I am in the beginning stages of planning a move to Mexico next spring. I will be selling off my ebay business and moving from a 3 bedroom house into a small motorhome RV or slide-in camper and moving to Mexico solo with my two little dogs. I will be teaching English down there, primarily in the Yucatan, and looking to get a small RV that can be made totally self-sufficient. Any advice would be great; I don't have a vehicle yet and am on a strict budget!<br /><br /><h2 style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"> </h2>
Mexico Bound!
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josephusminimus
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You've probably done so already, but if you haven't, you'd be well advised to look into the cost of taking an RV into Mexico for a long-term stay. You mentioned being on a tight budget, and the Mexican fees are rumored to be impressive for RVs entering with the intention of more than a short visit.<br /><br />Yucatan's great, though. Good knowing there are such jobs to be had down there. If I were younger I might do it myself.<br /><br />Best of luck to you on the adventure.
From what I have read so far, the primary cost for Rv'ing on Mexico roads comes from inflated tolls-based on number of axels- (and fuel, of course). Are there additional, large fees at the border? I will also be taking a motorbike or small car so that transportation costs, once I am established and have parked my Rv, will be diminished.
Thanks for the advice, cyndi! I went and had a quick look at it yesterday and it looked very well-kept but I haven't had a chance to inspect it thoroughly or talk to the owner. The interior is just perfect for me in size and style.<br /><br />
dragonflyinthesky
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Like others said, get it looked at. Low miles on something old isn't always a good deal. Looks like you are from the Ohio area? I'm in Dayton.<br />Dragonfly
SirJoey
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<br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>I can personally vouch for low miles on an old one not necessarily being a good thing. Mine's a '74 Class C with 53k on it, & it's been one problem after another for the 2 years I've owned it. STILL haven't gotten it running, but if I ever do, I'm gonna BAIL for whatever I can get out of it. </strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: 'comic sans ms', sans-serif;"><strong>Never again will I ever buy ANY kind of motorhome more than 20 years old, no matter WHAT the mileage, no matter HOW good the condition APPEARS, or HOW good a deal it seems to be.<br /><br />YMMV...<br /><br /></strong></span>
Thanks for the advice! I have plenty of time to find the right "new home" for heading to Mexico; the age and style of this one intrigued me. I will definitely have it looked at by my mechanic if I decide to move further on it; it has been for sale for about 6 months so maybe he will keep lowering the price!<br /><br />Are there some major problems I should look for specifically when looking at older RVs?<br /><br /><br /><br />
Pikachu711
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Welcome to the group Zorra666!
josephusminimus
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There's a thread, <em><strong>I have land in the Yucatan and want to start a farm community</strong></em>, <a href="http://www.rainbowgatherings.org/gr...Comment:412501&groupId=2058657:Group:9359">http://www.rainbowgatherings.org/gr...Comment:412501&groupId=2058657:Group:9359</a> where some of the questions on your mind might be answered.<br /><br />There was considerable discussion on the issue there for a while.zorra666 said:
wandering mike
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<p>As a former Buckeye (Akron area), welcome. <br /><br />I spent last winter in Mexico and expect to cross over for this winter in mid November. Probably will cross in Texas. I use a small class C. Took the toll roads some and the "libre" or free roads other times. The toll roads do cost, but you get insurance and the "green angels" road services trucks that wander the highways. It is supposedly a bit safer too. If you have a "dually" rear axle the tolls are about twice as much. But again, there is always a free road that goes through the small towns too that generally runs parallel to the toll road.<br /><br />The fees to enter were pretty minor for an RV. I think it was about $50 for the ten year permit for the RV. There is no deposit for RV's, unlike other vehicles where there is a deposit based on the age of the vehicle to make sure you take the vehicle out after 6 months (which is also your maximum stay with a tourist entry). The actual personal entry fee was something like $20. <br /><br />Fuel costs are a bit cheaper down there. I think it is probably a bit over $3 a gallon at this point, but exchange rates come into play. Folks are a whole lot more tolerant about street camping though. </p><p><br />Since you have a few months, I would go over to the <a href="http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/listings/forum/66.cfm">Mexico/South America forum at RV.Net </a>where all of this and more is discussed and they have a bunch of "sticky" posts for standard stuff like insurance, border crossing, etc. PM me if you like if you have any other questions.<br /><br />PS. based on your web site and apparent interest in the arts, you may want to wander down by way of San Miguel de Allende. Great little artsy city in the central highlands. Lots of European influence too.</p>
Wonderful, Mike! Thank you so much for the information! I am hoping to either get a small motorhome or a slide-in truck camper and get a motorbike for puttering around. I intend on being down there for 1-2 years teaching English wherever the proverbial winds take me. <br /><br />I'll definitely check out the Mexico/S America forum especially when I get closer to leaving! Thanks!
