i am a fully loaded green gringo about to embark on my first run through baja and id love some help/advice...i plan to drive from venice beach to
todos santos with my girlfriend
1. i have a mint1969 porsche 912 which i want to take - is this going to attract unneccessary attention from police/customs/locals?
2. im planning to take quite a lot of valuables as i plant to stay for 3 months - computers/ipods/cd's etc etc - is this very risky?
3. i want to drive there over 3 days - can someone help me make an itinerary of where to stay etc?
4. is there anything else i should be thinking about??
muchissima gracias !!!!
harrySantiago - 3-27-2008 at 10:17 AM
#1: Yes to all 3
#2: Yes
#3: This is possible but in your case will not be necessary - you won't get that far.
#4: Commit to memory the phone nynmber of the claims department for your mexican insurance.
Why would anyone paint a '69 912 mint???
Common Sense !
djh - 3-27-2008 at 10:33 AM
The #1 requirement for Baja travel....
Hi Harry.
You COULD expect the worst case scenario suggested by Santiago above, however.... life would be a bit boring if we lived like that, eh? Good planning
and common sense is a good antidote for this....
I have a "mint" black 68 911 Targa (named Darth).... I've never driven it to Baja, and don't expect to.... but I know the fun!
Especially if your 912 is a Targa :-) like mine.
If you travel during daylight hours, and are mindful of your environment, and plan your stops carefully, you'll likely have a fun trip. For sure,
take some obvious 912 spares.... (pts., plugs., rotor, distributor, coil, wires, belt, fuel pump, cables, etc.) and a basic tool kit. I'd also
recommend a sturdy steering wheel "club" style lock....!
I don't stop N. of Ensenada. Just too many troubles recently in that zone. Many Nomads make their first overnight at El Rosario. I've also done my
final overnight (northbound) at San Quintin. You can do Rosario to Loreto in a day's comfortable drive. You can also do Loreto to TS in an easy day.
Browse the Nomad forums a bit.... You'll find a welth of good info to help plan your trip and avoid some of the scams and risks.... (Pemex problems,
fake police cars, etc.)
You're welcomed to U2U me if you have any specific questions I might assist with.
Good luck, have fun!
djh.
trip
tehag - 3-27-2008 at 01:15 PM
Much safer down here than Venice Beach.
Road clearance may be an issue with that car. I commute in VW Golf with some extra caution on speed bumps and holes.osoflojo - 3-27-2008 at 01:25 PM
Speed bumps (Topes) and pot holes could be an issue.Pompano - 3-27-2008 at 01:32 PM
Harry, I have driven a couple of sports cars to southern Baja..and the first thing I thought of when reading your post was also...
....Speed Bumps.
I hope they have saved lots of lives...I know they have created lots of repair shop work!
You should have no problems other than that...enjoy Baja...and read other reports about your route here on Nomads.shari - 3-27-2008 at 01:39 PM
My daughter Sirena says it would be wiser to leave your porsche with her in Guerrero Negro and she will lend you her not quite mint Toyota Celica so
you will fit right in here! je je..(couldn't resist) but oh yeah, you will attract lots of attention which is OK...it's like a real pretty girl with
long blonde hair and green eyes. But I agree that clearance might be an issue...and in baja, you never know when there is stuff on the road...rocks,
wood, matress etc...getting to the beaches will be a problem too in Todos Santos...but have a fun trip. Best place to stay the first night is either
Baja Cactus next to the Pemex in El Rosario or the Pinta in Catavinia...othere options, Los cAracoles, the 2nd hotel coming into GN...Mulege has lots
of places to stay too...Loreto too..suerte amigo...wish we were in your shoes/carwilderone - 3-27-2008 at 02:10 PM
You might find that 3 days is a bit optimistic. Why rush?Bob and Susan - 3-27-2008 at 02:45 PM
i saw a new corvette driving down the other day...
it was pretty low!!!
and...it was driving FAST!!!
your 1969 912 is very OLD and you will NOT be able to repair it here...
