.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.This document first appeared in the Mexico Travel Monthly Report. It appears here in the Mexico Online files with the permission of the publisher, Mexico Travel Associates and the author who retains the copyright.
All of the RV owners we interviewed maintain that driving a rig in Mexico is no more hazardous than in the United States, providing you exercise common sense. Several people told of the extreme helpfulness of local people when they did have some problems. "Truck drivers are especially helpful", said one man. "Once we ran out of gas on a lonely stretch of desert highway. Immediately, two truckers stopped to see what was the matter. Since they didn't have any gasoline in their diesel rigs, one flagged down a passing pickup, and they siphoned enough fuel to get us to the next town. The pickup driver wouldn't accept payment for the gasoline, insisting that it was a gift. The trucker seemed embarrassed when we offered him a tip for his help. He finally accepted when we suggested that he use it to buy Christmas presents for his children." (Incidentally, this is a good way to reward someone for a service without insulting them with a tip: say that you want to buy a gift for the children.)
Mechanical breakdowns seem to be a magnificent challenge to Mexican mechanics. I'm convinced they can fix anything, and they charge almost nothing. A friend once blew a piston on his new Dodge van in El Rosario (Baja). Resigning himself to waiting for the Los Angeles dealer to come down and make good on the guarantee, my friend was surprised when a local shade-tree mechanic offered to get the car going.
"I guarantee it will get you at least to the border, said the mechanic. "If it doesn't make it there, forget it. If it does, send me $100."
What a deal! The mechanic found a piston from a Ford, and a connecting rod from a Plymouth, and he proceeded to work with files, sandpaper and welding torch through the night. In the morning my friend started the engine and drove it all the way to the dealer in Los Angeles. To this day, the dealer has the engine on display--with the side of the block cut away to show the Ford piston in the Dodge engine--as a tribute to Mexican mechanics doing the impossible!
As far as RV driving being safe in Mexico, it seems apparent that it is, or else the insurance companies would charge a higher premium to insure RVs. On the contrary, because of the good driving records of RV people, insurance companies give them discounts through travel clubs. This is understandable because generally RV owners have a higher sense of safety in the first place. You tend to be constantly aware of what is happening ahead of you and behind you, simply because you are driving a much larger vehicle. True, some roads are pitted with potholes and sometimes curves aren't marked, but these hazards cease to be hazards if you simply drive carefully, just as most RV operators do anywhere. As an aside, I've asked every RV operator I've met who has traveled in Mexico about insurance problems in case of an accident. To date, none has reported or heard of any bad experiences. (We'd welcome hearing your personal encounters, good or bad.)
SNOWBIRDS FLOCK TOGETHER!
RV people tend to return to the same parks every year, just as in the United States for their "winter retirement" and eagerly look forward to meeting their friends of last season. Many parks hold holiday celebrations with parties and dinners for the RVers and many long-term friendships have been forged in Mexican RV parks.
Just as in the United States, the RV people tend to organize and plan activities, from pot lucks to dances. RV owners probably aren't any more friendly than other Mexico travelers, but perhaps because they are quartered so close together, they have more opportunity to be friendly.
WINTER RETIREMENT IN BAJA
Although RV retirement in Mexico hasn't nearly the attraction of retiring in houses and apartments, there is one exception, and it's a major exception. Baja California, both the Pacific side and on the Sea of Cortes, is the fastest-growing winter retirement destination of all. At last count, there are over 100 RV parks in Baja that cater exclusively to North American RVers. Also growing in popularity are mainland winter retirement places, such as Bahia Kino and San Carlos Bay.
As an alternative to Arizona's Yuma, Tucson or Phoenix winter retirement, RVers have discovered San Felipe, on Baja's Sea of Cortes coast. About a two-hour drive south of the border--over a lightly-traveled, good highway--San Felipe is attracting snowbirds away from the Yuma-Lake Havasu area for winter. Well-equiped parks--right on the beach--host several thousand people every winter. San Felipe offers complete facilities, even visiting mechanics who will perform maintenance and repairs on your vehicle while you lounge in the sun or fish for dinner.
A trailer space costs about $240 to $300 a month in most parks--about what you would pay in the United States. "We don't save money by spending the winter here, said one couple, "but we don't spend any more than we used to spend in Yuma, and we have a lot more fun!"
Excerpt from "Choose Mexico-Live Well On $800 A Month".
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