BajaNomad

Gas Prices/ Toll Charges/ Border Wait (April, 2015)

David K - 4-11-2015 at 07:18 AM

In writing the detailed trip log and maps of our Easter Weekend expedition, I was thinking there may be some who just want to see the paved road details, that we all pass over getting to our Baja adventures!

Posted exchange rates I saw were from 14:1 to 15:1.

MEXICALI PEMEX (Magna Sin 87 octane gasoline):
59.875 LITERS was MN$732.85. Exchange rate posted was MN$14.50: Dollar
Doing the math, this equals= 15.8 gallons at US$50.54 or US$3.20/gallon.

LA PUERTA PEMEX (Hwy. 5):
Magna Sin MN$12.92/Liter
Premium MN$13.77/Liter
Filled with Premium, 91 octane: 55.9 LITERS was MN$770 (I paid with pesos, but in dollars at the posted exchange rate of MN$14.00:dollar = 14.8 gallons at US$55.00 or US$3.72/gallon for Premium.

TECATE PEMEX (Magna Sin):
Magna Sin MN$12.64/Liter
Premium MN$13.48/Liter
Bought 147 pesos (all that I had after tolls) of gas and got 11.63 Liters (3.1 gallons) or US$3.27/gallon

Apparently the price rose after April 4 from MN$12.24/Liter to MN$12.64 along the border, for Magna? I didn't record the price per liter off the pump at Mexicali, just the amount sold.

In any case, all those prices are close with Southern California gas prices, perhaps 20 cents higher than the cheaper station here.

TOLL GATES, HWY. 2-D:
Libramiento de Mexicali: MN$71
La Rumorosa: MN$22 (US$1.65... was told $2 and got 5 pesos [35 cents] in change)
El Hongo: MN$63

TECATE BORDER WAIT Tuesday, April 7 began at 5:44 pm and I was done with questioning and in the U.S. at 5:54 pm (just two gates were open). Viva Tecate!!!

[Edited on 4-11-2015 by David K]

AKgringo - 4-11-2015 at 09:54 AM

I used the Tecate crossing going north in early December 2013, it was a smooth ten minute event.
I made a second trip that season, and in late April I headed back through what was now my favorite border crossing. Unfortunately, a calendar is something I don't use very well, and my Friday afternoon crossing took over an hour and a half!
This year I crossed back into the US at the Mexicali/Calexico West gate. It was the day before Thanksgiving, and took two and a half hours. Damn those elusive calendars, they should have warned me!

Estrella - 4-11-2015 at 10:56 AM

Thanks for the fuel cost conversions. We had a most unlikely but wonderful experience when crossing at Tecate on the last Friday of Feb. It was threatening rain and we chickened out on trying to camp at the Indian campground outside Valle de Guadalupe. We gritted our teeth and.....at 5 p.m.....aargh...drove across the border with no one in front of us! Never has happened before and may never again but sure loved it!

AKgringo - 4-11-2015 at 01:20 PM

Quote: Originally posted by Estrella  
Thanks for the fuel cost conversions. We had a most unlikely but wonderful experience when crossing at Tecate on the last Friday of Feb. It was threatening rain and we chickened out on trying to camp at the Indian campground outside Valle de Guadalupe. We gritted our teeth and.....at 5 p.m.....aargh...drove across the border with no one in front of us! Never has happened before and may never again but sure loved it!


That sounded like my first northbound crossing. Maybe my second trip was on a Saturday, or some holiday I wasn't aware of. I already confessed to being calendar dysfunctional!

[Edited on 4-11-2015 by AKgringo]