The amount you will receive back from your vehicle ($400 USD) deposit will not be the exact amount charged to your credit card. Your initial $400 deposit is changed into Pesos (of course) and your refund is based on the number of Pesos -- and so, your refund is subject to currency fluctuations and the arbitrage cost of changing currencies.
I call it the "21 km" zone. It is actually the "Mexico Free Zone". It is nominally the zone 21 km wide inside Mexico along the US border. Except, the "Free Zone" includes the western half of the state of Sonora and all of the Baja Pennisula.
I have found that crossing into Mexico at the border is often just a "wave through" it is the traveller's responsibility to check in at the "21 km" check point. This can be confusing because they are not well identified nor, are they always 21 km from the border. (Laredo's is less than a km from bridge.)
So, stop at the first OXXO store you see and get a sim card (200 pesos/month +29 pesos purchase fee) for your cell phone. This will give you access to Google Maps and "comforting" info as to things like distance to next gas station, accomodation, restaurants, etc.
It is a long drive from the US border to La Manz. If I don't do any sightseeing on the way, count on 23 hours driving time from Nogales and 20 hours from Laredo.
Take the toll highways. Expect the aggregate of the tolls to cost about 2,000 pesos. Except for the first toll gate you encounter -- only pesos are accepted. Have some loose pesos readily available to donate to the Red Cross etc at the toll booths.
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