Ha ha, I do appreciate you being realistic about the negatives. My wife and I, with our dog recently drove from Mexico to Panama and experienced much of the above. But I'd say the more you research, the cheaper it can be, and the better chance you have of avoiding the many negatives you mention here. Our trip wasn't perfectly efficient or cost affecitive, but it was awesome! I'd never do it again, but I'm glad we did it once.