Ron,

I'd recommend NOT driving in Mexico at night. The following occurred in 1984 in the Yucutan area of SE Mexico, and times may have changed, but...

Driving at night from Villahermosa to Palenque in a rented VW bug. The roads usually have no shoulders at all, frequently dropping 3 to 10 ft straight down from the pavement edge to a very wet mire. The other cars on the road are nearly always VERY used cars, held together by God knows what. The people are very poor and if they can afford to buy and operate a car at all, it's probably something rescued from a USA junkyard. Many people walk on the road at night when it's cooler, and as I said, there's often no shoulder at all. Most Mexican drivers seem to think (in that time and place) that turning on their lights is either 1) impossible, because the car's such a junker that they don't work, 2) bad luck, as they attract evil spirits, 3) inadvisable, as they are believed to wear out the battery more quickly, or 4) a real man doesn't need them so whoever turns them on first proves themselves to be lacking in machismo. The above will offend only the inexperienced

With no road shoulder, inadequate signage, lines or other road markings, occasional poorly- or unmarked road repairs, pedestrians and (I almost forgot) bicyclists who have no lights, and rattletrap clunkers with their lights off zooming up out of the pitch darkness, you soon learn why there are innumerable little white crosses along both sides of the road.

Stick to the daylight when you can see what's going on. We didn't camp, but stayed in very inexpensive motels and hotels which abounded. Tijuana is full of auto repair, painting, etc shops. I don't know how you know which ones are good. Let the buyer beware...

Chuck Almdale