there are NO parts available for a car like that ... in fact
...you probably buy parts off the internet already
before i would bring it down i would have a plan in place to trailer it back if it breaks
a regular tow truck WILL bend the front bumper
remember EVERY road off mexican #1 is made of DIRT
you WILL scratch it
as for attracting attention...everyone will look but no one will steal because it will "stick out" too much
3 days to todos santos is very reasonable...drive slow thru the towns
edit...oh yea i used to have a 911e and i would have driven it down now if i still had it
you bought it to drive it..so...drive it
[Edited on 3-27-2008 by Bob and Susan]mulegemichael - 3-27-2008 at 03:07 PM
It's a good idea to stay at hotels that have a secure, walled parking place for you. The Baja Cactus in El Rosario fits the bill. Don't leave your
valuables visible in the car and take what you value most into your room with you. If you empty the car entirely of valuables and have a bar on the
steering wheel I would even suggest you leave it unlocked to avoid a broken window or jimmied door....and....Try to hit the topes on an angle...have
fun!BajaNomad - 3-27-2008 at 03:10 PM
If you leave early enough in the day, Guerrero Negro isn't a bad target destination for the first night.
If you won't get that far, earlier stopping points have been noted in Cataviņa (La Pinta) and El Rosario (Baja Cactus).
Already noted was a night 2 stopping point of Loreto at this point - unless you're okay with the slightly additional day 3 distance starting in Mulege
instead of Loreto.
--
Doug
Porsche Parts
bajaguy - 3-27-2008 at 03:20 PM
........"your 1969 912 is very OLD and you will NOT be able to repair it here...
there are NO parts available for a car like that ... in fact
...you probably buy parts off the internet already".........
................................................................................................
I had a 1968 912 Targa for a few years (before kids). Buying Porsche parts was driving me into the poor house.
A friend introduced me to a German Porsche trained mechanic who suggested that I could save a lot of money by comparing the Porsche parts against
Volkswagen parts. A large percentage of VW parts (engine/trans) will also exact fit/match Porsche parts.
[Edited on 3-27-2008 by bajaguy]DENNIS - 3-27-2008 at 03:27 PM
I wouldn't take a Porsche to Baja. Well, I might but, I'd have to weld a big winch onto the front first. Give it a little bit of muscle for those
stand-offs in the intersections.Terry28 - 3-27-2008 at 03:39 PM
I have a porsche, had the same one for 25 years, I go to Baja 20 times a year at least. Althought I have always deamed of opening it up on some parts
of Highway1, in reality I would never take it across the border for all the reasons everyone mentioned...Leave it home..If you have to have it there
trailer it down......Stickers - 3-27-2008 at 04:10 PM
On a recent trip to Mexico we were driving with some locals and we spotted a nice old Porsche. My gringo friend went "wow look at that" and our
Mexican friends didn't get it? They could not figure why he was impressed. They felt it was just a streamlined VW, which it is.
I owned one for 25 years and put 400,000 miles on it. You will not need parts for it because there are no parts to need (air cooled) but if you needed
something there are a million VWs in Baja and everyone can fix them.
If it is a bright color and draws attention then it is up to you to keep you expensive items low key and bring a car cover for it.
Remember it is just STUFF and who cares - have a great time - we have all done dumber things in our lives.
You only live once so DO IT.
[Edited on 3-27-2008 by Stickers]thebajarunner - 3-27-2008 at 04:27 PM
Took my 911S Targa down to Navajoa and back a couple times, through Mexicali and San Luis.
Great open stretches in the desert- running 110-120 for long periods of time.
After I quit active driving the SCORE races in the '80s I took it down and chased several races (on the pavement, of course)
Got stopped in TJ on an early Sunday morning headed out for running a stop sign, cop was very nice, we drove a couple blocks to the station, they all
came out and admired the car, I paid a $10 fine, got a receipt and never had another issue with it.
I did jokingly say that I was once arrested in Baja for "DAP"
"Driving a Porsche"bajaguy - 3-27-2008 at 04:32 PM
OK, OK......I confess, I had two. A 1965 356SC and the 1968 912 Targa....got it all out of my system when I had kids!!!!
