General Reports

[BrotherMouzone]

Sheesh. Everybody is terrified of driving. I drive in Tijuana all the time. All over the place, from Tecate to Playas to Ensenada. Unless you limit yourself to a small area, Tijuana is hard to get around in without a car.

I have SENTRI, otherwise I would never take a car due to the insane lines.

When we go out to clubs, or dinner where there will be drinking, I do take Uber / cab. I also do not drive in the Zona Norte at night.

Driving around Tijuana as a gringo can be perfectly fine IF you know what you're doing and are street smart. My point would be that from what I've read here, many of the posters here don't fit that description so leave themselves vulnerable when driving around in a foreign country. I think it's just not worth the risk for a large percentage of gringos but sure, it can be perfectly fine for many like maybe yourself.

Will also say that I don't feel limited having never driven a car in Tijuana. Have always been able to get to places outside of Zona Norte (Zona Centro, Zona Rio, Chapultepec, Playas, Agua Caliente going out past the main Caliente Casino and soccer stadium) with no problem just using Uber, DiDi, or taxi de ruta. Have even been to Rosarito and Ensenada several times using Uber or taxi de ruta, no problem.

If you want regular girls to befriend in Tijuana a car is a must.

Again one can do a lot with public transportation but there is a whole lot of world that opens up if one had a private car.

Fair enough, though as a "tourist" who's only in Tijuana 3 times or so a year (and starting to think about going less), I don't have much interest in befriending "regular" Tijuana girls, I'll stick to the chicas in the club LOL. I'll say that one of the chicas I've known from Adelitas for over 7 years drives me around in her truck when we've gone out and that's worked out great.

[KBToys]

Driving around Tijuana is more freedom and less hassle than doing Uber or Didi unless you plan to drink, smoke, or be under the influence. Also the only thing to worry about is policia in ZN. They don't hassle you much outside the Zona. You can drive around to various restaurants, sports bars, clubs, casinos, etc. If you limit yourself to ZN, then you are missing a lot of what Tijuana, Rosarito, Ensenada, and Valle have to offer. I used to do the walk across and cab it around until it was more expensive than just getting the insurance for Mexico. I feel for the guys that only have ZN and Revolucion as the only experience they have of Baja or Tijuana in general. TJ isn’t anymore dangerous than downtowns in U.S. If you’re looking for trouble, then you’ll probably find it. Also disrespect anywhere in the world will be dealt with the same no matter who you are.

[Phordphan]

If you want regular girls to befriend in Tijuana a car is a must. You can't be entertaining enough to retain their interest. I was chatting with this business man in Pragas cafe once who was from Sand Diego, his girl came, an elegant fare skinned ravishing woman. I was blown away. He was telling me how he met her and how he has other regular women he sees. Told me his expense was much less than what he spent in the Zona, much more fan and exciting. They got in his car and left.

Again one can do a lot with public transportation but there is a whole lot of world that opens up if one had a private car.

The guy was not lying. Blowing $200 for 30 minutes in a crappy room is lunacy. You would not believe the experiences one can have for the price of dinner, a bottle of wine, the cost of a motel for several hours, and a $100 donation. Doing all that running around in Ubers is doable but a PITA. Having your own set of wheels makes life a lot easier.

[Cocr Brotheler]

Seriously I got the heebie jeebies staying 6 blocks south in Ticuan for 4 nights in 2022 and took an Uber over to Zone Rio to see Top Gun and walk around not having to worry as much about watching my back. Area around Ticuan pretty neat too some regulars bars, clubs, dining, Sanborns etc.

[Zenduka1]

I hear you but that's just not my experience. I Uber everywhere in Tijuana. From the border to centro is 3-4 dollars. From centro to zona is 3-4 dollars. I have not gone to playas but it must be 10-15 dollars. I've taken a private van to Ensenada, just me and some friends in a luxury sprinter, for 40 dollars an hour so getting some cheap driver is probably 1/3 that. You can easily get around cheap.

