Buying A 4Wd In Buenos Aires

[SmithWesson]

Hello BA Expats!

Thanks for such a great forum and I'm sorry if this is a really obvious question!

My husband and I are coming to BA in early Oct and want to buy a 4WD. Is there an expat classifieds site somewhere where we could find one second hand?

We are planning to road trip it BA - mendoza - bariloche - el calafante & Patagonia, hoping to get down to el calafante from BA in about a month. It looks like a beautiful trip but the distances are long. Are we crazy or is this doable?

Thanks in advance for any advice you can give to us rookies!

Jess and Victor

 

[Splitty]

I am leasing a new Toyota Hilux 4x2 as it worked out better doing a 4 year payment plan with an option to pay 10% at the end through Toyota.

Second hand car prices are crazy here, so just by new and string it out on fixed payments.

Do you really need a 4x4?? 4x2 is much cheaper and economical to run.
Are here for a vacation?? If so just rent one, change your USD at pesos blue and pay cash at the rental agency. ( You will also need a CC as guarantee).

 

[Jaredberryman]

I've got a Renault Duster. You might want to consider buying this car with cash new (the 4X2 version). With a blue-dollar unofficial exchange rate, it would be fairly inexpensive (however 4X4 version is a lot more expensive, 3 or 4 thousand USD more). The Duster 4X2 new is cheap and it is a mini-SUV that rides higher and has quite a bit of cabin space. It has a decent suspension, as I took it recently on dusty/sandy roads and it did pretty well. My version has a weak 1.6L engine, but depending on what you're doing, it's probably fine. The Ford Ecosport is also a cheap option, but is smaller than the Duster if space is a concern (but better quality). After that, you might also consider a category here called monovolumen. These are family cars from Europe with more space, and you might be able to find something used at a more reasonable price there. I recommend you avoid chevrolet or fiat here in argentina, as they are some of the worst quality cars and used are far more likely to break down continuously on a long trip.

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

FIAT - Fix it again tomorrow.

 

[Splitty]

Forget paying cash, use the 30% inflation to your advantage with fixed payments.

 

[isidro]

Incrible idea. I lived all my life in calafate and caulk BA trip by car several times. very quiet going in 3 days I did, so one month you will have time to learn more. I never needed a 4WD for this trip, I always did with cars very cheap and simple. but if you like more adventure will be a good option.
this is the most popular site classified Argentina: http://www.mercadolibre.com.ar/
never had one but people from Patagonia says tha Land Rober is a recommended brand.
then the money to buy a car the best option I consider pay with dollars, unless you find a good place to change dollars to value blue. if you sell dollars I dont know if you are going to get value blue, but if you buy with dollars you are going to take a blue value. Argentines prefer the dollar, since most us is dificut to get it.
if you have or make a Argentine friend ask him to call him on the phone and his voice accent will make the price is lower. luck!

 

[bkdegraaf]

Hi there Jess & Victor,

We lived in Argentina for 9 years until last May and just moved to Costa Rica. We have a Toyota SW4 TDI 4x4 Automatic, which according to my humble opinion is the absolute best option for driving in Argentina. From a cost perspective they are still manageable because they are produced locally and therefore do not suffer from crazy import taxes and as a brand they are established well enough in the continent to know you are buying a quality truck which is supported by a wide network of service stations / dealers; We have never really had any problems with the car, but there is a Toyota service center to be found almost everywhere in case you would need them.

We made many a multi-week trip with our SW4 through Argentina, Uruguay & Brazil and it is an amazingly comfortable vehicle, especially for the long stretches. The trip you propose we actually have done already, be it in several smaller pieces. Up and down to Mendoza takes about 8-10 hours each way, depending on traffic. I personally love driving and my family (wife and two daughters of 6 & 9) do not mind either, and you can make this trip easily in a day with one or two stops for diesel and some air / stretching of the legs.

We also went skiiing in Bariloche a couple of times; takes about 17-18 hours driving from BsAs, which we either did in one day or with one stop; there are plenty of basic but totally comfortable hotels along the way to break the trip in two.

