This didn't go through y'day when I first posted it, bu the List seemed to be a
bit
off-song, plus I had just re-subscribed after coming back from vacation, so
here it goes
again. My apologies if this is a repeat:
I thought that I'd offer up some observations I made during my recent trip to
El Salvador
and Guatemala:
Datsun stuff (this is a Datsun Roadster list, after all... ):
I saw 3, count 'em, 3, PL 320 pickups in El Salvador - more than I have seen in
as long as
I can remember here in California. This surprised me mostly due to the climate
there - not
terribly hot (usually) but humid. Not Florida-in-July humid, but much higher
humidity than
California, that's for damn sure. Cars there take a beating from the poor
condition of the
roads and streets (though it's getting better since the war) and the climate.
They rattle,
creak and shake after just a couple of years, and seem to start rusting even
sooner. One
of the 3 PL 320s which I saw was obviously a well-loved and looked-after little
truck - it
had a fresh red paint job and alloy wheels. The two others were a bit rough,
but overall
in fair shape - and they were all running and in use, not just sitting in a
field
somewhere! I also saw a 510 2-door, and a 411 wagon which was in very good
condition!
No Roadsters were in evidence, and I would have heard of it if anyone had ever
seen one
down there - some of my wife's family and friends there are very much into
cars, and they
know about my Roadster. One cousin has a Caterham 7, but he doesn't take it out
very often
because of the poor condition of the roads.
Other stuff:
A major difference in the vehicle presence on the roads in C.A. as opposed to
the US is
the plethora of models and manufacturers that aren't seen here. Renault and
Alfa models
are sold there, and some dinky little Daewoo vans, funky little Daihatsus (I
think that's
what they were) that are widely used as taxis in Guatemala City, plus 4-door,
dual-cab,
shortbed small pickups from Toyota and Nissan that I've never seen here and
lots of just
slightly different models from familiar manufacturers. Another major difference
- I saw
only one Miata, and one PT Cruiser on the roads while I was there!
Small to mid-sized SUVs are much in evidence, but not too many of the bigger
ones. The
import duty is stiff on personally-imported vehicles, so the couple of Yukons
and
Explorers which I saw were being driven by people with healthy bank accounts.
Speaking of Yukons, I saw something that made me a little homesick for the
states: A big
ol' Yukon being delicately maneuvered into a parking space in a grocery store
parking lot
- backing in and lining up perfectly centered (after 2 or 3 tries)... on the
white line
between two spaces - taking up two parking spaces and hanging 3 feet out of the
end of the
space into the aisle! Predictably enough, a well-dressed woman stepped out of
the vehicle,
talking on her cell phone (which she had been doing throughout the parking
maneuver).
Gary McCormick
San Jose, CA
'70 2000 SRL311-13291
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