halcyondays
Junior Nomad
Posts: 28
Registered: 11-20-2010
Location: Oregon>Pescadero
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Driving in Baja---from Oregon
My wife and I will be building on a lot we recently built.
We are newbies to the whole process of living part time in Baja but we are very excited about it.
We are realizing that transportation, while in Baja, is an obvious concern.
We are considering driving one of our trucks down or else storing a truck in our garage when our baja casita is built.
We know we have to have an FM3 to own a house there so storing a car there would also be possible? (since you need an FM3 to have a car there full
time)
1. Is it best to just drive our truck from Oregon and have it there with us the 2 to 4 months a year we stay?
2. Is it easy to buy a car in Baja and get it registered and insured once we have our FM3?
3. Would it be easier to buy a car in the US and register it in south Dakota as so many do?
4. Does Mexican insurance really work and is it worth having anything more than liability?
Thanks in advance!!
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rhintransit
Super Nomad
Posts: 1588
Registered: 9-4-2006
Location: Loreto
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you can leave a car here if you like. consider the security issue for it, as well as anything else you leave here. we had three vehicles stolen from
my tiny beach community last year.
you need to decide if you want to store one or just drive one down for the months you are here. if you are building, being able to bring stuff down
each time is a huge benefit. I'd suggest driving until the house is done, then leaving a beater here.
you can buy a car here. don't count on any Mexican vehicle having been maintained. gringos sell them fairly frequently, with the attendant USA
registration and licensing issues. I can't speak to licensing/registering in Mexico, other people can/will and you can check previous threads. ditto
on the toss up between buying a car here vs one in the US and SD registration
Mexican insurance does work, kind of, depends on the company, see previous threads on this. if your car has some value you will want to consider it.
having totaled one vehicle, and collected on it, I'd say yes it is worth it. it took some time and some intense persistance (plus photo documentation
of before and after, including odometer....I highly recommend doing this pre-each trip) but I eventually collected what my US insurance company said
it would have paid me. minus the 1k deductable for total theft which is fairly standard down here.
[Edited on 11-22-2010 by rhintransit]
reality\'s never been of much use out here...
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DENNIS
Platinum Nomad
Posts: 29510
Registered: 9-2-2006
Location: Punta Banda
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| Quote: | Originally posted by halcyondays
4. Does Mexican insurance really work and is it worth having anything more than liability?
Thanks in advance!! |
I've seen it work just fine. My neighbor had a liability policy, hit a car and the insurance company went out of their way to have it repaired.
If you have a car which you are proud of, you should have full coverage just like the states.
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Loretana
Senior Nomad
Posts: 825
Registered: 5-19-2006
Location: Oregon/Loreto
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Mood: alegre
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Halcyondays,
We keep one of our old trucks (90 Chevy PU) down at our Loreto home. It has been there since December '06. Some friends stop by our house and start it
for us during the months we aren't there, to keep the battery charged. We have owned it since it was new, so we know what condition it is in. We put a
new tranny in it before it left Oregon for Mexico, and it still runs like a Chevy should. We do our shopping, dump runs, construction material pick
up chores etc, and it has been indispensible.
Here in Oregon, you can file a form that allows you to circumvent the DEQ inspection and keep your plates current, as long as you have insurance on
the vehicle. I just renewed the plates last month for the next two years here at our local DMV in OR, no problems. We use Baja Bound Insurance for our
yearly Mexican liability policy, at $124.80 per year. The Oregon DMV form is "Form DEQ/VIP 9401-Statement of Vehicle Outside of Oregon" available on
the DMV website. I'm assuming that you have a valid OR license, and an address.
I can't imagine not having my trusty pick up there when I return to Loreto. She's a dandy. 
"If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration."
-Nikola Tesla
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