Looking for experiences/recommendations with basic Mexican-plated cars

gringal wrote:

Flamingo wrote:If you use Mark, do have Spenser the attorney look at the paperwork before you hand over the money. We didn't and regretted it.

Can't help but get curious here: What went wrong?

We weren't given the proper paperwork so we couldn't register in car in our names. Any insurance payments would have gone to the previous owners. Mark said we could go to a special office in Guad, but Spencer said he didn't see how that would work.

As luck would have it, I hit a rock in the road and cracked the oil pan. MDH drove the car a half mile or so and the car died. Problem solved.

gringal wrote:

CheenaGringo wrote:John: Why can't you accept the fact that people have differing needs and requirements from their vehicle? After all, it is their choice and decision to make. Your badmouthing of other brands or types of vehicle has no place in the conversation!

Agreed, CG. Sometimes the choice is dictated by the size of the garage, as is the case for some friends living in Villa Nova. Sometimes there's no need for an SUV and they just cost a lot more. The real safety issue in smaller cars is whether the car has the "cage" construction and air bags........but above all, a careful, aware driver at the wheel.
Another issue in the decision process is : Where am I going to be driving this vehicle? Long trips back to the states? Just around town? What kind of traffic? I'd sure pick a different vehicle for the L.A. freeway system than I would to tool around Lakeside.

Good post, but I was thinking of getting hit by one of these crazy drivers here who frive 60 MPH on the carretera. Yes, I said MPH NOT KM.

If one is worried about being hit from behind by a driver doing 60 mph, there is a simple solution - drive 80 to 100mph!

Think about it - when one is driving faster than everyone else, you reduce your visual workload by not having to look in your rear view mirror. That frees up 80 to 90% of your time to observe what is going on in front of you.

Hmmm..........sounds like the NasCar method.

johninajijic wrote:Anyone who buys or owns one of those rinky dink pieces of crap like you're talking about must have a death wish. They're unsafe and you'll get seriously hurt or killed. Buy a decent sized vehicle that still is easy to park on the street like a Ford Escape, Toyota RAV 4 or Nissan. They are SUV's for better ground clearance and visibilty as well as comfort.

John sorry but you don't know what you are talking about. My Nissan Micra is
one of the smallest cars. It has airbags, beams in the doors, ABS and Brake
force distribution. I studied this in great detail. My US spec Nissan SER was
a disaster down here. It would hit with one in the car. The mirrors would not
fold in and it rode like crap. The Chevy comfort and Nissan micra I drive never
hit the topes even when four people in the car. So much for needing better ground
clearance. You sit high in these as they are designed to be very vertical so you
can see well. These cars are designed for 2nd and 3rd world countries and I do
think they know they have to go on dirt, cobblestones, deal with potholes and in
general just get abused from the environment they run in. Size yes can be an issue
and if you hit a concrete truck in a Micra you are probably dead but you would be
dead in an Escape also. We all have to grow up and drive smaller cars please don't
scare people with what you obviously don't know about. U.S cars are made for the
U.S. South American and Mexican cars are made to work well here. They have slightly
softer suspensions to deal with the cobbles for example.

Z

Zed - Are those Mexican made cars you are talking about? Never heard of them. We're not talking about hitting cement trucks, but larger vehicle vs. smaller vehicle. I could never get into one of those or even most American cars because I'm handicapped. I need an SUV. I don't think that I could get in a Toyota RAV4 either and I know it wouldn't be comfortable.

I've had a hard job getting into full size Caddy's and they're not as comfortable as my Explorer even on short trips.

I rented a chevy "spark" in Cancun, 5 speed, AC, had for 1 week. it handled very well..4 doors, no trunk space....maybe a small bag

johninajijic wrote:Zed - Are those Mexican made cars you are talking about? Never heard of them. We're not talking about hitting cement trucks, but larger vehicle vs. smaller vehicle. I could never get into one of those or even most American cars because I'm handicapped. I need an SUV. I don't think that I could get in a Toyota RAV4 either and I know it wouldn't be comfortable.

I've had a hard job getting into full size Caddy's and they're not as comfortable as my Explorer even on short trips.

John trucks don't have the same standards as cars. My micra in some ways is safer than your explorer. The older the SUV the
more truth to it. I understand you need a big car others don't that is my point. Drive what you need John. My wife and I had a
borrowed Chevy Comfort and we were impressed with how much easier it is to drive and park in Mexico. It kinda took the stress
away compared to my Sentra or my Frontier pickup truck. The pickup truck I had needed to back up on most corners to get around.
This was a real negative for us. Now we feel safe and we can just bounce around and always find a place to put the little clown car.
Everyone has different need John and I don't doubt yours because of your disability but for us small is best. We love our Micra and
the 30 to 50MPG is very cool and allows us to travel again without worrying about gas costs which is a big issue for me. I admit small
cars take some getting use to especially on the highway. But I stay in the right lane on the Quota and stay out of every bodies way.



z

Zed - The size if my vehicle is no problem for me, I have never had difficulty finding parking spaces on side streets. My vehicle doesn't over extend into the roadway like the big Expeditions, Navigators and Escalades. I have never had to back up to negotiate a corner, unless some moron parked too close to the corner.