Manzanillo, MX

[Anonymous]

You made me grin.

I’m not trying to compare the two countries, though, just pointing out that Mexico is not all bad and the USA is not all good.

However, your analogy is not quite correct. You should never feed the beast with mordida (the “little bite”)– unless you’re just in such a hurry that you’d rather contribute to the corruption than take the correct steps.

Your pulled over for a traffic violation in Mexico:

A, You accept the ticket he is NOT going to give you

B, You give the “officer” your nice wrist watch that he is seriously eyeing

C, Drop a “Twenty” on the ground and tell him to have a nice day

ANSWER: C is most correct, B is almost correct

The correct answer is D: You very politely insist on being taken to the police station immediately to pay your fine. One of 2 things is likely to happen: either you deserved the fine/ticket and the cop will take you there (where you will pay a small amount and be outta there within half an hour); or he was trying to extort you and after some complaining and further attempts to extort you, he will let you go.

This kind of behavior among cops is especially noticeable around Christmas time, when they are trying to get extra money for Christmas presents (they’re poorly paid). I have yet to give a bribe to a cop, but they’ll never stop trying as long as people are willing to drop that 20 on the ground.

Come to think of it, maybe the system in Mexico is better! Its certainly more efficient and definitely way cheaper.

In reality it’s no more corrupt, either. 🙂

As I said (somewhere), retiring in Mexico (or any foreign country) is not for everyone.

[anxvariety]

Isn’t it well understood that, bonds and stock markets outrank real estate in returns when averaged over 20-30+ years?

Assuming thats true for a minute – can we start off by looking at Mexico as more an inexpensive place to live than an needing investment strength? So at the very least you want a place to escape to that costs you little… is there anything affordable enough for your average person looking for an escape(someone with disposable income) from a lease perspective where investment returns don’t even matter? Say something that costs 100-500(without having a wild dog chew on your leg while your sleeping) a month? That you can go to anytime, any day, for as long as you want? Maybe its called a hotel… but why not lease a small place not worry about investment and take a $1000+/month that you’d spend to live anywhere else and stick it in a bond or something and let it do its thing..

I guess it’s smart to find max investment with smallest costs, duh.. but I’m just wondering if the costs(inc. upfront) in Mexico can be so low that investment considerations can be mostly excused?

[Anonymous]

can we start off by looking at Mexico as more an inexpensive place to live than an needing investment strength?

In my opinion that’s exactly how most people should look at it.

You can find places to rent/lease at the higher end of your budget ($400 to $500) if you don’t need anything fancy or too modern, but you really have to look. Most such places will be found outside of tourist areas of cities, away from the coast, where more Mexicans live than gringos. And before you take that step you should find the area of Mexico that you really like the most and feel comfortable in. Exploration can be fun. 😉

That said, if you want to stay close to the US border I would suggest looking in Ensenada, where you can find much better deals because it is not a tourist hot spot. Across the Sea of Cortez you might also try Guaymas, next door to San Carlos, Sonora. Guaymas is the Mexican city that is sister to gringoized San Carlos. (Good fishing there!)

However, you can even find things within your budget in expensive places like Los Cabos if you really look. For instance, in Cabo San Lucas the Coromuel condos and Roca Vista are both very inexpensive. Roca Vista is studio “condos” which you can rent for around $35 per night or anywhere from $350 to $500 a month (depending on whether you want cable TV); Coromuel is well located with a restaurant onsite, and though the units are small and inhabited mainly by Mexicans they are perfectly acceptable (I lived there once many years ago), it’s only a few minute walk to downtown Cabo and rents very cheap. (You can buy a unit at either place for under $50,000 as another option)

Puerto Vallarta, Manzanillo, Mazatlan– all have very inexpensive places for rent, but again, you have to take the time and make the effort to find them. And you can’t be too picky about the amenities offered.

[xironman]

Stay away from Mexico, for the next few years as far as investment goes.

A. Mexico’s social programs that keep the society together are completely dependent on it’s oil monopoly Pemex http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pemex.

B. Pemex soon will face a revenue crisis as Cantarell continues to crash http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/11/22/business/LA_FIN_Mexico_Oil.php

C. Defending ones vacation home against an angry, hungry and rioting populace is not a good time.

A great place for a vacation though.

[Author]

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