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What Kind of Vehicle Do You Need in Belize?
First of all, most of the rental vehicles for hire here are
4WD, and traditionally, they have not been in very good shape. Stories
abound of people temporarily stranded because their rental vehicle
failed.
Secondly, rentals are VERY EXPEN$IVE! $70 to $90US,
usually. (Keep Belize Green!)
What kind of vehicle do you need? Well,
there are only two or three highways you can really call "highways" in
any sense of the word, and they are just about the quality of a paved country
road in Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, etc. People who would buy an
SUV to tool around New York City (just because it snows occasionally) would
automatically think that they need something like that here. In fact, the
roads are really more suited to vehicles with a tough suspension, and a little
more clearance than you might get with normal passenger vehicles. A Jeep
Cherokee is probably a good choice; somewhat rugged, with a ride that doesn't
shake your teeth loose.
What do the Belizeans drive?
Well, a lot of the wealthy ones drive Mercedes!!
(Surprise!!) The Germans build durable cars, and that's more
important than anything else down here. A lot of noveau riche favor
SUVs like the Isuzu Trooper and the Ford Explorer. Bear in mind that many of
these vehicles have 6-cylinder engines, and you are going to pay heavily for the
privilege of driving one of these. (See duties here.)
The most significant factor is gas mileage, and the Japanese
imports win hands down here. Diesels are even better, and we'll talk about that
below. Most Belizeans have little 4-cyl. pickups, or small Japanese cars
like the Nissan Stanza, Toyota Tercel, or Honda Civic. (This last would be
my choice.) Parts are reasonably available, and the Belizean
mechanics have learned to work on these little cars and make them
hum! Suburu (my wife's favorite) is an off brand. Suburu parts are
available by bus from Guatemala!!!
What's BEST? The Perfect Belize Vehicle (PBV) is not what you'd expect, because you can't readily
buy one in the US. These vehicles are made by Ford, Chevy,
Mitsubishi, Toyota, under a variety of names. Here's a picture. 
Here are the specs.
1) 4-Cyl. 2.5 litre Diesel. This gets great
mileage, and diesel fuel is CHEAP (about 75 cents cheaper than gasoline) .
All of the GOB vehicles are diesel, so they keep the taxes low!
2) 4-Door Cab. This little
"crew-cab" solves lots of problems for indoor storage and passenger
hauling during the rainy season.
3) 5-Foot Bed. Drop the tailgate, and you can
haul just about anything you want to haul. You can even get a cute little
camper-cover for this bed, and it turns this vehicle into the ultimate SUV!
4) 4WD. Not needed so much for the traction, but
just because they're build a little tougher, with a little higher clearance.
.
The Rub. You can't hardly buy one in the States,
because the diesel hasn't been EPA approved. You can buy one in Belize City for
$20,000US, duty paid. Undoubtedly the best buy.
New! Dealers
in Belize and Chetumal are listed here.
A New Comment (2007)
I note that all the cars and trucks targeted for the third world are sporting
17" wheels. I think that is an important thing to look at, when
you're picking out something for Belize, or even just to drive through Mexico,
where the road can go from wonderful to terrible in a milli-blink.
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