Buying a car in South America

[Christopher Craig]

buy the car in argentina. gas here is cheap. Ive just finished driving California to ushuaia, yesterday. we have a thirty year old vw. you can get a car in buenas aires. probably about 10,000 pesos(3,000-4000 dollars for a good enough car, (good shocks if you want to dirtroad it, last week we drove patagonia and there was no services all dirt/rock for 500+kilometers.get one with basic engine,
we will be there in two weeks if you want to buy ours. but the title switch would probably be to much of a pain. Its imprtant to have the official title in your name. but email me if you have some more specific questions

I am a U.S. citizen currently residing in Buenos Aires - I have been trying to buy a used car or van, but I have been told that non-residents cannot
purchace cars in Argentina - the title AND the insurance has to be in the name of an Argentine citizen...would I be better of buying a used car in Chile
or some other country in S. America... would love to meet you while you are in town!

[alejandro]

Hi cristopher.
I am from argentina , i think there is no problem for you to buy a vehicle.
but any ways , i have a good friend in buenos aires that can help you with that(he represent isuzu automobile and parts in argenina)
just let me know.
i am contacting people that are doing this cain of adventure.
will be great if we can shere information.
ill be in buenos aires about end of december 2006 !!!!!
thank you and good luck.
..............................alejandro

[Allan Gathercoal]

I have been in Buenos Aires, Argentina for more than two months. I wanted to buy a car whereby I could tour some of South America (Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia, Brazil, etc.). Here is the rub.

I found out that if I buy a car in Argentina (new or used) I CANNOT take the car out of Argentina. The law states that unless you are a permanent resident, or citizen, of Argentina, you cannot leave the country with a car registered in Argentina. You can be stopped at the border and sent back. This includes going to Ushuaia, since you must cross into Chile to get there to Tierra de Fuego in Argentina. Catch 22.

Another problem is payment. To buy a car here you need cash. The dealerships will not accept an international transfer (bank to bank). Since, I wanted a new car (because used car prices are absurd) I needed 13-14,000 dollars, for an economy car (VW Suran). Thus, I needed to have the $$$ transferred. However, to transfer it I needed a bank account here. The banks I talked with would NOT open a bank account for me unless I was a resident or citizen of Argentina. So to get the money transferred here, I considered an "under-the-table" (black market) transfer. But, I was told, I take the risk, as there are no paper trails and I need to transfer my money from my bank in the USA to ‘their’ bank, off-shore. Then, the money would transfer to one or two other banks, in other countries, and eventually, my money would arrives here (God willing) with a 2% handling charge. This gets me the money, but, I still cannot take the car out of the country. Then, I could rent-a-car.

Here, in Buenos Aires, most car rental companies only allow 200 KM a day and average $350 to $400 a week. I was planning to visit Tierra de Fuego (7000 KM round-trip) and knew that I needed the documents, from the rental agency, for the car to cross into Chile. I found that the rental agencies in Buenos Aires do not have these permits. Thus, it was recommended that I rent the car closer to where I want to enter Chile (El Calafate,etc.). To get there I could take bus.

There is humor in this. - I started out to buy a car and now I am using bus! God Bless South America.

The New York Times has an article worth reading. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...52C0A9609C8B63

And read the Visas, Embassies & Border Crossings section in Lonely Planet
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/letters/sam/arg_pc.htm

[PNW Judy]

I thought buying a car in the US was confusing for international visitors. But we've got nothing on Argentina! Do you know if that is typical for South American countries?

[jeepx]

We live and work in ecuador and have lived in argentina also. to purchase an auto takes between 10 days and two weeks and requires a matricula and other documents. then for each country you need to obtain a visa or auto entry permit. so it may be best to rent a car with alternative destination drop off in each country and not have to pay duties or taxes at each country. also remember that in some countries you cannot travel more than 150 km a day because of road conditions

[Mark Sedenquist]

We live and work in ecuador and have lived in argentina also. to purchase an auto takes between 10 days and two weeks and requires a matricula and other documents. then for each country you need to obtain a visa or auto entry permit. so it may be best to rent a car with alternative destination drop off in each country and not have to pay duties or taxes at each country. also remember that in some countries you cannot travel more than 150 km a day because of road conditions

What kind of work do you do in Ecuador? Thanks for this information on the purchase challenges.

mark

[Grecy]

Hey guys,

I spent two years driving from Alaska to Argentina, through 17 countries. Traveling Overland is extremely rewarding and I highly recommend it.

Good luck & Have fun!
-Dan