The 4 Worst Things That Happened to Me As a Single Woman Driving Across Mexico

Time spent in Mexico the last two years? A year and a half. 

Kilometers driven? 20,000.

Mexican states visited? 23 out of 32.

Problems I had driving? Several, which you’ll learn about below.

Times I felt threatened, unsafe, or in danger? Zero.

How often I had to adjust to the fact that living in another country means standards and norms different to what I was accustomed to? Constantly. 

This blog is coming now, four months after when I was last in Mexico, for several reasons — 1) my blogs on driving in Mexico are search engine trafficked daily (yay Google!), 2) I still get comments and DMs about my experiences driving in Mexico, and 3) I’ve shared some things on social media, but I haven’t shared EVERYTHING. 

And while some people may call these problems “the cost of living your dream in Mexico,” about 75% of the time, I don’t agree with that. 

I don’t agree with that — not because I want to live by or impose my own rules, but because I want Mexico to abide by its own law and order. But once you learn Mexico, you understand this: what is mandated, doesn’t actually happen, and what is not supposed to happen (and the penalties for such), isn’t always or actually enforced. 

For those of you who want to drive into Mexico, I recommend this: 

• Search for and read some more driving in Mexico stories. Because I only drove through certain states, my experience may not be representative of the one you or others might have had. Learn about what you could and should do in certain situations, so you are better likely to keep your cool if it happens to you. 
• But also, take any stories you read with a grain of salt. I’ve hesitated to complain too much, as 99% of the time, over the thousands of kilometers I’ve driven, my experience has been uneventful. People are much more likely to recount any negative situation (and may sometimes overblow or exaggerate such situations).
• This should go without saying, but don’t go rogue. Follow the recommendations to a T and you’ll be much less likely to have any issues at all — both the rules and legalities of importing your car, and the official and unofficial rules of the road. 
• If anything I’ve mentioned sounds like gobbledegook, do your research. Google terms. Review the Mexican government website (gob.mx). Consult an expert if you can’t find the information online. 

Let’s dig in. 

The 4th worst thing: Getting pulled over. 

I’ve gotten pulled or waved over a handful of times in Mexico. (It’s nerve wracking getting pulled over in my home country, too!) But I always keep my cool. 

Typically, when you get pulled over (or waved over, as during a checkpoint) in Mexico:

• You’ll have committed a real infraction
• You’ll have “committed” a made-up infraction because the cop is fishing for a bribe
• Or, you won’t have done anything at all… they just want to check your papers and ask a few questions (perhaps to ascertain that your car is legally in Mexico and that you have the title to your car, or maybe to see if they can make you nervous or find an infraction to get you on!)

It’s easy to panic and think about all the horror stories you’ve likely been reading about, but the important thing is to NOT pay a bribe, be polite, be cheerful, be as informed and prepared as possible, and… be slow. 

If they’re after money, they want it to come easy… for you to pay them quickly and begone. So I speak slowly (and sometimes, I mess up my Spanish, a little on purpose, because nothing is more annoying than a person that can’t understand you). I take my time going through my stack of papers (and believe me, I’ve got a FAT STACK, and you should too). I try to explain what happened or what I thought I knew, all with a smile on my face. I get out my Google Translate. I ask to see the infraction I committed in the book (if applicable). I casually motion to my dash cam, if they’re insistent, because I’ve got the proof and no cop wants to be on camera asking for a bribe. (It’s a huge offense. Report incidents via the smartphone app Denuncia Paisano.)

If they’re ever really insistent, I will agree to follow them to the police station to pay the “trámite.” This means paperwork for them. However, it’s never gotten to that point for me.* (Caveat: Situation no. 1.)

I’ve been fortunate that every policia to have ever stopped me has been non-threatening, even if what they’re after is apparent. (The innuendo is real.) They’ve eventually gotten bored of me. 

The 3rd worst thing: I didn’t get my TIP (temporary import permit) deposit back. 

When you bring a U.S. (or Canada)-plated vehicle into Mexico (past the border zone), according to the law, you’re required to “temporarily import” it and leave a deposit as collateral that you’re not going to sell or abandon your vehicle in Mexico, which is against the law. When you leave Mexico again, you (theoretically) get the deposit back. Depending on the exchange rate at the time (and the cost may increase every year), the deposit is between $450-$475 USD. 

On my first trip crossing back from traveling into Mexico, I received my TIP deposit back within 48 hours, as a credit on my credit card. The second time I was not so lucky. 

The excuse that I heard generally has something to do with Banjercito (who collects the payment for the TIP, and is in charge of refunding you) and Aduana (Mexico’s customs department) not talking to each other or “accidentally” losing or failing to update their records.