I will tell you some examples. There is this spinner I adored and had the pleasure of laying once. She then went to work for a message parlor in zona rio, quit that and left back to her home place Ensenada. She urged me to come see her there for $250 to spend an afternoon and night with me. She was a smashing hit but every time I am down there, check-in Cas or Rizo, I always lost interest of getting into a hassle of getting transport, spend a night and then hassle back. I never did it. Besides she was talking about places we can visit yadi-yada, I felt like its too much of a hassle and went for the low hanging fruit I can find in HK and other clubs.

There was this pretty HK girl who told me she wants to go to Rosarito on her day-off with me but when I told her we had to take a taxi or uber, she lazied out of it. She thought I had my own car.

Me and a buddy hired a taxi once to go to Rosarito and we constantly heard the annoying noise the driver was making complaining about the money we were paying him for his service, the entire time. Even after I told him will give him $10 more, he still would not stop. He left us in some awkward place and we roamed around to find the eatery spot we wanted. We then got into a mini-van to get back, the driver coughed the entire time terribly, this was in Feb 2020. Scary.

If you want regular girls to befriend in Tijuana a car is a must. You can't be entertaining enough to retain their interest. I was chatting with this business man in Pragas cafe once who was from Sand Diego, his girl came, an elegant fare skinned ravishing woman. I was blown away. He was telling me how he met her and how he has other regular women he sees. Told me his expense was much less than what he spent in the Zona, much more fan and exciting. They got in his car and left.

Again one can do a lot with public transportation but there is a whole lot of world that opens up if one had a private car.

[Jackie888]

I get what you saying and I do as you wrote. However there are times I wished I had a car. With no car and specially if you are a frequenter you will become a zona norte rat who never leaves that neighborhood year in, year out. There were times I wanted to take or go meet girls to / at far and away places like Ensinada, Rosarito, Monterray even playas and couldn't. Even inviting girls to good restaurants is difficult and unattractive without a car. There is a whole pile of liberation that comes with a car.

Yeah. That's the same why I pay the extra insurance to drive in Tijuana. It's to experience more of Mexico than just a fuck bar. People need to understand that if they get shaken down by Tijuana cops, it becomes a a negotiation. Never take the first offer. The last time I got pulled over he wanted $200. I tell him am poor and I have no money. Yep I was lowballing him. He drops to 150 or jail. I countered with 5 and I'll follow him to jail. He wanted $100 or many days in jail and my car. I offered to give him my rental car to keep and $10. We finally agreed to $20. And off I went.

BTW I refuse to speak Spanish during negotiations. Had he spoken English I would have toss out some Asian jibberish and refuse to speak English too. Everyone knows that cops are suppose to bring their own interpreters during a shakedown.

[Hargow20]

Not sure why Pedwest south is not open more. It only requires 1 or 2 CBP officers. Even if Pedwest was open more chances are I would use Pedeast most of the time. These days I always take the trolley to the border from National city. I would only use Pedwest to cross back over if it was open in the evening and lines were long at Pedeast. I just wish the trolley would run later to Old Town in the evening.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna131998

PedWest to reopen Thursday.

[AmericanPi]

I get what you saying and I do as you wrote. However there are times I wished I had a car. With no car and specially if you are a frequenter you will become a zona norte rat who never leaves that neighborhood year in, year out. There were times I wanted to take or go meet girls to / at far and away places like Ensinada, Rosarito, Monterray even playas and couldn't. Even inviting girls to good restaurants is difficult and unattractive without a car. There is a whole pile of liberation that comes with a car.

I hear you but that's just not my experience. I Uber everywhere in Tijuana. From the border to centro is 3-4 dollars. From centro to zona is 3-4 dollars. I have not gone to playas but it must be 10-15 dollars. I've taken a private van to Ensenada, just me and some friends in a luxury sprinter, for 40 dollars an hour so getting some cheap driver is probably 1/3 that. You can easily get around cheap.

[Zenduka1]

Sorry that happened. That's awful. I hope you give it another shot. Many of us love Tijuana and you should see why.

In separate observation, I never understood why some guys drive their cars down there. I know many do with no problem. But why. Ubers are like 1/3 the price as in the US and there's no dealing with drunk driving, traffic, theft, etc. And the border crossing is longer with a car. I don't see the upside of driving. Even if you go to Rosarito its super cheap with Mexican Uber.

