You have no idea. You should see the lights at night; all the little towns across the hills and canyons, or the sunrise as the hilltops light up and the fog lifts…

Thanks. I’m glad my vids provide you some useful info.

Glad it was helpful!

Prices for necessities are low here… food, rent, medical care, utilities. Prices for cars, electronics, etc… are very high. There’s been a lot of people moving to Ecuador. It’s comfortably in Ecuador for very little money. I’m not exactly homesteading yet, but I am working towards it.

@@FallofftheMap is there any ancient sights out there? Just found out we got one in Montana. Pre history sights ... Give us some food and medicine methods out there.. how is the water... Just id ideas 😉

Awesome. Were you just visiting or scouting it out for a retirement destination?

Sure, if I want to tear shit up. I can get around the property and create trails with my motorcycle but I prefer to create trails a bit more naturally.

No. I don’t have a enough trust in the Ecuadorian banks to invest in a high interest CD.

Gas consumption is a little heavy because for some reason this car is designed with full time 4x4… not AWD, but 4x4. It’s great in the dirt but annoying on the pavement. If you live in the mountains go with a larger motor so you’ll be able to power up the hills at high elevation. If you’re on the coast it’s not necessary. In retrospect I wish I had bought one of the small boxy classic Vitaras. They’re super popular for a reason. Good on gas and light weight enough to get away with the small motor. Great off road but also good in the city.

Newer Toyotas are fine. It’s just the older ones that can be hard to get parts for. Chevy DMax trucks are definitely the most popular work trucks.

Yea, there is a fantastic public transportation system, but within the city there is a lot of pickpocketing and theft on the busses and they often get so crowded you can’t move. Most expats here don’t buy cars and just opt for cheap taxis and Ubers. Even with my car I often use Uber instead because traffic and parking can be such a hassle. My car is mostly for going to my farm or for taking long road trips.

Typically about double the US price

Not really. You mostly just need patience and need to not use Banco Pichincha.

I tend to work for a few months when I need money, but whenever possible I prefer to spend my time in Ecuador not working. I work for the US military whenever it’s the best option available, otherwise I work in the private sector.

That’s a tough question to answer. From my perspective the bank situation is worse. Most expats don’t own cars here because taxis and buses are so cheap and plentiful. The banks are difficult to deal with and also not stable. It’s not uncommon for banks to fail. I keep most of my money in the US. As for what the worst things about Ecuador are… it’s really dependent on your pet peeves and what part of the country you’re in. For me, the worst things in Ecuador are the pollution and trash in the cities, and the lack of personal responsibility. In some areas of Ecuador the worst thing is crime. In other areas the worst things are probably environmental disasters such as flooding, landslides, earthquakes. Other parts of Ecuador it’s lack of safe roads. There are parts of Ecuador that are beautiful and almost perfect, and there are areas that really suck.

Yes, USD. Cars are taxed heavy here so they end up being about twice as expensive as the US. Fortunately, gas and maintenance are cheap, so after you get over the initial sticker shock, owning a car ends up being pretty affordable overall.

Sure, you could bring a car into the country and drive it around for up to 90 days without any issues. After 90 days the car has overstayed. It’s very common for police to set up checkpoints and stop all traffic to check registration and licenses. You might last about a month driving an illegally imported vehicle before it gets seized and you get a large fine. Maybe, if you keep it in a remote part of Ecuador and never drive major highways or into cities you might get away with it for a few years. However, that kind of defeats the purpose of having a car

@@FallofftheMap Governments all around the globe sure know how to make basic things expensive and complicated or worse, (legally) impossible :) I'm from Czechia and our automotive industry used to be famous for being able to manufacture cars down to the last screw, it's an entire supply chain. Now Skoda Auto says they will have to lay off 3000 employees and shut down one factory if Euro 7 passes. Let's destroy our own economy, but then import even more cheap garbage from China where they build one coal power plant after another.

No, it really isn’t as bad.

@@FallofftheMap well now U cannot even pay your credit card Bill with cash, at a branch....

You did not see new 4x4 suvs for 20k. You saw 2wd suvs. For how and where I drive I need a real 4x4 with locking hubs and 4x4 low gear. For that a new car costs over 40k for the most basic. That is why I buy used.