it all depends on one's needs and requirements. When one has a wife who considers a vehicle to be nothing more than a large shopping cart, the basis for your decisions can vary!

Exactly. We have a CRV and it gets very decent gas mileage, can carry a bunch of stuff (with the back seats stowed, 72 cubic feet), and handles those topes with complete ease. In truth, we've only needed the four wheel drive a couple of times in 5 years.

However, you can find mini-vans that ride higher and, Bob, if you're going to buy used, consider fitting it with a good set of gas shocks and excellent tires. I'd try to find one with 17 inch wheels if such an animal exists.

I suspect you'll be quite satisfied with the results.

Because I'm looking for a little more comfort and still more carrying capacity, we will consider this option in the next vehicle.

Newsflash: People are driving everything around here from old sedans to road hogging Expeditions. They are all getting to where they need to go, and something about this thread is beginning to sound a bit unreal.

IMO the "best" vehicle is the one that serves your individual purposes, whether it be carrying your groceries all the way across town, your six kids and a dog or just you.

Unless you're off-roading or planning to ford streams to get home......anything larger than a simple pickup truck or sedan is overkill, and probably more than most people want or can afford to spend. Some people need minivans because of cargo needs or more than the six kids. Besides all that, there are some people who care about being an over-consumer of gas. You know, old tree huggers and the suchlike. Dinosaurs.

RE: Gas Consumption/Carbon Footprint

MPG is a somewhat relative issue. On the open road, we get between 25 & 27mpg depending how loaded we are and how fast I am driving. Sure, we could find a vehicle that would probably average in the 35 to 45mpg range but would have to add on the costs & carbon footprint of utilizing a shipping company. Plus our medical insurance would probably deny a claim for medical expenses for a crippled back by saying I should have known better!

CG: you have a valid reason for owning a vehicle that holds stock.
The crippled back issue is questionable.

Too funny Dr. Gringal!

As a somewhat long legged individual with back problems from a prior car accident, I can tell you that the drivers seat and driving position is quite important. When I drop down into a "pop can on wheels" for any length of time, my back kinks up. I was being sarcastic in my previous post but trips to the chiropractor do increase one's carbon footprint.

You get the award for best reason to have the biggie.

Gringal, the same goes for both of us. Bad back and long legs for my better half, and a truly dismal neck for me. Mileage be damned. What we need is a vehicle with superhuman suspension, good shocks, high off the ground and a comfortable ride.

Speaking of seats do you ever notice how one brand of car has more
comfortable seats than others. For me Nissan seats are always comfortable
but I have had some horrible seats both japanese and domestic.

Z

PS Always had good luck with Bilstein monotube shocks on trucks and
suvs. They are a little bit stiff til broken in but they even work on moderate
washboard which will kill most shocks in 20 minutes. I have literally melted
stock shocks on some Death Valley roads. Bilsteins seem to last the life of
the vehicle for my use.

Everyone has their favorite vehicles for their own needs and reasons. Some people may think that a Ford Explorer is too big for our roads, fact is, it is not. It is considered a compact SUV. However, Ford Expeditions, Lincoln Navigators, Cadillac Escalades, Hummers, Dodge Ram trucks, and foreign equivalents, etc are way too large. I need a more comfortable higher sitting SUV like my Explorer because I am handicapped. I will buy the same or similar size vehicle again for comfort.

While I do believe that the Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4 is ideal for Ajijic, and there are many of them here, I could not be comfortable in a small vehicle. When I rent a vehicle up North, I look for an Explorer, Jeep, Ford Crown Vic, Merc Marquis or Chevy Impala. The Chevy is the least comfortable of that group and is a total piece of junk. Will never rent one again.

You can probably scratch the Mercury Marquis off your list since they are no longer being made.