Then I actually partook in a rally from Belen (northern Brazil) to Ushuaia back in 2008, where we cut Argentina North-South from Iguazu to Salta to Mendoza, Bariloche, Calafate, Torres del Paine (Chile) and eventually Ushuaia in the far south. Amazing trip!

We also made a few trips down to Peninsula Valdes to see the Southern Right Whales and Elephant Seals. About 15 hours driving and so very worth it...

What can I say; if you like driving holidays through spectacular sceneries Argentina is a place of dreams. If you would like more detailed info on this kind of fun trips in the region let me know; would be happy to share!

I am also writing to you because we still have the SW4 and are selling it as we speak. I have a friend putting it on the market for us and he is in Neuquen right now to show it to a potential buyer. Market is a bit strange right now and it is possible he returns without having sold it. Here is a link with some pictures and details about the car. Let me know if it interests you and I will get back as soon as I know how it went in Neuquen.



file://localhost/Users/BART/Dropbox/9%20-%20PERSONAL/Moving%20Sale/Toyota%20SW4%203.0%20TDI%20Automatic.pdf

(let me know if you can download this; is a dropbox link)

If we would not be able to come to an agreement, the SW4 is the car I would recommend for sure. Also: go 4x4 and go Automatic. Why? because having the 4x4 option has saved us from getting stuck in the mud (literally) several times, even though you can pretty much travel in say 85% of the country on relatively ok tarmac. Having an automatic turned out a great feature in the city, where traffic can get thick and driving a stick-shift can become annoying.

Looking forward to hearing back from you!
Best of luck moving to Argentina and let me know if you need any other info, on driving, but also on living and working in a great, but sometimes confusing country.
Best, Bart

 

[rrptownley]

I know nothing about owning a car particular to Argentina, but from my experience of long distance road trips, buy something that has low tech and has readily available spare parts around your destinations. I.e. Toyota Hilux or Landcruiser. In Argentina, Italian and French car companies historically hold sway, with Ford and Chevvy.
For listings, as Isidro said, Mercadolibre (our Ebay) is the best option, watch out for scams/security though. Also try OLX or Craigslist for pot luck.

 

[PaulWolffe]

Your idea is not crazy at all, and it is doable, like you said, in fact, my wife and I are driving all the way to patagonia in our mini SUV.

We have a Ford Ecosport 4WD 2.0L engine (Ford Focus' Duratec) it's a great car, handles very well and it's quite efficient and robust.

The 4WD XLT version comes equipped with all the glittery, air conditioner double airbags and what not.

The rear differential enables with a button, just like the Ford Ranger (in fact, I'm sure it's the same differential and TrackII mechanism) When enabled it drives continuously on four wheel drive, with the button off (auto) it only enables 4wd when necessary.

The Ford EcoSport is so popular in argentina, and the fact that it shares common parts with the Ford Fiesta, that it makes it a low-maintenance, affordable SUV.

We bought ours for $76.000 last year. 2nd hand, excellent shape. You can get brand new ones for $110.000 onwards

When are you planning on coming to argentina? We're off to patagonia in January

This is our SUV, at the mountain bike trail, in Pilar

I know nothing about owning a car particular to Argentina, but from my experience of long distance road trips, buy something that has low tech and has readily available spare parts around your destinations. I.e. Toyota Hilux or Landcruiser. In Argentina,

I agree with you, this is why we went for the EcoSport, because it's built in Argentina and in Brazil, so there are plenty of spare parts for national vehicles, although, honestly, ever since we bought it, we have had to replace oil filters, oil, and a flat tyre, only.

The dristribution is done by a distribution chain rather than a belt, unlike many small vehicles. This adds up to the reliablity of the engine and its low maintenance.

 

[Fishmanfun]

I am leasing a new Toyota Hilux 4x2 as it worked out better doing a 4 year payment plan with an option to pay 10% at the end through Toyota.

Second hand car prices are crazy here, so just by new and string it out on fixed payments.

Do you really need a 4x4?? 4x2 is much cheaper and economical to run.
Are here for a vacation?? If so just rent one, change your USD at pesos blue and pay cash at the rental agency. ( You will also need a CC as guarantee).

Can someone one a tourist VISA finance a car ? lease a car ? I'm having the hardest time finding a used Toyota SW4 ? Thanks Kevin