Sometimes we get some great updates from our community, well, we just got this one from some European loco travellers with some great content and recommendations:
Mexico: no problem-o. Driving in through Tijuana via Baja is a nice easy entry to Mexico. It is so western it is like entering a pool from the shallow end walking towards the deep end slowly. Great for the nervous, like I was, Car-ferry from La Paz to Mazatlan comfy, mainland roads great, ability to go off and see great stuff non car travelers don't, countless!
There were many military stops heading south but mostly they were not checking you (the tourist). Speeding: plenty / caught by cops : zero, so no bribes paid (yet?). Car services required thanks to off-roading: 2 shock absorbers, 1 new tyre, wheel rotation/re-balancing. costs of that in mexico: pennies!
Seriously, in the UK you could not get a mechanic to put down his coffee for what we paid to get everything done here!
Anyway, thought I'd post some useful stuff to note if you are not from the US ( we are a Brit and a German) and want to do this.
a) it is easier to buy a car in Canada than the US because of the ease of Insurance as a foreigner there. So if you want to drive Mexico or Central America, we recommend buying a car in Canada, adding an extra week driving down from Vancouver, for example, will make your life so much easier as you can just buy a car, get it insured as a foreigner in Canada---insurance is valid in the US---and drive on down to Mexico or Central America. We looked into rules to buy and get registration for United States bought car as a foreigner and decided we'd rather spend the months it would take do travelling.
b) If you enter by car into Mexico as a foreigner from the United States you need to go into the 'something to declare zone' to hand back your green United States visa card or else you will sail right through on green not knowing where to hand in the damn thing. (p.s personal experience means I now know you can hand this in at the foot crossing to a US official there but that means park in Tijuana and brave thousands of foot passengers in front of you to do so).
c) Make sure you learn to say "I am 'German/Polish/English etc..." in spanish. It is a faster ticket through any military checkpoint / awkward situation. You are not from the US---that is a bonus here---use it. Sorry for the US folk reading it, it's true. Hey you got the cool land, let us keep our benefits.
If you are looking to buy or rent your dream home or seeking a relaxing break in Costa Rica, from the Caribbean coast to the North Pacific, through the Central Valley and Central and Southern Pacific zones, this extensive online portfolio of properties and vacation homes offers a great resource.
You can search by locations such as Nosara, Flamingo, Manuel Antonio, Dominical, Arenal, Jaco, Drake Bay and many more properties for sale, properties for rent and vacation locations by using our quick search or advanced search facility. Once you have found the property or vacation of your choice you can book it online or contact the advertiser for more information
For further information on the properties, vacations, land, real estate and investment opportunites they have available please visit the following websites for details www.property.cr or www.costaricapropertyinc.com
Drive Me Loco now offers 'on the ground' service for all your travel needs. Our man Dave is in Costa Rica and can assist you with a multitude of services: shipping, driving assistance, sell your vehicle----we look forward to serving all your travel needs.
If you desire to continue your journey past Costa Rica and dip into South America you'll need to ship your car around an area called the Darien Gap. Here is the Wikipedia page on the gap.
The cost for shipping a car around the Gap is at least $1,000.00 dollars. It could go up to as much as $1,800 depending upon weight and current fuel cost. There will also be some customs fees on Columbia, however they are not extensive. It is possible that when you reach Panama City, you may do foot work to find a ship that will be leaving soon and has space to fill thus lowering the price somewhat. So, depending on your plans, either book early or book last second with the chance that you may have to wait a few days to get a ship. These ships do not carry passengers, therefore you will be forced to fly to Columbia from Panama at a cost of around $168 dollars per person. The flight is only about an hour long. The car shipping will take approximately 2 to 5 days depending upon traffic at the Panama Canal.
The roads on the gulf route are not nearly as bad as they used to be. The scenery is varied and beautiful. Depending on what time you cross the border into Mexico through Brownsville, you may choose to either stay in Valle Hermosa (Beautiful Valley) or continue on toward Tampico. Should you choose to drive all the way through to Tampico, I would suggest that you cross the border very early as this is a long journey. To make things comfortable, I would suggest you cross and get through the border town area as quickly as possible heading to Valle Hermosa. Please keep in mind that this border area is by far the "roughest" area that you will experience. You will definitely feel like you have entered into a third world counry here and you will want to keep your windows and doors locked if possible. There are many hotels in Valle Hermosa ranging in price. The one that I have stayed at there is safe, has secure parking, a café, and is only 17 dollars per night. It is a bit old and ran down, as are most of the hotels that you will find on your way south unless you are a high budget traveler. You are likely to be stopped at least 3 times after Valle Hermosa by either the military or the Federalis.
Brownsville to Tampico
The drive on into Tampico is rather desolate offering beautiful vistas. Please be advised that as of this writing, I would suggest that you not stop or pull over for any car behind you unless you have the experience and know how to identify that the vehicle asking you to pull over is definitely a government vehicle. There are some vehicles, that have been made to look "government". Be sure, be safe. Again, this is a desolate area. Keep your gas tank relatively full. I never allow the tank to drop below 1/4.
Tampico to Veracruz
From Tampico the next stop is Veracruz. Again, get an early start as this is a bit of a haul as well. If you start early both from Valle Hermosa and from Tampico, you will have a few hours of daylight left in Veracruz and in Tampico to enjoy the beautiful beaches and weather. From Veracruz, yet another early start. From there you will drive away from the coast headed Southwest toward Tierra Blanca. However, quite a ways before you get there, you will turn back southeast toward Cosamaloapan, then Acayucan. Pay attention to the beautiful cultural change that you begin to see through here. This is the change between native Mexican inhabitant culture and the Mexican culture that we American's are most familiar with. The area is definitely more agricultural, but I always find the people to be warm, friendly, and cooperative.