The 2nd worst thing: My side mirrors were stolen off my car — twice.

Nobody warned me that this was a thing before I got to Mexico City, but it is, if you have a non-Mexican plated car. Mexicans seemed to consider it common knowledge, while everybody else I told was like “WTF? Why!?” 

I’m told that the tiny electronics inside our North American side mirrors have high resale on the Mexican black market. No wonder — the Mexico City Honda dealership wanted to charge me 20,000 pesos to replace them! (Most cars produced in Mexico have manually-adjustable side mirrors instead of electronically-adjustable side mirrors.) Apartments with garages or a secured parking area is KEY!

The first time my mirrors were stolen, I was parked on a side street in Condesa, in front of my rental apartment and kitty corner to another apartment building with a security guard. My side mirrors were missing one morning when I went out to drive my car somewhere. THIS was an ordeal — waiting for the insurance adjuster, who said they would only approve my claim if I had a police report, going to three police stations until I found an officer that would actually write one, and having a small auto shop cut and stick on regular hardware mirrors onto the mirror base, which was left behind by the thieves. My deductible was $500, but I decided to have my nephew purchase wholesale mirrors and put them on once I got back to the states. For mirrors and installation, he charged me $450.

I should’ve learned my lesson then, and I mostly did — in Mexico City, from then on, I only sublet apartments with garages — but one evening, I returned to my Roma Sur apartment building and was too tired to attempt to back my vehicle into the extremely narrow and anxiety-inducing garage opening (another thing they don’t tell you). I decided to park on the street just for one night and move it in the morning. This proved to be a bad decision, because my mirrors were missing when I went out at 6:30 a.m.

The insurance adjuster was quicker this time, and I learned I could file a police report (denuncia) online with the CDMX police, but that was where the convenience ended. My insurance company, GNP Seguros, only gave me six authorized auto shops to get the mirrors replaced within 300 square kilometers. I chose the one in San Miguel de Allende because I was imminently traveling there to see friends. 

In San Miguel de Allende, I waited almost four weeks to get the mirrors — which I never ended up getting. 

Firstly, GNP Seguros would not formally approve the claim until I physically gave my claim ticket to the auto shop in SMA, meaning a couple days wasted that the part could’ve been in the mail. Next, when the mirror kit arrived, it was missing the appropriate connector for my car (gee, if only they had known what car I drove and had my VIN so they could’ve ordered the right one?!). Next, instead of sourcing the cheap little connector elsewhere, they sent the entire mirror kit back, and would not send the correct mirror kit until the other mirror kit was returned. Finally, nobody from GNP Seguros or the auto shop could give me estimated timing or shipping updates.

I waited as long as I could, but I had to return to the U.S. because I had an impending flight. My nephew replaced my mirrors again himself. 

A humongous thank you to Waylon and Renee who graciously hosted Penny and I during those almost four weeks in San Miguel de Allende. I may have missed Thanksgiving with my family, but I spent it with my adopted one in Mexico. ❤️ 

And the worst thing to happen to me while driving in Mexico: I was scammed by the cops in a falsified “breathalyzer” incident

In Progreso, Yucatan, I had an infamous run-in with the police at a checkpoint that cost me over $500 USD. Instead of rehashing it here, read my post below. 

In the hour after I picked my car up, I learned through a Mexican lawyer friend that if it was a legitimate offense / aka a “real” police incident, I would’ve been able to pay my ticket by credit card, I would’ve gotten some record of the incident, and I wouldn’t have had my phone held from me in the Mexican police station. 

What would I have done differently (beyond abstaining from that one margarita at dinner, which hasn’t deterred them from running the scam on others)? I would’ve been THAT GIRL with my phone, recording, speaking loudly, and making a fuss. I hate to do it, but it is effective in Mexico. 😔 

Some people call troubles like these “the cost of living your dream in Mexico,” and about 25% of the time, I agree.

That’s because even with the Mexican bureaucraZY… I still love my (new) country, I worked hard (and spent a lot of money) to become a legal resident, and I will continue to spend a lot of time in Mexico — but I will travel smarter. Hopefully, this helps you be smarter in your Mexico travels, so you can see and experience what I fell in love with too. ❤️ 

Bottom line, there is definitely a cost to bringing your vehicle into Mexico, one which you have to weigh. It takes a toll — financially, emotionally, and on your time. I am considering getting my car regularized in Mexico to make myself less of a target and to save money. Stay tuned for that odyssey!

Read also:

• THINGS I WISHED I KNEW BEFORE DRIVING TO MEXICO FROM THE U.S. 
• AN AMERICAN WOMAN DRIVING IN MEXICO: PREPPING FOR MY MEXICO ROAD TRIP FROM THE U.S.