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I'll be looking for a slightly used (2014 or newer most likely) SUV or crossover for around $15-20k USD when I arrive this fall.

I figure I might as well do my research and test driving here in the US where my language skills aren't woefully lacking. :)

 

Aside from my general requirements I think there are some things I should be considering:

  1. Easy to get parts for and have worked on
  2. Vehicles that are perhaps less conspicuous/likely to draw unwanted attention
  3. ??? what else should i be considering ???

Other non-Mexico-specific considerations are, in no particular order:

  1. 4WD/AWD
  2. room in back for 2 medium dog crates whilst still keeping back seat available for human passengers
  3. decent fuel economy
  4. reputation for reliability

Vehicles I've considered so far:

  • Toyota Highlander (pricey and not great mileage without the hybrid setup but a sweeet ride!)
  • Jeep Compass or Cherokee
  • Mitsubishi Outlander (not seeing a lot of those listed around GDL)
  • Subaru Outback (not seeing a lot of those listed around GDL)
  • Honda CRV or Pilot
  • Nissan Murano or Rogue (Xtrail in MX, I think)
  • ??? what am I missing ???

 

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Honda CR-V or Toyota Rav-4 are the most popular. We have a 2016 Honda HR-V and love it, slightly smaller footprint than the CR-V. Anything bigger than these can pose some problems in the villages. Go see Spencer or Karen at S&S Motors, 376-765-4800.

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We originally opted for a Honda fit but found it a bit small for our 4 footed offspring.... So we bought a CRV... mid range model that was about $20k... We added leather interior of our choice for another grand... The car (2016) was highly rated in the US and that was the basis for our selection... Unless you plan on off road exploring, I would suggest you pass on the AWD as it is another thing to maintain and a higher dollar cost... We have been well pleased with our purchase and the number of CRVs in the area speak for its popularity...  Also recommend Spencer at S&S ... great sales and service...

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We also bought a CRV and are very happy with it. If you are willing to pay $20k you should buy new. Used cars here are more expensive than the U.S. and there is no way of knowing if the odometer has been set back or if the car has been in an accident. 

In Mexico the prices are not very negotiable. They change every month. Base model is 392,000 pesos. They are less expensive than the U.S. right now. Prices are listed. http://www.honda.mx/autos/crv/

 

 

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The Xtrail is great we have had one for 12 years and it has no problems..It is also great for dogs. We have a Mazda CX5 because it of its great gaz mileage but the back is not flat when the back seats go down so it is not good for crates it also has a blind spot problem in the rear otherwise it is very comfortable. 

I would go for the xtrail,

 

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1 hour ago, bmh said:

The Xtrail is great we have had one for 12 years and it has no problems..It is also great for dogs. We have a Mazda CX5 because it of its great gaz mileage but the back is not flat when the back seats go down so it is not good for crates it also has a blind spot problem in the rear otherwise it is very comfortable. 

I would go for the xtrail,

 

I've heard that about the Mazda - hence not on my list.
The Xtrail looks interesting. I'm going to check out the US version here (Rogue?)

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1 hour ago, Joyfull said:

We also bought a CRV and are very happy with it. If you are willing to pay $20k you should buy new. Used cars here are more expensive than the U.S. and there is no way of knowing if the odometer has been set back or if the car has been in an accident. 

In Mexico the prices are not very negotiable. They change every month. Base model is 392,000 pesos. They are less expensive than the U.S. right now. Prices are listed. http://www.honda.mx/autos/crv/

 

 

Interesting! I understand that prices include all taxes and fees other than the license plate, so that's good.

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2 hours ago, rvanparys said:

We originally opted for a Honda fit but found it a bit small for our 4 footed offspring.... So we bought a CRV... mid range model that was about $20k... We added leather interior of our choice for another grand... The car (2016) was highly rated in the US and that was the basis for our selection... Unless you plan on off road exploring, I would suggest you pass on the AWD as it is another thing to maintain and a higher dollar cost... We have been well pleased with our purchase and the number of CRVs in the area speak for its popularity...  Also recommend Spencer at S&S ... great sales and service...

I don't *plan* on off-road exploring, but you just never know. Still, I'll give AWD a second thought.

I've heard lots of people mention S&S and I will definitely be getting in touch with them when I'm ready to buy!

 

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2 hours ago, tomgates said:

Honda CR-V or Toyota Rav-4 are the most popular. We have a 2016 Honda HR-V and love it, slightly smaller footprint than the CR-V. Anything bigger than these can pose some problems in the villages. Go see Spencer or Karen at S&S Motors, 376-765-4800.

I'm not familiar with the HRV; I'll have to check on that. You can fit 2 dog crates in the back with the seat up?

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29" deep and 40" wide. We can fit several of our Chihuahua crates back there!

The dealers will include the license plates, registration and emissions sticker.

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The X-Trail is more akin to a Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4..... Not saying they are equal but that is about the size and shape.

The Japanese cars have the best reputation for value and reliability (everywhere, not just Mexico). If you purchase a vehicle made in Mexico FOR the Mexican market, it may not have everything that the made-for-US market ones have.  Most of these things will not be "visible to the naked eye".... Emissions standards, bumpers, # of air bags, etc etc  If you buy Mexican and later decide to return (live) to the US, you may or may not be able to import it back there. This is less true of the latest vehicles but true at some level none-the-less. For example they may not meet/have an EPA Emissions sticker under the hood or a DOT sticker on the door jamb. If not, forget importing into the US.  One can, of course, drive it back to the US for a visit (up to one year in the US) without jumping through any hoops.

