Driving

jessekimmerling wrote:

I paid a fortune for a clunker and then proceeded to fix the brakes, carburetor, transmission, starter, and replaced the battery.

How much is a fortune?  We see beat-up trucks on PATIOTuerca for two or three thousand dollars and assume they'd need another $1,000 or so to get them roadworthy.  We've thought about getting one to haul building materials and make hardware runs if we find something to remodel/build.  Maybe we're on the wrong track?

My 93 Mitsubishi Montero was $7200. I'm now into it for about $8500. In my opinion, it's better to pay someone to deliver building materials than to deal with the hassles of owning a car in Ecuador. Sure, gas and insurance are cheap, but parts are expensive and the driving experience is a little too combative.

Holy cow,$15K. Wonder how much it would cost to ship a car or pickup from Panama. I didn't look into it that far after reading that imported cars had to be less than four years old. Can't always believe what you read and it seems like laws can change like the weather down there

Gas, insurance and labor are cheap but I remember some of the posts on "building supplies and stuff". What a hassle to have to count every board before and after delivery.

Not 15k. $8500 is the sum total of the purchase price pluss repaires.

I had a similar experience to yours in the Philippines, where hefty import duties and lack of local manufacturing keep prices high.

Having driven almost constantly since I was sixteen, I thought I would miss it, and I was like many Americans I think in equating driving with personal independence. But I didn't miss it a bit -- quite the contrary, I felt freer as a result of not having the need for a car.

Taxis and local public transport and intercity buses were dirt cheap, as they apparently are in Ecuador, and one can always rent a car or hire a driver on those rare occasions where a car is a necessity.

On the downside, I had to pay extra to rent an apartment that was very centrally located, so that I was within walking distance of most of the things I needed regularly (luckily, I enjoy walking). But that was a small cost compared to what I saved by not owning a car.

I expect to follow the same approach in Ecuador -- pay extra if I need to for a convenient location, and plan on walking a lot.

BobH wrote:

I had a similar experience to yours in the Philippines, where hefty import duties and lack of local manufacturing keep prices high.

Having driven almost constantly since I was sixteen, I thought I would miss it, and I was like many Americans I think in equating driving with personal independence. But I didn't miss it a bit -- quite the contrary, I felt freer as a result of not having the need for a car.

Taxis and local public transport and intercity buses were dirt cheap, as they apparently are in Ecuador, and one can always rent a car or hire a driver on those rare occasions where a car is a necessity.

On the downside, I had to pay extra to rent an apartment that was very centrally located, so that I was within walking distance of most of the things I needed regularly (luckily, I enjoy walking). But that was a small cost compared to what I saved by not owning a car..




I thought I would miss driving my own vehicle until I witnessed  the highway mayhem on Luzon.  As cheap as public trans is in the Philippines and in Ecuador, I would think any location near public trans would be fine regardless of distance from stores or whatever.  I was having some furniture delivered, and the delivery truck was in an accident very close to the barrio.  The store owner informed me that because of the accident the price of my furniture had to be increased.  I told her that if the furniture was not delivered in perfect condition and for the agreed upon price, then she could take the furniture back to the store, that accidents with the store truck should be figured into the overhead of the business.  So I got what I ordered at the price I was promised.  I found in the province during daylight hours walking is safer than using vehicles, saw two motorcycles get drilled by buses about 7 days apart.  No thanks

I expect to follow the same approach in Ecuador -- pay extra if I need to for a convenient location, and plan on walking a lot.

mugtech wrote:

As cheap as public trans is in the Philippines and in Ecuador, I would think any location near public trans would be fine regardless of distance from stores or whatever.

I mostly agree, though it depends partly on the quality and reliability of the public transport. In the Philippines, I was not enamored of the jeepneys, which are all Cebu City has. We'll see how the local transport is in Quito.

So far, I've seen two minor car accidents, 3 motorcycles crashes, and been on a city bus that hit not one, but two other buses. The scariest was the last motorcycle crash. A ball was kicked into the street directly in front of the bike. He didn't have a chance to avoid it. I think it must have been half deflated, cause instead of bouncing off his front tire, he halfway ran over it before he lost control and went down with his head right in the path of the taxi I was in. Thank God my taxi driver was a pro. We just missed him.

jessekimmerling wrote:

Not 15k. $8500 is the sum total of the purchase price pluss repaires.

That's good to hear. Hey it sounds like you have it running in good shape. If it's a hassle running it around town in Quito at least you can still use it to haul supplies and building stuff to  your new place in Penas. I imagine that materials are available in Manta or other coastal cities. Maybe even cheaper because of proximity to Guyaquil.

I think the wood and bamboo I'm going to need is cheaper near las Peñas. Looks like cement blocks are cheaper in the mountains, near Ibarra. Appliances and fixtures seem to be cheapest in Quito.

I think, even with the Mitsubishi, I'll end up having almost everything delivered. We'll hire a moving company to bring everything we have in Quito. The cement blocks are too heavy for me to transport on my own, and though I could take loads of wood on the roof rack, it's too much of a hassle. The police are on the lookout for people transporting wood in the Esmeraldas Province because of illegal logging activity. You have to prove that the wood you purchased is legal. I don't want to deal with the hassle and worry.

So far, what my little 4x4 has been great for is exploring the beach and gathering drift wood.

jessekimmerling wrote:

it's not worth it. I should have stuck with the bus. So... anyone want to buy a car?

How do you guys do everyday stuff like grocery shopping?  I know there are taxis and buses in the cities, but your properties are up in the mountains and on the beach.  Do you walk or bike?  Just wondering.

At the beach property I just can walk to the store. In Quito I walk or take a $1 taxi. I haven't figured out the mountain property yet. It looks like my best option will be to cut a better trail and use a motorcycle or horse. You can also load remarkably large items on the long distance buses.

jessekimmerling wrote:

I think the wood and bamboo I'm going to need is cheaper near las Peñas. Looks like cement blocks are cheaper in the mountains, near Ibarra. Appliances and fixtures seem to be cheapest in Quito.

I think, even with the Mitsubishi, I'll end up having almost everything delivered. We'll hire a moving company to bring everything we have in Quito. The cement blocks are too heavy for me to transport on my own, and though I could take loads of wood on the roof rack, it's too much of a hassle. The police are on the lookout for people transporting wood in the Esmeraldas Province because of illegal logging activity. You have to prove that the wood you purchased is legal. I don't want to deal with the hassle and worry.

So far, what my little 4x4 has been great for is exploring the beach and gathering drift wood.

I would miss my little Miata and wonder how I could check out different parts of the coast.

The roads in Ecuador have improved markedly in the first seven years since the current administration made that a priority.

Intercity driving times have been reduced by 20 to 50 percent on many routes due to new or improved roadways.

An infrastructure survey conducted by an engineering association from Mexico found that Chile and Ecuador, in that order, now rank 1-2 among all South American countries for road quality.  For Ecuador, that represents major improvements.

Ecuador has been spending the highest percentage of its GDP on road construction of any South American country (2007-14).

Due to better roads, tourism has picked up as the word gets around and businesses get products to market and to seaports quicker, according to Patricio Rivera of the EC Transportation Ministry.

As reported at www.cuencahighlife.com