Gasoline is $2.54 a gallon...in Tijuana:
The lower prices mean a U.S. motorist could save almost $54 filling up a two-year-old Ford F150 pickup with a 26-gallon fuel tank in Mexico.
The differential in diesel is even greater, selling at $5.04 a gallon in San Diego County and $2.20 in Tijuana.
Paul Covarrubias, 26, who lives in Chula Vista and works in construction in San Diego, crosses the border each week just to refuel his dual-cab Ford F-250 pickup.
"I fill it up with diesel in Tijuana for $60," he said. "It would be almost twice that in San Diego."
Gas is cheaper in Mexico because of a government subsidy intended to keep inflationary forces in check.
Still, international gas-buying trips don't make sense for everyone. The wait getting back into the U.S. at the border in Tijuana frequently takes longer than two hours and cars can burn about a gallon of gas for each hour they idle.
I wonder if Mexico will demand we crack down on "illegal fuelers." Or, perhaps as a gesture of compassion, they can set up a "guest gasoline purchase" quota...
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