Forum Discussion

lfrese's avatar
lfrese
Explorer
Apr 03, 2020

Want to drive through Mexico, looking for truck advice

I dont know a lot about vehicles, esp trucks. I have had 2 class C Chevy RVs that I sold because it seemed like something was always wrong with the chassis. I am looking at buying a 3/4 to 1 ton truck and putting a Capri camper on it. I would like to take an extended trip around Mexico but I want to do some research before I buy the truck.

I am looking for something that is under 10k & under 150k miles that will be reliable, and if it does break down its something I can get fixed in Mexico. It seems like Toyota and Nissan are popular down there but here, those trucks arent known for their reliability, are they?

I was looking at a 2002 GMC Sierra 3500 Extended but consumer reports says the 2002 Sierra 1500 is not reliable so I dont think the 3500 would be great.

Is it harder to get diesel in Mx than it is to get regular gas?

Any advice would be appreciated!
Truck Campers
  • jimh406's avatar
    jimh406
    Explorer III
    Apr 03, 2020
    It will be hard to find any 3/4 or 1 ton pickup that is reliable for 10K or even under 150K miles for 10K. Have you thought about converting a van? A Capri isn’t much bigger and you could put that money toward the vehicle instead of the truck camper.
  • MarkTwain's avatar
    MarkTwain
    Explorer
    Apr 03, 2020
    lfrese wrote:
    jdc1 wrote:
    It will be VERY hard to find a diesel truck with under 150,000 miles for less than $10,000. You can find plenty of gassers for that, with under 100,000 miles. Campers on mini-trucks do not preform well. Too top heavy and not enough power.


    What do you mean "mini-trucks" I am looking for a 3/4 to 1 ton truck.
    Why are the diesels so expensive? I imagine they have just as many issues as the gassers and are more expensive to fix, no?


    The diesel engine is about $6K more than a gas engine but the diesel engine will give you 300K miles with no major issues. I'm guessing cause I don't own one that the gas engine might give you 160K.
  • Kayteg1's avatar
    Kayteg1
    Explorer II
    Apr 03, 2020
    I sold my diesel Mercedes (year 2007 who has DPF but no DEF) to Mexican guy in my neighborhood.
    At 190k miles the engine had slight vibration, but the guy took it to Baja and said the engine loved Mexican diesel. Smooth like a silk.
    That said from what I have seen, there are not too many diesel shops in Mexico, so buying cheap (aka beaten up) diesel for travel there might become very risky very fast.
    IMHO spending money on younger gasser might be wiser.
  • JerBear's avatar
    JerBear
    Explorer
    Apr 03, 2020
    We have been traveling to Mexico since 2007. We have a 2006 GMC 3500 Sierra duramax and a 10'8 Citation slide in truck camper. For us it is the perfect RV for Mexico for a variety of reasons. But of course this is only our opinion. Mexico is a beautiful country to explore with warm and friendly people.Hope you get to see it!!! And to answer your question we have no problem finding diesel.
    JerBear
  • gbopp's avatar
    gbopp
    Explorer
    Apr 03, 2020
    Go on Ebay or any site that sells vehicles. Search for diesel pickups.
  • lfrese's avatar
    lfrese
    Explorer
    Apr 03, 2020
    jdc1 wrote:
    It will be VERY hard to find a diesel truck with under 150,000 miles for less than $10,000. You can find plenty of gassers for that, with under 100,000 miles. Campers on mini-trucks do not preform well. Too top heavy and not enough power.


    What do you mean "mini-trucks" I am looking for a 3/4 to 1 ton truck.
    Why are the diesels so expensive? I imagine they have just as many issues as the gassers and are more expensive to fix, no?
  • jdc1's avatar
    jdc1
    Explorer II
    Apr 03, 2020
    It will be VERY hard to find a diesel truck with under 150,000 miles for less than $10,000. You can find plenty of gassers for that, with under 100,000 miles. Campers on mini-trucks do not preform well. Too top heavy and not enough power.

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