Our Sunday trip to Tepic

Jesus, Yolanda and I hopped into Yolanda’s Honda Civic for a trip to Tepic to look at cars and trucks.  The trip started off good at 8 a.m. but by 9 a.m. it wasn’t so good.  We had just passed the midway point at a town called Jalcocotan (Jalco for short) and her little Honda seemed to be struggling.  We couldn’t tell if it was the transmission or the engine.  She pulled over at a Pemex station and the brakes were hot enough to give Jesus a blister on his finger from just touching the rotor.

The brake fluid pump had died and was causing the front brakes to be on all the time.  Now, please remember we are in Mexico where life is decidedly easier than the U.S. or Canada.  Within 5 minutes Yolanda had talked to two caballeros (gentlemen) in a truck and they drove her to a mechanic in Jalco.  Within 30 minutes the mechanic drove Yolanda back to the Pemex station and we followed him back to Jalco to his home/garage.  In about 45 minutes he was able to back off the calipers on the front wheels and we were on our way very carefully to Tepic.  Total charge for a couple of hours of a very good mechanic’s time was 100 pesos or about  $7.50  US.  I was thinking that on a Sunday in California the charge would have been closer to $200.

We stopped at an Auto Zone store in Tepic and ordered the pump which will arrive on next Wednesday.  About $60.  Then we left her car in the Auto Zone parking lot and took a taxi to the tianguis (swap meet) for cars and trucks.  We stopped by Yolanda’s cousins house first and then by three “cajeros” (ATMs) before arriving at the swap meet.  Total cost for 45 minutes in the taxi = 70 pesos or just over $5.; I love Mexico.

When we were dropped off at the swap meet the first vehicle we looked at turned out to be the one that we bought.  It is a 1991 Toyota 4x4 with a 4 cylinder engine and is exactly what Jesus and I had thought was the best truck for our needs.  You can’t buy the first truck you see, so we walked around for a couple of hours looking at other trucks and VWs for me.  I found a couple of VWs at prices from $800. to $1200.  They were all in okay condition and mechanically very good.

Jesus, Yolanda and I had a long conversation and we decided that Jesus and I are good enough friends that we can share a truck.  The truck was about $2000. more than Jesus had to spend so I agreed to split the cost with him and forego buying a VW.  I get to use the truck when needed (2 or 3 days a week) like for a trip to Tepic and the Walmart or on date night in San Blas.

The truck made it the 35 miles back from Tepic with no problems whatsoever!  When you consider most of its usage will be a 5 mile round trip from Jesus’ house to the Yaka orchard, the 20 mile round trip to San Blas and an occasional 70 mile round trip to Tepic, the truck will probably be driven less than 5,000 miles per year.  BTW it climbed the hill to my house as though it was level ground!  Now Dod can join my Aticama retirement club and will only be used to go on camping excursions and not as a taxi.  Both Dod's suspension and the road up the hill we be much better off.

Jesus and Yolanda and the truck

There are two trees in this picture.  The one in the back has nothing but leaves but the one in the front has only four leaves but about 20 clusters of beautiful flowers.