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Author: Subject: Vehicles to avoid driving to Baja
norte
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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 01:44 PM


Don't go. If you look back to about a month ago an attempted car jacking and kidnapping put a man in the hospital with multiple injuries including a broken leg. How quickly some of these people forget.

http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=81958


[Edited on 3-13-2016 by norte]
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mtgoat666
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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 01:57 PM


Quote: Originally posted by Bob and Susan  
i'd be more worried about traveling across California USA...

last year 176,745 cars were stolen in California

if we do the math that's

484 stolen cars a day

and that's

20 cars an hour or
one stolen car every 3 minutes

amazing...it's safer to cross the border


California has more than 10 times the population of Baja.
Urban California is safer than urban Baja. You are safer in downtown LA than downtown TJ.

Let's compare the car theft rate per capita for California and Baja, eh?
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chuckie
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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 02:14 PM


Why? Is he going to Kalifornia? Why not compare it to Poland or Kazakstan?



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mtgoat666
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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 02:18 PM


Quote: Originally posted by chuckie  
Why? Is he going to Kalifornia?


I don't think he is going to California. From the sounds of it he appears to feel uneasy in California.

:lol:
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JC43
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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 02:19 PM


Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc  
like some animals, thieves love shiny things.
So, don't wash your truck.

Don't even have a charger cable for an iPhone visible inside - they will brake your window otherwise.

Don't show/indicate any value and you'll be fine.


That`s a very important and good advice! I know about break ins b/c of some cash/coins inside a car. Piggy Bank amount! Something one member of our team experienced: Do not let a car w/ things inside unattended on a beach. A car was opened w/ a special key and all content was robbed. Special key: The thieves have keys without "profile" for each brand > one for Ford. One for Chevy etc. >That key without "profile" opens any Ford, etc, no matter if Pick-Up or SUV or Sedan. But only if values are visible. No camera, no cash visible = no interest. BTW, not washing / dirt, other good advice! It protects the paint against blistering sun when left in the open :light:
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Bob and Susan
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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 02:39 PM


Quote: Originally posted by JC43  
...A car was opened w/ a special key and all content was robbed. Special key: The thieves have keys without "profile" for each brand > one for Ford. One for Chevy etc. >That key without "profile" opens any Ford, etc, no matter if Pick-Up or SUV or Sedan....


I think baja is a little more "low-tech"

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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 03:04 PM


I agree with the poster who worried about driving an uncommon vehicle way down south (BCS). I was very lucky that my old Subaru Legacy wagon never dropped dead on my visits to La Paz/La Ventana. I used to look around the auto shops in La Paz (there are dozens) and NEVER see a Subaru being worked on. Very few on the streets down south, that's for sure. I now drive a Nissan Xterra, which is not a common vehicle either but shares a drive train with many other Nissans that are quite popular in BCS. Probably fairly easy to get parts/repair.



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motoged
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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 03:05 PM


Some of those special keys require certain operator skills:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L91_K-s4pMM




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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 03:24 PM


I don't lock the doors on my Sportage. Why encourage someone to use a 'special key' on my window when the side windows on the soft top open with a zipper, or a knife?



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JC43
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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 03:47 PM


Quote: Originally posted by Bob and Susan  
Quote: Originally posted by JC43  
...A car was opened w/ a special key and all content was robbed. Special key: The thieves have keys without "profile" for each brand > one for Ford. One for Chevy etc. >That key without "profile" opens any Ford, etc, no matter if Pick-Up or SUV or Sedan....


I think baja is a little more "low-tech"


Folks, don`t frighten off potential Baja visitors! Especially if you run a business! I think the low tech instruments are used only if a car is left alone in a very remote location. Like at the end of Bahia de Conception.(a dangerous spot if a car is completely left behind) But is that different to the US??? NOPE ! There is no such robing this way in big cities! Not even in communities with only some hundred folks.
BTW. the low tech instruments shown are all the same, just digitally minimized one to another LOL!
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norte
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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 04:33 PM


Quote: Originally posted by JC43  
Quote: Originally posted by Bob and Susan  
Quote: Originally posted by JC43  
...A car was opened w/ a special key and all content was robbed. Special key: The thieves have keys without "profile" for each brand > one for Ford. One for Chevy etc. >That key without "profile" opens any Ford, etc, no matter if Pick-Up or SUV or Sedan....


I think baja is a little more "low-tech"


Folks, don`t frighten off potential Baja visitors! Especially if you run a business! I think the low tech instruments are used only if a car is left alone in a very remote location. Like at the end of Bahia de Conception.(a dangerous spot if a car is completely left behind) But is that different to the US??? NOPE ! There is no such robing this way in big cities! Not even in communities with only some hundred folks.
BTW. the low tech instruments shown are all the same, just digitally minimized one to another LOL!



