I’m used to seeing Mexican-market car at home in Texas because I live right on the US-Mexico border, but when I visited Monterrey, Nuevo León a few days ago, I was overwhelmed by what I saw.
In the Rio Grande Valley, it’s not uncommon for you to encounter Volkswagen Gol, Suzuki Jimny, Renault Duster or Peugeot 208. Mexican drivers often travel north to the United States from the border states of Tamaulipas and Nuevo León for vacations or just to do a little shopping. The malls and grocery store parking lots in the RGV are full of foreigners-marketing the cars that I learn about every day.
But I was captivated by the cars I saw in Monterrey, which is famous for its Sierra Madre mountains and great barbecue. I have not been to the capital city of the northern state of Mexico in five. I vaguely remember visiting as a kid and was in awe of the waterslides at the now-defunct Sesame Street waterpark.
Forget the waterslides. I have never had so much have fun at any amusement park like I did it in Monterrey, where I rented a shitbox with a manual transmission and drove around town. OLDarson beat all amusement parks, hands down.
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I’m only in the city for a few days, but make the most of it rental so I don’t have to wait on Ubers. Rent must be something badd mix, something to make me feel like a local. So, of course, I was given a white Nissan Versa. God bless economic box with a bar shift. In it, I feel like I’ve become a native:
I spent the better part of the day interviewing the people at NASCAR Mexico, but I also managed to get pictures of neat cars. As soon as I arrived at the bus station, a Nissan Tsuru Hi I:
Not long after, I spotted a BMW 1-Series hatchback on the highway. It’s not quite the revived “ti” I was hoping to see, but that’s okay:
Already have this SEAT Altea Freetrack:
Had SEAT León Cupra, currently on sale under Own performance brand:
I even spotted this Ford Anglia at a Harry Potter themed restaurant. Don’t ask. The topic is obviously something down there:
But out of all the other cars I’ve spotted while in the city and many others not pictured here, my favorite has to be this Dodge 1000 Van:
This is just a modified Mitsubishi Delica! Small cargo vans have been imported and sold in Mexico as Dodge models since the late Aughts. Their design dates back to the 1980s, but it’s still as beautiful as ever. Like a friendly van.
Driving in the city is a therapeutic experience. And I really need some driving therapy. I’m afraid to drive an old-fashioned car, foreign-Market cars will be scary on Monterrey’s highways, but the speed limit is much lower than 80 mph I got used to it in Texas. I’ve never felt like I’m in so much danger, and I plunge into my pocket on the busy streets, smiling like cars I’ve never seen in America around me like schools of fish in the warm waters of the Gulf.