Both ran like a dream, even with VW parts!!!! (parts is parts)bajajudy - 3-27-2008 at 05:22 PM
I thought that this guy was trolling!castaway$ - 3-27-2008 at 06:59 PM
First night, Rice and Beans. Second night, Todos Santos. Third Night, Pacifico and a bottle of Milagro Reposado. Or not, but you are driving a
Porsche.Sallysouth - 3-27-2008 at 07:18 PM
Judy, me too.This person has not responded to anyone yet.Just goes to show ya what great people the Nomads (most) are, just trying to help out a
newbie!!hmmmmm....HarryChisholm - 3-27-2008 at 08:08 PM
thank you to everyone for replying - im more confused now than i was this morning !!!! i think the consensus is this : get in the car, shutup and
drive !gibson - 3-27-2008 at 08:24 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by HarryChisholm
thank you to everyone for replying - im more confused now than i was this morning !!!! i think the consensus is this : get in the car, shutup and
drive !
get in A car (or pickup), just leave the porsche (and all the replacement air filters) at home. enjoyMartyman - 3-28-2008 at 10:57 AM
Aren't most of the speed bumps removed and replaced with the Botz dots masses?
My friend got some air off a speed bump in El Rosario a couple years ago but they were all removed by last November.
Take the porsche.
There seems to be a lot of wimps on-line these days who wouldn't do anything slightly unusual.oldjack - 3-28-2008 at 11:11 AM
after considering the risks of being an obvously RICH GUY and a target.... think about how many speed bumps you have to avoid in your hometown area...
anyone who has driven MX 1 will tell you that the height of the topes varies considerably... don't assume you will clear them all at the same
angle... if you get to Los Barriles without loosing your muffler I'll provide you with some Pacifico just to see the car....djh - 3-28-2008 at 07:51 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by oldjack
after considering the risks of being an obvously RICH GUY and a target....
Easy there, Jack. That's an assumption....
In spite of the name "Porsche" this is a very old car, and a simple 912 (a 4 cylinder, much like an early air cooled VW....).
And there are a few of us who own an old Porsche because of our ability to wrench a ton of sweat-equity into an old car that someone else gave up
on...
I paid less for my 68 911 than ANYone else (in my work office parking lot) paid for their daily driver :-).... (ie. I ran up against the same cliche'
assumption)DENNIS - 3-28-2008 at 08:24 PM
Quote:
Originally posted by djh
Easy there, Jack. That's an assumption....
I assume that a careless disregard for a presumably delicate vehicle has lead us to assume a relatively high value for said vehicle. Had it been a
turdmobile, the shocked responses to foolish waste would have been, assumably, nonexistant.HarryChisholm - 3-28-2008 at 10:07 PM
hahaha...is it my imagination or have the answers to my original question got a bit lost in the mix !!
the famous german turdmobile cost me $6000 and is my constant companion..it's as good as gold, never misses a beat and can look rough or perfect
depending on whether its clean or not (its cream). based on what ive heard, i wont be cleaning it in the foreseeable future then.
as for 'my careless disregard' for it, not sure what to make of that..those roads must be UNBELIEVABLE !mulegemichael - 3-29-2008 at 08:52 AM
there are still LOTS of topes on hwy 1, both painted and unpainted...just drove the length of it a couple weeks ago, and like most trips north or
south, didn't notice one or two of them and launched myself skyward...oldjack - 3-29-2008 at 09:21 AM
If you insist on being a low-key "Porche" owner/driver watch out for "things" on the road.... not being the rich person I thought you might be...
the expense of hitting something will be an unpleasant experience... topes are just one of many challenges of driving HWY1... I have driven the entire
HWY many,many,many, many(and more) times and to this day I am lulled into a dream state just looking at the ever changing desert and anticipating the
next sighting of the sea as I crest another hill going too fast... then BUMP some obstacle is right where I wasn't looking....
I think it will be real interesting for you... sitting so low to the ground as those big trucks go by( in either direction)... BE CAREFUL some of thos
drivers tend to be "playful"
btw if you are still welcome to the Pacificos...vandenberg - 3-29-2008 at 09:48 AM
Harry,
Don't let those guys scare you.
I'm leaving Loreto tomorrow, on my way to California. Drive a Toyota Corolla, a car with as low a clearance as any. If it has any kind of load, it
bottoms out, no matter how careful. Due diligence is definitely required, but easily doable in any kind of vehicle. Far cry from 20 to 30 years ago,
when traveling HGW I was a true challenge. I'd say, go for it. You will have no regrets. A good co-pilot is definitely a plus.
