Do I need to own a car in Chapala and Ajijic, Mexico?

Whether you need a car in Chapala and Ajijic depends.  To help to answer this question, I’ll tell what I did, although everyone is different.

 

When I first came to Chapala I didn’t have a car but I still lived in the downtown / malecon (boardwalk along the lake) area where everything is a one or two block walk away. So if you live in a population center, which would be Chapala, Ajijic, or San Antonio, where you’ve got stores and...

Whether you need a car in Chapala and Ajijic depends.  To help to answer this question, I’ll tell what I did, although everyone is different.

 

When I first came to Chapala I didn’t have a car but I still lived in the downtown / malecon (boardwalk along the lake) area where everything is a one or two block walk away. So if you live in a population center, which would be Chapala, Ajijic, or San Antonio, where you’ve got stores and restaurants and other amenities within a few blocks walking, then you could easily catch the bus for 7 pesos (about 40 cents US) and get to Chapala or Ajijic or to wherever you need to go; the car is not necessary. Later on I bought a motorcycle so I could zip around. Later, I bought a car.

 

When I’m in Chapala I don’t drive my car. It gathers dust because I walk everywhere. If I go to Ajijic for something then I’ll drive, but if you live in the downtown area you won’t need a car. If you live in one of the gated communities or in the hills or in the outskirts you will need a car because transportation will be difficult or it depends on how far you want to walk.  

 

(Waiting for the parade in downtown, Chapala, Mexico, pictured.)

Whether or not you need to own a car in Chapala and Ajijic depends on where you live. If you live in the village (Ajijic) and you want to walk everywhere, the bus service is fabulous both in town and to Guadalajara. When you get to Guadalajara you need to take a taxi to go where you want to go. 

 

Pretty much everybody wants to have a car here. And if you’re going to have a car, don’t import your US car. Sell it...

Whether or not you need to own a car in Chapala and Ajijic depends on where you live. If you live in the village (Ajijic) and you want to walk everywhere, the bus service is fabulous both in town and to Guadalajara. When you get to Guadalajara you need to take a taxi to go where you want to go. 

 

Pretty much everybody wants to have a car here. And if you’re going to have a car, don’t import your US car. Sell it and buy a Mexican plated car because it’s just easier. 

 

Relative to maintaining and repairing your car, you need to learn from experience who to go to and not to. I probably went to three different auto-repair places before I found auto-repair heaven.  The mechanic’s name is Felipe, and the name of his company is Auto Check. I send people to this guy all the time.  Both he and his wife both speak perfect English because they used to live in the States. He’s knowledgeable about everything and I trust him with my life.   

 

(Convertible seen around Lake Chapala, Mexico, pictured.)

You don’t need to own a car in Chapala and Ajijic but it also depends on your health needs, your budget, and how adventurous you are. We have a very efficient bus service that runs from east to west on the north shore of the Lake Chapala. But you have to wait for the bus and know what bus to take because there are three bus routes. One goes straight to Guadalajara and doesn’t go through Chapala at all. If you want to go to Chapala and you take that bus, you will end up in...

You don’t need to own a car in Chapala and Ajijic but it also depends on your health needs, your budget, and how adventurous you are. We have a very efficient bus service that runs from east to west on the north shore of the Lake Chapala. But you have to wait for the bus and know what bus to take because there are three bus routes. One goes straight to Guadalajara and doesn’t go through Chapala at all. If you want to go to Chapala and you take that bus, you will end up in Guadalajara. There is another route that goes through all the towns. It stops on each town all the way to Chapala. You might not want to take that one if you are going straight to Chapala because that bus would stop at all of the villages along the way from Ajijic to Chapala. However, it is fairly easy to get accustomed to taking buses here. I see visitors who have been here in Ajijic for only a week and they already know which buses to take. 

 

If you don’t mind climbing the stairs of the bus and probably sometimes not finding any place to sit in the bus, you’re fine without a car. If you are the kind of person who likes the air-conditioner, the possibility of carrying heavy stuff just like me, since I am an artist (I carry my paints and other related items), you would need a car because you don’t want to carry those things in the bus.

 

One of the advantages of taking the bus is that as it goes between towns, the distance from the bus stop from where you are in town, is probably not very large because generally speaking, Ajijic is all of about 6 blocks. A bus ride would cost you 10 pesos (55 cents) at most so it is very economical. It is also not that inconvenient because they do go by fairly often. It just depends on whether you have stuff to carry.

