OP:

So you know people who have driven through Mexico with no incidents.

You've driven in the winter before cross country without encountering any vicious storms.

That's cool.

But I still question why would you want to do this again? It's kind of like saying I drove without my seat belt going 100 MPH with my eyes closed and didn't die. So because I did it once, I plan on doing it multiple times because nothing can ever happen to me in the future by taking these risks.

It's your vacation, do what makes you happy. Just try to see the advice others are giving you.

im not planning this until the December-March timeframe sometime

The chances of having mishaps other than paying some mordida to the federales, etc. are likely pretty low if you take usual precautions. Still, it is a heck of a long road trip, not the greatest roads in parts of Mexico. That's gotta be 10 days on the road roundtrip.

Just so I have the facts straight .....

You want to take a road-trip through the Mid-West; in the middle of winter; with a bunch of strangers; to a troubled foreign land; via a route that your government advices against using; and then do it all over again on the return trip.

What movie is the following line from:

"Your journey will be fraught with peril".

So, any takers?:D

Worst. Idea. Ever.

I drove for one day in Mexico, in Yucatan during a period when drug violence was not a high priority issue. It was stressful as hell, and I've driven in quite a few countries. We did it because it was a good way to reach Mayan sites that you can't exactly fly directly to. But I wouldn't do it again today and I definitely wouldn't drive across Mexico from Texas through the border regions.

Flights to CUN are cheap. This one isn't worth it at all.

If you just have a roadtrip itch, maybe hit the Southwest US or something. I'd probably still fly to the region where I wanted to do the roadtripping...

Just to add, there is no way in hell I would take my own car - to say that some of the roads are not well maintained would be the biggest understatement ever! And the speedbumps (in the middle of 100kph highways) are just brutal - I'd have no suspension left!

Oh, yeah, I forgot about that. Unpainted speedbumps in the middle of highways. Those were a hoot.

Is this an audition for "Locked Up Abroad"?

As a native Texan, I STRONGLY urge you to not drive into Mexico. Cancun is a nicer area but you would be driving through some very dangerous spots to get there. Not to mention the highway system in Mexico is strange. You would have to drive exclusively on very expensive toll roads or risk driving off the tolls which are sometimes paved, sometimes not.

If you insist on doing this, park your car at the border and rent one in Mexico. You are inviting trouble driving around with US license plates. This is not like Cali where it is reasonably safe to drive down into Cabo or PVR. Cancun is quite a ways from the border. Plus unless you have a newer car you could have difficulty bringing it back into the US.

Speak enough spanish to get you by. Bring money to bribe the police should you get pulled over, and keep it in different places in small amounts so you can claim it is all the cash you have. Also prearrange someone to call in the event you get kidnapped. They have two ways of doing this, they either have the money wired to Mexico or they get an address from you in the states, which they then have robbed or collect money at. Despite what you hear on the news, these people are very organized.

Of course this is a worse case scenario. Many of my family members visit family still in Mexico and I know plenty of people who drive to Monterrey, but cancun?! You would have to drive the entire length of Mexico, I would think arriving at the border would be only about half way. You couldn't pay me!;)

Oh, and gas stations can be few and far between on the highways in Mexico. Always keep your tank full.

I don't think Bimmerkid2 really wants to hear anyone's advice. He/she obviously knows more than the rest of us and is free to drive wherever he/she wants. Don't hold your breath waiting for partners to go with you BimmerKid. There just aren't that many brain dead readers of FlyerTalk out there!

If I'm honest the 'pointing out the obvious bad ideas' was perhaps more for a naive FTer who might think this a fun jolly rather than the OP who clearly knows more than all the worldwide travelers on this forum...

What about just flying into Europe and roadtripping to Kabul? That could be kind of fun... The rental agencies in Europe will probably be totally fine with it...no need to mention your plans to them. Hertz in Germany is pretty loose with the upgrades, too.

From some of his earlier posts, I had the impression that he's a student, so he might not even be old enough to rent a car for Mexico. If he suddenly disappears from FT in late winter, I suspect I'll wonder what happened to him.

Remember the scene from "Dances with Wolves" in which the Mule Driver comes upon a skeleton in the middle of the prairie and said; "Someone back east is probably wondering why he don't write".