Hey everyone, I will soon be graduating and plan to do some surf travel. Cross country, West coast, Mexico, Central America. I will be buying a used vehicle for this and am looking for some help. A few things that are essential: Must be able to sleep in it, carry gear and my quiver (self-contained would be nice). Good gas mileage Dependable and relatively easy to work on I’m sure there are guys out there who have experience with this, and I would be very grateful for your help. Any information/advice having to do with this is appreciated. Thank you, og
To me, a 1980 to 1985 Toyota 4X, 4 cylinder (2TC engine) with a small camper shell is the call. If you can find one with less than 100K on it even better. Over 150K check the engine, transfer and tranny. If they are ok you can get 300K with only oil changes. They are as ubiquitous as VW bugs down Mex and Centro. They work if you are going solo or maybe one other. If you are going with a crew, nothing beats a early model VW bus. After you hit Panama you’ll be so over the trip, you can give away your quiv to some locals, sell the truck and fly home with the proceeds. Sounds like a great trip. Take your time and don’t drive at night.
A Ford cargo van with a diesel engine. 
I’ll agree with the other guys. I’ve had a VW camper, and miss it a lot, real comfortable with lots of space. The toyota another good vehicle.
The Ford F250 diesel xtended cab is also nice, best from 1998-2000, not exspensive, some folks get up to as much as 18mpg when there broken in, I know dudes that have 300,000+ on them and they are still going strong. Diesel is easy to get from Baja all the way through to South America. Time for a road/surf trip !
Thanks for the responses guys. A few follow ups: Lee, why '80-'85? Do they have something to them the '85+ don’t? Think there is ample room to sleep in the bed and store gear? Mikey, what about gas mileage on the van? The room would be great but I’m concerned it would suck gas. Chris, have’nt considered a full size truck, thanks for the tip. 18 mpg sounds good for a vehicle that size. Is diesel cheap down south? Lee and Phil, what about the newer VW’s (vanagans and eurovans)? The old ones intrigue me but I’ve heard they break down often? Again, thanks for all the help! Stoked, og
Hi og, I just went down through Baja on a 20 day surf/fishing trip in June. Fuel in Mexico is for the most part the same price as here in the U.S. Diesel is still cheaper than gas here or there. Every Pemex gas station in Mexico has diesel pumping. The durability of the F250 power stroke can’t be beat they are also made with large fuel tanks so your distance covered between fill ups is way longer, there is a few legs of our annual trip where we were 140+ miles to the next Pemex. Going off the main road to check surf is also easy in these trucks, most good used ones will be in 4x4, thats slightly more expensive,but worth every cent. Also, no matter where you are south of the boarder there will always be someone who can work on a Ford truck. Have a good outing,and stay solid. Chris
sounds like a great trip. i have an 81 VW Vanagon that i love but am not sure i would take it on such a trip. it doesn’t give me trouble but getting parts is not always easy and i would imagine a trip like that would really beat on a car. i am finally going to build racks in the back to hold my boards…i do not like them banging around back there…perhaps a PVC rack.
Howzit OG, in 1994 I did a 4 month Baja trek, My choice of transportation was a 95’ chevy 1 ton 4x4 with over hcab camper. It had case hardened valve seats and ran on unleaded or leaded gas. I would say the thing that was most valueable was the propane refrig. It’s a hassle and can be costly getting ice, and propane is pretty cheap in Mex. Last time I was in scorpion bay ther was only 1 ice machine and they were charging $2.00 a bag which was about half the size of a 99 cent bag from the local liq. store.As for diesel, it’s cheap and pemex has it but it can be hard to find in those some areas. I know 1 guy who had to drive to Ciudad Incerhentes (spelling) every few weeks cause they didn’t have it at scorp. That was a about a 200 mile round trip so he had to have enough to get there and used 200 miles worth getting back. Also they were bringing in a new diesel fuel ( less polluting ) but everybody was complaining about the performance. Aloha Kokua
Its just my opinion but as soon as you start adding computers, fuel injection etc. its just more stuff to break, especially in the tropics. Also I think they dropped the small engine in the 4X after 85 (plus or minus a year or two). As for gear…if you don’t need it, don’t bring it…put all the stuff you think you need in a pile and get rid of half of it. Just remember the three things not to skimp on: a basic tool kit, emergency medical kit (get the best one you can buy) and water storage. You might start another topic here and ask what the minimum board repair tools/materials are to take on a trip. If you step on a stingray, what should you do? If you don’t know the right answer, you will spend 4 hours of the worst pain you’ve ever experienced. And I guarantee that you will step on one during your trip.
If you get stung by a ray, soaking in VERY HOT WATER will deactivate the toxins. (in case anyone was wondering)
Many thanks to Chris, Tim, Kokua, Lee and Keith. You have raised many concerns which deserve notice and further helped me in my search. If there is anything else you have to add I am all ears! Thanks again for your help, og
Og: Late eighties Ford pickup. As Lee states-no computer chips or fuel injection or any other extra. Parts may fly off the old Fords but the engine/drive train just keep going. The less sophistcated the easier to work on. Make sure the battery and tires are in good shape(take extras if you have the space). Being a tool nut I would consider taking a generator and a compressor. Once spent the bettor part of a day on a lonely Baja trail trying to get lug nuts undone that had been put on tight with an air gun. In any case, have fun. It will be wonderful trip. Post reports if you come across a computer cafe.Patrick
i’m with lee on the toyota thing, although you don’t have to go that old. toyotas are stout little trucks and the 22r engine is a piece of cake to work on (and if you keep the oil changed you probably won’t have to), just right to toyota for a repair manual which helps with more complicated repairs. and the little buggers will go just about anywhere…
I’m not sure if anyone mentioned it, but you may want to outfit your van/truck with a couple extras. One, you should, if you can afford it, put on an extra fuel tank. You don’t want to run out of gas. I don’t know about diesel. I read on a recent Baja map that diesel isn’t offered everywhere, but others say it is. As for Guatemala, etc., I don’t know. Two, you might want to have a hidden kill switch so that when you park and go into a restaurant, etc, the power is cut to the ignition so no body can take it. Three, locking gas cap. They are cheap (Pep Boys) and they will help save you from sugar or sand in the gas tank which happened to two people I know. Four, distribute your cash in very, very creative and well-hidden ways.If you are going all the way to Panama, you will get stopped eventually by guys with machine guns, and it isn’t fun. It’s hard to tell the bandidos from the Federales in some areas, and the border of Mexico and Guatemala is still a rebel zone, so be careful. Keep some money in a special, easily accesible spot for bribes. Learn as much espanol as possible or bring someone fluent. I would never travel to Mexico or beyond without someone fluent. Bring different types of antibiotics, along with tylenol for fevers, etc. Bring canned food and clothes for kids to give to people in exchange for letting you stay ontheir land or just because it’s the right thing to do when visiting a poor country. A tip about bribing law enforcement/extortionsists: don’t say, “I will give you forty bucks if you let me go.” No, no, no. Ask them if there is a way that they could help you pay the fine, that you will give them the money if they could take it to the appropriate office. That way you are not insulting them, but you are still bribing them anyway. Finally, try California, Oregon, and Washington instead. It’s a lot safer, thew waves are just as good/big, and you won’t have to worry about spending the rest of your life in prison for something you didn’t do.