BEWARE anyone who would try your safety to make a buck.
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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 05:02 PM


Quote: Originally posted by norte  
Quote: Originally posted by JC43  
Quote: Originally posted by Bob and Susan  
Quote: Originally posted by JC43  
...A car was opened w/ a special key and all content was robbed. Special key: The thieves have keys without "profile" for each brand > one for Ford. One for Chevy etc. >That key without "profile" opens any Ford, etc, no matter if Pick-Up or SUV or Sedan....


I think baja is a little more "low-tech"


Folks, don`t frighten off potential Baja visitors! Especially if you run a business! I think the low tech instruments are used only if a car is left alone in a very remote location. Like at the end of Bahia de Conception.(a dangerous spot if a car is completely left behind) But is that different to the US??? NOPE ! There is no such robing this way in big cities! Not even in communities with only some hundred folks.
BTW. the low tech instruments shown are all the same, just digitally minimized one to another LOL!



BEWARE anyone who would try your safety to make a buck.


What's this world coming to???? HATEFUL TROLLS ATTACKING HATEFUL TROLLS......

It's like a *fill in the blank________* convention here.... :D




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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 06:20 PM


Quote: Originally posted by chippy  
Thats funny advice from a benz owner.


http://www2.mercedes-benz.com.mx/content/mexico/mpc/mpc_mexi...


haven't washed my truck the last 3 years
before that, I washed it once a year
now I have given up

my truck is a workhorse
it is strong and capable - that's all I care about




and I use it like others use their pickup - sand, rocks, cement




[Edited on 3-14-2016 by 4x4abc]




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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 06:23 PM


Where's the "Like" button here? :light:



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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 07:04 PM


A Mercedes G! The draft horse under the work trucks. And if it is a Diesel --- even better. Will cover about 1.000.000 miles without trouble. YES: the LIKE button ??? Years ago I owned a Unimog. Same pattern!

[Edited on 3-14-2016 by JC43]
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chuckie
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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 07:12 PM


UNIMOGS RULE!



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JC43
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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 07:17 PM


Chucky, you once said you agree with my opinion `grudgingly´.
I do agree w/ you 100% this time without any animosity.
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mtgoat666
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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 07:42 PM


Quote: Originally posted by 4x4abc  


haven't washed my truck the last 3 years
before that, I washed it once a year
now I have given up

my truck is a workhorse
it is strong and capable - that's all I care about

and I use it like others use their pickup - sand, rocks, cement



You are a stupendous gas bag. You really need a bigger vehicle, I don't know how you fit that ego in such a modest size car.
Dk better watch out! you will soon surpass him and claim title of bloviator-in-chief!
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chuckie
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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 08:06 PM


JC...My Dad bought a UNIMOG someplace and brought it home...We used it as an everything vehicle....In its lowest gear and range it had a top speed of.000000000000000000002 MPH.....I think it was left when we sold the place...



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[*] posted on 3-13-2016 at 08:50 PM


Good advice already. We have made the drive from Oregon several times and have spent several months kicking around the desert. We just bought a "new" rig this past month which will probably be headed to Baja with us next fall. Some criteria:

1. Reliable enough that you won't worry about that 300km of no gas, no services, no nothing after El Rosario. If you feel comfortable driving it across the state/provence, it should be fine to take to Baja and back. If you worry about it going around the block to the store, maybe not a great plan.

2. Easy to service and find parts for. I know of a few people who have been stuck for weeks plus just waiting on parts. Breaking down in Cabo you'll probably be able to find whatever you need. In Punta Prieta? Not so much. If you can do your own work, you'll save some time on trying to find the local mechanic, who is often out of town/taking a nap/drinking heavily/etc. Would I take a Chevy/Ford/Toyota to Baja? Sure. A Volkswagen (especially a post-2000 one) or a Maserati? Hell no.

3. Nice enough that it's comfortable to travel in. It's a LONG way from here to there, especially if there is Baja Sur.

4. Not nice enough that you're going to worry when you rake it with a cactus, high-center it on a rock, or get it stuck on the beach. It will happen, even if you don't go looking for it. HELLO POTHOLES!

5. Baja is TOUGH on vehicles. Especially suspension parts if you get off the beaten path a bit. I'd hesitate to take something super-nice down there for that reason alone.

6. If you pay attention to #4, you won't need to consider the theft thing. A lot of folks in Baja drive real nice rigs - you'll be surprised at the standard of living in some of the smaller towns.



[Edited on 3-14-2016 by chavycha]
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