What to worry about while driving to Ensenada, Mexico?

October 16, 2007 12:49 AM

9 other friends and I are all planning to drive down into Mexico for our fall break. We will be going in two cars, one of which we borrowed from someone not coming on the trip. We would be staying for about 72 hours (maybe just slightly more). What do we need to do to prepare? Any other general tips for a weekend trip to Ensenada?

I think we need to get Mexico driving insurance.
Some information online mentions needing a tourist, needing to have a registration for the car in the name of the driver, and needing to post a $400 bond.

Many of these sites mention exemptions if you are staying for under 72 hours and are staying in either the border zone or the free trade zone.

How do I tell what of these things apply to us?
If we need the car to be registered to the driver, is there anything we can do to get the car into Mexico? (Or should we just use one of the buss companies? If so does public transportation work well in Ensenada?)

If the requirement is that we stay less than 72 hours and we stayed about 80, would we get into trouble?

On a mostly related note... How much cheaper is hard alcohol in Mexico, and how much are we allowed to bring back per 21 year old?

Sorry for asking so many different things, but We are all sort of worried about the large number of ways in which our trip might not work out.

posted by vegetableagony to travel & transportation (6 comments total)

You need Mexican auto insurance. I cannot stress this enough.

Driving without auto insurance in Mexico is a serious felony, far more serious than in the United States. If you are stopped by the Federales (the Mexican national police) and you don't have proof of insurance, you're in big trouble. If you get in a minor fender-bender, and the cops come by, and they discover you are an American with no Mexican insurance, you will be taken to jail and held until the case is fully settled i.e. the other party takes his or her car to the body shop, has it fixed, you pay the bill, and then you'll be released from jail. And while I have never been there, friends have told me La Mesa prison is one of the worst places on Earth, particularly if you are an American.
posted by fandango_matt at 1:11 AM on October 16, 2007

Going into Mexico w/o insurance would be incredibly stupid. It isn't that much money, and there are tons of places to buy it before you leave.

I was just there last weekend, and buses from Tijuana to Ensenada are frequent. There are many lots right on the CA side, I like the one at the duty free shop [check the prices there as you walk in on booze to use as a comparison to on the Mexican side]. That lot charges $9/day. There's another lot on the right just as you exit the freeway that is $7/day prepaid. It also acts as a bus stop for Mexicoach. I know they go to Rosarito, but you might contact them about Ensenada. The bus means no one has to drive and everyone in your party can have a good time. The autopista to Ensenada is an easy drive. It is the first kilometer with all of the turns and offramps that can be offputting.

Not only do you avoid dealing insurance and the car, by taking the bus, you can avoid the huge "linea" trying to re-enter the US that can take hours and hours. On foot, it is a 30 minute exercise to get home [could be longer, could be much shorter if you come back late at night]. You can get bus tickets right after you enter Tijuana through the second set of turnstiles.

Staying 80 hours should not be a problem. If you walk across the border, there's no one really checking at the border to determine when you arrived. If you're stopped by the police, you tell them a day or two and unless it looks like you moved there, you'd have no problem. Note the Tijuana police department is notorious for shaking down tourists. The best advice there is to not do something any time to attract the cops' attention. Worst case is the prison Fandango_Matt talked about prison, better case is you have to pay the off the cops to be let go. Not all cops are bad, just be smart and everyone will be OK.

Each person can bring back 1 liter of booze. Some of the duty free shop prices -- even though duty free -- are not that great. It is a tourist zone so enterprising vendors will try to get you to pay as much as they can. I bought a bottle of tequila that would have set me back $75 at home for $45.
posted by birdherder at 2:44 AM on October 16, 2007

I definitely second the dropping the car thing. Whenever I go down to Mexico--with Mexican nationals, no less--we prefer to take a taxi to our destination. Granted we usually go to Rosarito and not Ensenada, but I still recommend alternative transportation.

Whether you take a bus, a taxi cab, or drive after all, just remember to be careful. If you're going during break, you're going to be surrounded by American college students anyway, so just make sure you don't stick out the most, and the cops will likely leave you alone.
posted by librarylis at 3:39 AM on October 16, 2007

Truly, taxis are stupidly-cheap in Mexico. So is hard (and harder) alcohol, as long as you buy it in "real" Mexican shops, not tourist traps.

Let us know where you wake up, and whose skirt you're wearing.
posted by rokusan at 5:35 AM on October 16, 2007

The last time I drove across the border, Mexican insurance was not required by law -- but it sure is required by common sense, and it is cheap.

The "you must be driving a car with your name on the registration" is a deterrent to you driving down a stolen car. (And if there are two names on the registration, both should be there.) You solve these problems with a notarized letter, as explained in in the links below.

It will be a lot easier for you to either take the bus and/or taxis, or rent two cars in the US and drive those across. Not all rental companies let you take their cars to Mexico, and I think there is a surcharge, but this is much easier than getting the necessary letters to bring a friend's car.

Here is the Aduana website (in Spanish).

Here is an LA Times article that details the documents needed to bring the car and yourself.

And here is a step-by-step guide to driving across the border; I'm not sure it it is 100% up to date or not.
posted by Forktine at 6:06 AM on October 16, 2007

Some broader considerations and recommendations from a previous thread.
posted by AwkwardPause at 6:09 AM on October 16, 2007