Differences in automotive cultures.

[DBMaster]

I, too, enjoy whiskey and gin. The American gin scene is great these days, and even the Brits have some more interesting stuff than the standard pine-forest London Dry. I am working on a bottle of Martin Miller's right now.

I would have said six months ago that tequila was my favorite spirit. 80% of the tequilas made in Mexico are for the export market, so we actually have more to choose from in Texas than you do in Oaxaca. But, Oaxaca is the Mecca for Mezcal. I was introduced to the spirit with Del Maguey Vida. I still like it better than some of the other ones that cost twice as much. I have also enjoyed Los Nahuales (also called Los Danzantes), Sombra, El Tinieblo, and Delirio. I got a couple more brands on my recent trip to P.V., but they were a bit more ordinary. In Oaxaca you can check around and try some straight from the palenques until you find your favorite. I like all my liquors neat and once you sip on a mezcal tequila seems pretty bland.

I may be biased, being a fan and neighbor of Mexico, but I think Mexican spirits are really world class. I have also had Hacienda de Chihuahua sotol and enjoy that as well. I would like to eventually try raicilla and bacanora, too.

I can talk bourbon any time you want as well.

Sorry to go off on a spirits tangent when I know you wanted to talk cars!

 

[jdawg89]

Oh boy..tequila...I can't mention the things tequila makes me do. Including my clothes fall of LOL

 

[SLCraig]

Originally Posted By: jdawg89
Oh boy..tequila...I can't mention the things tequila makes me do. Including my clothes fall of LOL


Hah. It's liquid courage, truth serum, and good times all wrapped in one!

 

[jdawg89]

I can't publicly admit the "good times" its given me. Last time I drank it I woke up in the garage in my underwear

 

[artificialist]

When I stay at Grandma's house in Houston, Texas, the #1 vehicle I see with a Mexico license plate is a Ford Lobo, which seems much like the 1997-2003 Ford F-150.

 

[Klutch9]

Originally Posted By: dwcopple
All of the shuttles and taxi's I saw in Playa del Carmen were Nissan and even the van's were manual trans too. It was awesome, but the CD the taxi driver was listening to, was not...


We went to Tulum (just south of Playa del Carmen) this February, and I thought it was awesome that everything had a manual trans. Saw a few Renaults and Peugeots, too. And a Dacia (Renault) Sandero! I think it's different how you see variants of cars sold here. Ex: B4 Jettas, with different rear ends, called by another silly name. I love seeing different cars that aren't sold in the states. Most of them are quite cool.

 

[artificialist]

Originally Posted By: Klutch9
Originally Posted By: dwcopple
All of the shuttles and taxi's I saw in Playa del Carmen were Nissan and even the van's were manual trans too. It was awesome, but the CD the taxi driver was listening to, was not...


We went to Tulum (just south of Playa del Carmen) this February, and I thought it was awesome that everything had a manual trans. Saw a few Renaults and Peugeots, too. And a Dacia (Renault) Sandero! I think it's different how you see variants of cars sold here. Ex: B4 Jettas, with different rear ends, called by another silly name. I love seeing different cars that aren't sold in the states. Most of them are quite cool.


Were the Jettas called Bora? That is what they are sometimes called in Europe.

Sort of like how VW can't decide if they should name their hatch a Golf or a Rabbit for the USA.

 

[01rangerxl]

Originally Posted By: artificialist
When I stay at Grandma's house in Houston, Texas, the #1 vehicle I see with a Mexico license plate is a Ford Lobo, which seems much like the 1997-2003 Ford F-150.


I have seen a couple Lobos, or at least F-150s with Lobo badges. The Lobo is identical to the F-150, just with different content in the trim levels.

I have seen one '99-'01 Dodge Ramcharger in person. It was parked on the street in Birmingham...Mexico tags. Did a major double take when I saw that one. Almost went back for a closer look.

I saw some kind of little Renault with Mexico tags in Charlotte.

I have not yet seen a crew cab Ranger. I hope to cross that one off the list one day.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: Christopher Hussey
Originally Posted By: Cardenio327
...They are associated with frugality, a quality rejected by the poor here.


I find it amusing that the "poor" are seen as rejecting frugality. Guess that explains why they are poor.


I had some "poor" guy show up to look at my 1984 mercedes 240d in his brothers' 2002ish BMW 7-series. I have to assume he was from a culture that valued "flash".

He was also completely rude, accusing me of lying about the condition of the car when it "overheated" 1/10 mile up the road, but was not showing symptoms back in my driveway. If all the BTUs in all the diesel in the world were applied to heating the engine up in a 30 second test drive, it wouldn't have gotten that warm. So there's the highway.

I worked at a tire shop for a bit. We saw a ton of toyotas but few hondas. Of toyotas most were corollas and camrys. Echo/Yaris guys were too cheap even to come in for our $16.95 bulk oil change. Prius owners knew better. Then we dumped 5w30 bulk into caps marked 5w20. I figure the owners saw transportation as a commodity as well as service.

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
Originally Posted By: Cardenio327

K-cars and derivatives have the nicest and politest owners. Exception: Caravans, Voyagers and late 90s fake Accords. It always puts a smile on my face when I see a 600, Dynasty or Shadow pulling into my driveway. I suspect a person must have outstanding patience to tolerate a K-car.


Thank you for this post! This is a great insight into Mexican car culture. I personally did not think Mexico's fleet is like Cuba - I know GM, Ford and Chrysler have pretty significant sales in your country, so the only reason I would expect to see really old vehicles would be due to your weather and the lack of rust to take them off the road.

I always thought people in Mexico loved their K-cars! Count me in that camp too.


Per allpar.com, Mexican market K-cars got cool stuff like multiport fuel injection while American ones stayed with TBI. I assume for Chrysler to spend money on anything they must have seen a market.

 

[DBMaster]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
my 1984 mercedes 240d


One of my best friends has a 1982 240D. Spartan, to say the least, but the thing is, literally, a tank that will last forever with the proper care. I remember when his dad bought it new in 1982. He told me it was the last sub $20,000 Mercedes.