From a size standpoint, I would steer clear of the Toyota Highlander, Mitsubishi Outlander, Honda Pilot, Nissan Murano and maybe even the Grand Cherokee unless you will be doing a lot of traveling where it might be nice to have the larger/more comfortable vehicles. In the mean time, around town they are not so good due to size and more likely to get scratched up bigtime driving/parking in the very narrow streets. You'll be careful but other's won't!

Me, I would consider the CR-V, RAV4, X-Trail, Subaru Outback. The Honda Fit is an amazing vehicle with respect to interior space (how about two bicycles!) but make sure the ride comfort on longer rides is what you expect. I might consider a VW product but just don't know what is available in Mexico.  Ditto someone's remark about not needing AWD and surely not 4WD.

 

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We just did a similar search, although we were looking for a smaller SUV/Crossover, and we ended up going with the VW Tiguan Wolfsburg edition.  We also looked at the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Creta; they might be too small for your needs, but consider whatever the next larger model from those manufacturers is. Both were good quality, and Kia has an amazing warranty, which is even more important in Mexico.

Strongly recommend Spencer @ S&S; he took us around to all the dealers for test drives and explained the unique aspects of the Mexican new car market.

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I drive on a lot of dirt roads while in Chiapas with the Xtrail and I do not have 4WD.. Only in a few cases I could have used it.The dirt roads are usually good enough and you do not need 4wd.. Very often I am glad I do not have a RWD , it gives me an excuse not to go to places I should not be going  to anyways..

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38 minutes ago, RickS said:

The X-Trail is more akin to a Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4..... Not saying they are equal but that is about the size and shape.

The Japanese cars have the best reputation for value and reliability (everywhere, not just Mexico). If you purchase a vehicle made in Mexico FOR the Mexican market, it may not have everything that the made-for-US market ones have.  Most of these things will not be "visible to the naked eye".... Emissions standards, bumpers, # of air bags, etc etc  If you buy Mexican and later decide to return (live) to the US, you may or may not be able to import it back there. This is less true of the latest vehicles but true at some level none-the-less. For example they may not meet/have an EPA Emissions sticker under the hood or a DOT sticker on the door jamb. If not, forget importing into the US.  One can, of course, drive it back to the US for a visit (up to one year in the US) without jumping through any hoops.

From a size standpoint, I would steer clear of the Toyota Highlander, Mitsubishi Outlander, Honda Pilot, Nissan Murano and maybe even the Grand Cherokee unless you will be doing a lot of traveling where it might be nice to have the larger/more comfortable vehicles. In the mean time, around town they are not so good due to size and more likely to get scratched up bigtime driving/parking in the very narrow streets. You'll be careful but other's won't!

Me, I would consider the CR-V, RAV4, X-Trail, Subaru Outback. The Honda Fit is an amazing vehicle with respect to interior space (how about two bicycles!) but make sure the ride comfort on longer rides is what you expect. I might consider a VW product but just don't know what is available in Mexico.  Ditto someone's remark about not needing AWD and surely not 4WD.

 

Thanks for all the info, RickS.

At this point I'm leaning heavily toward the Nissan X-Trail. Subaru Outback would be my first choice here in the US, but it seems like an uncommon car in MEX and I'm concerned about availability and cost of repairs and maintenance as well as it potentially being more of a target. The RAV 4 from what I understand is likely going to be too small, but I've got it on my list to test drive anyway. Sure wish I could test drive an X-Trail here.

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The newer X-Trail is 'on par' with the CR-V and a bit larger than the RAV4.... it used to be smaller a few years ago. The X-Trail quotes 'seats 7' but if you look at it, 3 of those 7 better be small children! They all basically seat 4 adults with possibility to add 1 or 2 children 'somewhere'. 

 

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Hola from another Washingtonian... 

The Xtrails are great, I drive a 2003 currently and it is a very good car. 

I'll be in the market soon for a new car (Xtrail going to the 16 year old) and am seriously considering the Hyundai and Kia offerings because of their competitive prices, nice styling and superior warranties... 

Suerte!!!

-Thomas

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Red Swan- Beware that with AWD that once you put some miles on your tires and for some reason (flat tire ect.) You cannot replace the bad tire with a new tire, depending on how much tread wear you will have to find a used tire to match the tread wear of the other tires, other wise it will effect your computer traction control.

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11 hours ago, RedSwan said:

Thanks for all the info, RickS.

At this point I'm leaning heavily toward the Nissan X-Trail. Subaru Outback would be my first choice here in the US, but it seems like an uncommon car in MEX and I'm concerned about availability anfcost of repairs and maintenance as well as it potentially being more of a target. The RAV 4 from what I understand is likely going to be too small, but I've got it on my list to test drive anyway. Sure wish I could test drive an X-Trail here.

Not to divert too much from the classic question originally posed, but here in northern California I drove a Subaru Legacy for years and appreciated it's sturdiness and AWD, but not it's relative lack of refinement and crude handling on the tortuous coastal and mountain roads I mainly travel.  So I made a mental list of requirements and got an Audi A3, which seems ideal in a topes-free zone without police supervision. Judging from the inventory listed at soloautos.mx, such hot hatches and small SUVs by Audi and BMW are available (and I've seen some Lakeside), and in current USDs seem comparatively cheap.  But are overall conditions Lakeside and in Jalisco (and extending out to PV) just  too rugged and not otherwise favorable for spirited driving, and are such marques really crime magnets?  Thanks.

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One thing I forgot to mention..... We put our CRV on our credit card... The dealer added 3% for this but the rate of exchange given by Capital One made us come out $$ ahead... Just a consideration when buying....and the air miles add up....

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