Acayucan-Arriago-Guatemala Border
I am not sure that this isn't my favorite area of Mexico. Spending the night in Acayucan, you can then make for Matias Romero and then east to Arriaga. Plan on a night in Arriaga. A few words about this town: this little farm town might possibly be the purest flash back to the 1950's in the United States that I have ever seen. There is no alcohol sold in the town after 7PM (I think this is right, it's is early I am sure of). The town has a permanent carnival set up in it's center with little rides and booths. Children run the streets freely and safely at 10PM. The people are over anxious to lend you a hand in any endeavor you wish and it truly brings to mind how life should be. Again, the hotels are low priced and the food I definitely above average. If you happen to buy a hot dog from the hot dog vendor near the center of town, don't plan on eating it without making a mess. By the time he is done loading it up, it won't even come close to fitting in your mouth....and all for about a dollar. From Arriaga, making it to the Guatemalan is a short skip and a hop and it is here that you rejoin the great original route offered by Gringo Travel Guide pacific Route.
While it is possible for you to sell your car after driving to Costa Rica, possibly even make some profit, it is certainly not without its difficulties. The average customs tax on cars in C.R. is close to 55% of what an American would consider to be the value. For example, if the car you drive here is worth $10,000 in the U.S.A., expect the customs tax to be at least $5,500.00. Also, Costa Rica has their own government “blue book” that is not at all similar to the Kelley’s in the U.S.A. If you have leather seats, air conditioning, automatic transmission, anything that Costa Rica considers a luxury the cost is even more. Also, the inspection process has become tedious: tires cannot be wider by even an inch then the side of the car, a chip in the windshield has to be fixed, and the exhaust is carefully analyzed. This being said, it is entirely possible to sell the car without ever paying any of these taxes or going through this inspection process at all. We have in place a network which can advertise and sell your car, given it is of a style that is even somewhat acceptable here (please contact us for advice on what kind of cars we suggest). We do advise that you give us as much time as possible to begin the process by doing the following well before your arrival so as to expedite the sale as much as possible:
sending us photos or the vehicle
your approximate selling price
the year
the motor size
transmission type
the date you expect to have the car in Costa Rica
and the mileage on the vehicle
copy of the title
It is also possible for you to leave the car in one of our representative’s possession when you return to the states for us to sell for you should you not wish to wait for the sale to take place.
Driving your vehicle to Costa Rica does have distinct advantages over shipping it. Any car that that is brought in by a tourist by driving, is given a 90 day grace period(similar to that of your personal passport) to leave the country or become registered in Costa Rica. Should you choose to ship your vehicle, something we can help with as well, you can expect to pay customs tax immediately upon arrival or risk the government putting the vehicle into storage and charging a daily charge against the value of the vehicle. Once the daily charge exceeds the value of the vehicle, the government auctions the car at a ridiculously low price and you are just out.
The cost for driving your vehicle across the border into Costa Rica is very inexpensive. You are required to purchase liability insurance from the government, at a cost of about $35 dollars for your 90 day stay. There is the traditional, “oh no, it has a bug on the grill” spraying charge of a few dollars, but the rest of the procedure is relatively painless. Should you wish to keep your vehicle in Costa Rica after the 90 days, we strongly advise that you hire a company like ours to assist you in the import duty process as a personal representation with customs can save you a lot of money.
Mexico has traffic laws very similar to the United States. The application of their laws is what accounts for the differences, and the reasons for needing Mexican insurance. DriveMeLoco has partnered with Mexican Online Insurance to provide you with the best Mexican Insurance available and is backed by four of Mexico's largest and most respected insurers, GNP, ABA/GMAC, ACE Seguros, and HDI Seguros.
Insurance is not available in some of the other countries, see the Guide for more information.
Tab Two
Guide Update
If you are traveling and find something missing or incorrect in the Gringos Guide we'd love to hear about it. Please drop us an email and we’ll make sure your updates get into the next edition of the Guide and also onto the website.
We look forward to hearing from you.
DriveMeLoco
Tab Three
Pod Cast Mayan Ruins
A-Pod-Calypto: Mayan Ruins Tours
This is a four part series presented by Lonely Planet, it is a good intro to the Mayan Ruins. You can listen here or download to your computer.
Countries have different travel documents requirements for entry. Some only require Proof of citizenship and birth certificate while others require both a passport and a visa. For more information on the document you might need please see our partner link here .
Who Is Looking At This Page
Loading GeoVisitors Map
What is the Darrian Gap?
The Darrian Gap is a big stretch of jungle that prevents any overland travel from South to Central America, thus you got to ship your vehicle around the trees by sea. Sign-up to get the complete information about the Darrian Gap.
Should I take my gun?
Bringing guns or drugs into Mexico is not recommended. You may go to prison even if you were not aware of the Mexican law. Having said that, I have done one or the other over the years or been with others . . . more
Countries have different travel documents requirements for entry. Some only require Proof of citizenship and birth certificate while others require both a passport and a visa. For more information on the document you might need please see our partner link here . 
Bringing guns or drugs into Mexico is not recommended. You may go to prison even if you were not aware of the Mexican law. Having said that, I have done one or the other over the years or been with others . . . more