 

One of the advantages of not having a car here in Chapala and Ajijic is if you are a little bit queasy about driving in very narrow spaces and cobblestones with lots of dogs, cats, cows and horses crossing the street. Even if you don’t live in the village, the buses still go right past all the major places like major markets, Wal-Mart and everything else.

 

The need for a car in Chapala and Ajijic depends on your lifestyle. If you're going to go to Wal-Mart once a week, is it worth you spending US $10,000 on a car? You could probably take a cab once a week and keep the money in the bank if that's all you're going to do. If you want the freedom to go out anytime you want- go out for dinner, come home late, go to the beach, go to Guadalajara, or go across the lake, you will need a car, and you will have to make sure it’s a...

The need for a car in Chapala and Ajijic depends on your lifestyle. If you're going to go to Wal-Mart once a week, is it worth you spending US $10,000 on a car? You could probably take a cab once a week and keep the money in the bank if that's all you're going to do. If you want the freedom to go out anytime you want- go out for dinner, come home late, go to the beach, go to Guadalajara, or go across the lake, you will need a car, and you will have to make sure it’s a reliable car. 

 

You can buy a junker for US $2,000 – US $3,000 in Chapala and Ajijic, but will it get you to the beach without a problem? Maybe. That really depends on the individual as well. If you are a person who doesn't go out a lot, you might not need a vehicle because you can take a taxi or the bus. The bus systems in Mexico are excellent.  You can take a bus anywhere. 

 

Public transportation in Mexico is really A1, and there are different classes. It can cost 54 pesos (US $2.50) to take a bus directly from Chapala to Guadalajara. US $2.50 is not a lot of money, and from Guadalajara, you can take another bus to the station to get to wherever you're going. Taking public transportation can be somewhat of an inconvenience, though, if you are going shopping, for example. For my lifestyle, I have to have a car.

 

Generally speaking, brand new cars in Mexico are cheaper than what they cost in the States. I can sell you a brand new automatic Nissan March hatchback in automatic with air conditioning for around US $10,000. That includes sales tax, but does not include plates, registration and insurance. I just quoted a brand new 2016 automatic Honda CRV base model with air conditioning and power windows for US $18,800 (including tax). I went online and found out that that car's suggested retail price in the States is US $23,845 (plus tax). 

 

The pricing for new cars in Mexico is all fixed; there are no negotiations. If they advertise a price, that is the price for any dealer you go to. One dealer cannot undercut another dealer; otherwise they could get fined. 

 

Buying used cars in Mexico can cost a little more than when you pay in the US or Canada. For me, used cars are at a higher risk as well because we don't have Carfax. You don’t have to get a safety certification to get the car ownership transferred, therefore we always recommend people buying used cars to take the car to a mechanic and get it checked out. The roads here in Chapala and Ajijic can really beat up a car. I'm more confident selling a brand new car because it comes with a warranty. 

 

( Karen Herrtwich and her team at S & S Auto, Ajijic, Mexico, pictured.)

In Ajijic, you do not need to own a car. Everything in Ajijic is walking distance. If you’re living in Chapala as an expat, you may want to visit Ajijic more frequently because of the higher concentration of restaurants, shops and event galleries, and if you don’t mind taking the bus, you won’t need a car.

 

There’s a bus line that runs from Chapala to Jocotepec (most of the main area where expats would go) on the main road, and it...

In Ajijic, you do not need to own a car. Everything in Ajijic is walking distance. If you’re living in Chapala as an expat, you may want to visit Ajijic more frequently because of the higher concentration of restaurants, shops and event galleries, and if you don’t mind taking the bus, you won’t need a car.

 

There’s a bus line that runs from Chapala to Jocotepec (most of the main area where expats would go) on the main road, and it also goes through town, at a cost of ten to fifteen pesos (about 50 to 75 cents). You tell the bus driver where you’re going, and they tell you what the tariff is. When you’re ready to get off but don’t know where your stop is, you can ask the driver. For example, you can tell them you’re going to San Antonio, and they’ll let you know where to get off, or somebody on the bus will help you. Otherwise they have buttons that you can pull for your stop.

 

Bus drivers in Chapala and Ajijic don’t like carrying a lot of loose change. For example, my cleaning lady who has to take the bus to go home was telling me how the bus driver was giving her grief today. She asked me if I had any loose change because I gave her a 50 peso paper bill (about US $2.50). She said, “Do you have any change? The bus driver doesn’t like giving me change for high notes.” She pays 15 pesos from Ajijic to Chapala.

 

(The Waffle House, or better known as La Casa del Waffle, a popular landmark on the main road of Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Mexico, pictured.)