Mexico Drivers

[arellanon]

To specifically answer the question of the thread, obviously some people have driven 200s to MX. Is it a prudent and safe thing to do? Hell no.
Why? It's a rich man's car and they know it. Doesn't matter that you bought it used for 42k.

Flaunting that much money around down there is just asking for it. Talk about standing out. Talk about being a bullseye.

I've traveled all over Baja for 20 years in a FJ60. Maybe 12 trips. The 60 never had that stigma. The Mexicans knew (and know) that model and it was known more as a gringo surfer's 4WD. Low key.

I have a friend that owns a 200 and a Ford pickup. He has a little casita in Todos Santos BCS. He'll never drive his 200 to Baja ever. Never. Why? See above.

Sure, guys do it and say it's fine. But friends of mine that have 60s and have spent many years taking trips in Baja have come to the conclusion (as I have) that it's not a smart vehicle to take to Mexico.

Of course you CAN, but if you weren't oblivious to what you were actually doing, you never would.

If you can't safely take a new Land Cruiser to Mexico, what's the point?
Pity.

I understand the hesitance in your point of view since things can get wacky south of the border and believe me I am always at my highest alert when traveling, especially down south. I still think the risk is minimal enough to proceed though; I see souped up trucks over there all the time with American license plates. Statistically, Baja is the safest area in Mexico, so I think it would be a good first stomping ground due to the relative crime rates and proximity to California, where I am at. People do Trans-African expeditions in Land Cruisers; Mexico (or the Americas for that matter) can't be any more dangerous.

 

[stonepa]

I've run plenty of gas bought from a shady roadside vendor in my 100. A lot of which I filtered through a coffee filter because it didn't look too good. Never had an issue in Mexico. I've only used PEMEX Magna in my LX570. Again, no issues with the fuel but make sure you watch the attendant zero out the pump before pumping your gas. I've caught a couple of guys who 'forgot' to reset the pump.

If you get the chance to continue south from MX you get lots of choices for fuel - Shell, Esso, Puma, etc. They are more like the stations we have in the US. In rural areas you may be back to buying roadside gas, although the quality is often just as good as the stations. Some of the rural guys even have nice fuel trucks to pump out of, rather than the red and green fuel drums on a flat bed like I've seen some places.

 

[jamesg]

The gas is probably safer to drink than the water. lol

 

[JamesC]

Of course you CAN, but if you weren't oblivious to what you were actually doing, you never would. If you can't safely take a new Land Cruiser to Mexico, what's the point? Pity.

I don't want to give anyone a false sense of confidence but I'm in MEX just under half my time these days. 200s definitely have a reputation but it's not the one you've conveyed Even in the rough corridors of Sinaloa there is a lot of concern for who might be behind the wheel of something like a 200 and that doesn't invite investigation. There was a well known encounter a few years back but it had nothing to do with petty crime - if anything a reputation was solidified as either narco or oga and either way it's the opposite of vulnerable.

MGR - the Mexico Gulf Reporter: Mexican Federal Police ambush of CIA agents in 2012 was no accident, press source alleges

Even among the most cautious in BCN it's a far less of a concern past the frontera than gas station spacing

 

[arellanon]

Man poor 200, what a waste of a legendary vehicle.