I get what you saying and I do as you wrote. However there are times I wished I had a car. With no car and specially if you are a frequenter you will become a zona norte rat who never leaves that neighborhood year in, year out. There were times I wanted to take or go meet girls to / at far and away places like Ensinada, Rosarito, Monterray even playas and couldn't. Even inviting girls to good restaurants is difficult and unattractive without a car. There is a whole pile of liberation that comes with a car.

[Nothing24]

Any issues with parking at Pepe's car lot? I see all the posts about driving down there, but I have not had an issue. I plan on going during the day time, so no night driving for me.

Seems like the lot itself is fine to park at. My issue with parking there is that you would have to drive around in the zona, which I avoid doing at all costs since there is a big time police presence there looking to take advantage of Americans at any chance they can get.

Also to the guy complaining about the quality of chicas a couple weeks ago, you can't really gauge the scene on how things usually are in December or even January. It's very hit or miss due to a lot of girls being out of town to be back wherever they're from for the holidays. For the most part Tijuana usually has a lot of hot chicks working at fairly reasonable rates still. Just know that it's going to be very hit or miss during the holiday season.

[Phordphan]

Sheesh. Everybody is terrified of driving. I drive in Tijuana all the time. All over the place, from Tecate to Playas to Ensenada. Unless you limit yourself to a small area, Tijuana is hard to get around in without a car.

I have SENTRI, otherwise I would never take a car due to the insane lines.

When we go out to clubs, or dinner where there will be drinking, I do take Uber / cab. I also do not drive in the Zona Norte at night.

[Explorer8939]

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna131998

PedWest to reopen Thursday.

[BrotherMouzone]

Sorry that happened. That's awful. I hope you give it another shot. Many of us love Tijuana and you should see why.

In separate observation, I never understood why some guys drive their cars down there. I know many do with no problem. But why. Ubers are like 1/3 the price as in the US and there's no dealing with drunk driving, traffic, theft, etc. And the border crossing is longer with a car. I don't see the upside of driving. Even if you go to Rosarito its super cheap with Mexican Uber.

Some of the idiocy I read on these boards from time to time just blows my mind. Why you would drive a rental car INTO ANOTHER COUNTRY without following proper procedures and insuring you have all appropriate paperword is beyond me, you're just setting yourself up to get taken advantage of like this guy. More generally, you read all the complaints on these boards about getting into sticky situations with policia, Mexican locals, etc. But 90% of the time when you read the details you can see the people complaining weren't being street smart in the first place and kinda put themselves in a vulnerable situation to begin with. So no sympanthy from me in most cases, LOL.

As far as driving into Mexico yes, I 100% agree. You can get anywhere you want to go with Uber, Didi, or taxi de ruta. Uber / Didi costs have noticeably increased over the past year or so for whatever reason but yeah, still a hell of a lot cheaper than what they charge in the US and cheaper than what Mexican cab drivers will charge you. I suppose some are more comfortable / find it more convenient to transport themselves from place to place. I get that which is why I, unlike 95% of other toursits, always rent a car whenever I'm in Las Vegas, but the various monetary and safety risks make it not at all worth it in Mexico.

It's even straightforward to get to Rosarito for 22.50 pesos ($1. 30) each way via taxi de ruta if you know where to go.

[ShortVisits]

Any issues with parking at Pepe's car lot? I see all the posts about driving down there, but I have not had an issue. I plan on going during the day time, so no night driving for me.

[Hargow20]

From what I researched you can drive a rented car into Mexico if you have the proper permission & insurance. Personally I avoid driving in Mexico. It is much faster & cheaper to walk across the border. The lines are almost always shorter. You can either walk or I can pay a $1 to catch a taxi van. I always park in National city & catch the trolley. It is cheaper & there is no traffic deal with at the border. The other advantage is that I do not have to pay for parking or worry about my car getting broken into. The other big factor is that there is almost no chance of being hassled by the police unless you are drunk etc.

I am pretty sure you need a letter from your rental car company allowing you to cross Intl Borders with their car. I doubt anyone would allow it if asked. The topic came up when I was leasing my car for 3 years. No way Ford Encinitas would have signed off on it. The cops probably scoped out your plates figured it was a rental and proceeded to ass fuck you.

You got off easy IMO. Good thing the rental car company didn't find out.