Coastal Route

My preferred route is to follow the Coast road North of Las Varas rather than Hiway 200. Going that way you don't hardly encounter a quota until you are North of San Blas, and you completely bypass Tepic. I have no numbers on the toll for the last leg to Mazatlan, but I don't believe it is near the number you list. I presume you went through Compostela and Tepic. I confess I like the Coast route simply for the experience, not to save time.

Usually, yes....Mex 200 through Puerto Vallarta, Guayabitos, Las Varas, Compostela and Tepic. But we've also gone "the back way" to San Blas, north of Las Varas, which does have some nice scenery along the coast. Certainly not the "fast way" to Mazatlán, though. We've never had any problems or delays going through Tepic, but that section of road from Las Varas to Tepic can be very slow, behind smoke-belching trucks and buses.
We once took a Pacifico bus from Guayabitos to Tepic. During the whole winding route.....narrow, no shoulders, sharp turns, scary drop-offs, etc.... the driver kept up a running conversation with a young woman who sat on the step beside the driver, showing him photos from her album. He would lean over to see them, holding the steering wheel with his other hand. Wasn't funny at the time.