?

My wife and I are considering buying a fifth wheel in Texas and then transporting it cross border into Mexico to the Lake Chappla region, anything that anybody would know about this subject would be appreciated.

Put your question on this facebook site, "RV'ing in Mexico". You will get good information.  https://www.facebook.com/groups/1672989492958579/

  On 7/21/2019 at 5:16 AM, LW AL said:

?

My wife and I are considering buying a fifth wheel in Texas and then transporting it cross border into Mexico to the Lake Chappla region, anything that anybody would know about this subject would be appreciated.

 

My parents built a home there in the village of Ajijic decades ago. I went back there maybe 15 years ago to help settle the estate of an uncle (American). I stayed at the Posada in Ajijic. Still charming and gracious but the lake had receded by at least a quarter. The water was several hundred yards out from where it had been. Too many people using the lake. Also, Mexico is not the sleepy, laid back country it once was. The growth industry may well be kidnapping. It is also a country where "el mordio" is how official business is conducted. I would not recommend living there or even visiting. 

I live in Mexico Lake Chapala.  You can get a 10 year permit for the RV.  Basically if you are going to bring it down here and park it in one place more or less permanently that should do it for the duration.  After 10 years it won't be worth much anyway.

You are allowed to drive a U.S. plated car here for 4 years with a "temporal" visa, after that you either take your chances by going out and getting new temporals or you get "permanente" here locally after which you cannot drive a U.S. plated car.  If the trailer is parked somewhere more or less permanently I wouldn't worry further about it.  They won't be coming round to check on it.  That's a good thing because the permit for it ceases being legal once you are permanente.

There's only one really nice RV park here and that is Roca Azul, at the west end of the lake and just south of the town of Jocotepec.  It is really nice.  The rest are just your basic parking places.  Some people have bought lots and permanently parked trailers on them.

Bear in mind that repair stuff for RVs is pretty much unavailable here, you'll have to pick that stuff up when you take trips out.

Forget about RVing in Mexico, generally very poor roads and/or often only slightly better but very expensive to use toll roads.  And I mean damned expensive for the poor quality, for example from Chapala to Juarez $110 in tolls each way, 21 toll booths.  More than the cost of gas and we find ourselves riding the left lane most of the time because the truckers have wrecked the right lanes.

Most of the camping is found along the beaches.  Mexico has crappy roads overall, don't let anyone feed you a line of BS about that.  Unfortunately in the 11 years we've been here the roads have gone downhill.  Big reason for that is NAFTA and the trucking from it, much of which is overloaded and unsafe.  The truckers are wrecking the roads here faster than they can be repaired and much of that work is shoddy anyway.  Typically starts falling apart in a year or less.

After 11 years we're thinking of returning to New Mexico because the Chapala area is getting really over run, the country's environment is a trashed up polluted mess and also getting worse in our experience.  When we moved here we really thought Mexico was a country on the rise, we no longer feel that way.  Just getting tired of the grunge and the constant need to protect yourself from crime.

We've analyzed the situation carefully and can live in Las Cruces in our home for about the same cost of living here.  Time you add up the very high costs of energy and gasoline, the accelerated wear and tear on your vehicle from the bad roads, not being able to use your Medicare, many things you buy 25-50 percent more than U.S. it just isn't all that cheap.  We actually cover much of the cost of our U.S. trips in the cost savings of the stuff we bring back rather than buy here.

Anyway if you want to talk about this send me a message and I'll send you our US phone number and email.

Edited July 29 by DHOUCK

^^^  Wow, AW AL- there's your answer. Pretty much sums it up.

  On 7/29/2019 at 2:23 AM, DHOUCK said:

I live in Mexico Lake Chapala. 

Thank you for the excellent report. Information from one who is there can be difficult to find.

Dang, you mean all the flashy brochures are wrong?

?

  On 8/27/2019 at 10:46 PM, podwerkz said:

Dang, you mean all the flashy brochures are wrong?

 

?

 

 

Pretty much.  Weather is incredible though.