Buying A Car As A Tourist

[Ries]

Would I be dealing with the Blue dollar exchange rates with cash for part or all of the purchase ?

Not with a dealer- you would have to physically bring the cash US one hundred dollar bills, then exchange them for a suitcase full of pesos here, then take that to the dealer. I dont know if they have similar laws about reporting big cash sales, probably not. But still, having bought two properties here, I can tell you its pretty nervewracking dealing with large amounts of US cash and backpacks full of pesos. Not something you want to do while jetlagged.

 

[camel]

I'm moving to san martin de los andes in early April on a tourist VISA . I have three Golden Retrievers that will be flying into EZE with me . I want to buy a car/SUV and drive it to SM from BA. I'll pay cash for the SUV in BA to avoid financing . Will I be able to do this ? If not , how can I accomplish this ? The car rental has a huge penalty and would cost approx. $ 1,700. Id rather spend that on a car > Thanks Kevin

If your goal is to drive an SUV to SMA and return the car to BA, maybe it's cheaper to rent a car and find someone trustworthy to drive it back from SMA to BA. If I were here in April I'd do it but I won't be there. You'd just have to add that person to the rental agreement as a driver, and pay them to drive it back, plus expenses, etc. StreetRentacar.com is where I've rented cars for road trips before (3-4 weeks, 7000 kilometers).

 

[Fishmanfun]

If your goal is to drive an SUV to SMA and return the car to BA, maybe it's cheaper to rent a car and find someone trustworthy to drive it back from SMA to BA. If I were here in April I'd do it but I won't be there. You'd just have to add that person to the rental agreement as a driver, and pay them to drive it back, plus expenses, etc. StreetRentacar.com is where I've rented cars for road trips before (3-4 weeks, 7000 kilometers).

Thank you Camel, my plan is to fly into EZE with one Golden Retriever meet my friend , get a room . Wait two days for my other two goldens to arrive at EZE and drive with my friend to san martin with Tres Loco Peros ! My Aunt and Uncle live there ! Does that sound feasible ?

 

[camel]

Thank you Camel, my plan is to fly into EZE with one Golden Retriever meet my friend , get a room . Wait two days for my other two goldens to arrive at EZE and drive with my friend to san martin with Tres Loco Peros ! My Aunt and Uncle live there ! Does that sound feasible ?

It sounds feasible... I don't have experience driving long distances with dogs, so I don't know how to plan for that part. Food, water, and poop I guess.

I've done the drive to San Martín de los Andes before. Google Maps says 18 hours from BA. You can do it in 2 or 3 legs. Santa Rosa in La Pampa province is about 1/3 of the way there and should have hotels etc. Neuquén (the city) is about 2/3 of the way there and is a good place to stop. Gas stations are more sparse than in the US, so don't wait until you're near empty to fill up. The drive is pretty boring, landscape wise, until you get close to Neuquén. When you leave Neuquén on the way to San Martin, you're leaving the desert, and at some point you come over a hill and off in the distance is a beautiful blue lake, the first of several. From there it just gets more and more beautiful.

 

[on the brink]

Thank you Camel, my plan is to fly into EZE with one Golden Retriever meet my friend , get a room . Wait two days for my other two goldens to arrive at EZE and drive with my friend to san martin with Tres Loco Peros ! My Aunt and Uncle live there ! Does that sound feasible ?

As a dog lover, I'd like to point out that flying is incredibly stressful for dogs. Worthwhile if one is moving or planning to stay a couple of years, but not for a vacation.

About five years ago there was a thread about flying with dogs, and a retired AA pilot posted some very interesting stuff. Worth looking for it,

Having said that, best of luck to you and your three dogs....!

 

[Fishmanfun]

As a dog lover, I'd like to point out that flying is incredibly stressful for dogs. Worthwhile if one is moving or planning to stay a couple of years, but not for a vacation.

About five years ago there was a thread about flying with dogs, and a retired AA pilot posted some very interesting stuff. Worth looking for it,

Having said that, best of luck to you and your three dogs....!

This is not a vacation my friend ! I definitely there for 2 years and maybe ??? Love Kev

 

[Rich One]

You can drive a car in Argentina with a foreign driver's license, plus an international permit, available by mail from AAA in the USA.

The way it works, you pay for the car, then wait for two or three days while the paperwork is processed.

Guess it doesn't hurt.
I drove with a Foreign drivers license for over 10 years, was stopped innumerable times cross the Borders over 12 times. Never had an International AAA license..?

 

[Rich One]

Not with a dealer- you would have to physically bring the cash US one hundred dollar bills, then exchange them for a suitcase full of pesos here, then take that to the dealer. I dont know if they have similar laws about reporting big cash sales, probably not. But still, having bought two properties here, I can tell you its pretty nervewracking dealing with large amounts of US cash and backpacks full of pesos. Not something you want to do while jetlagged.

The Dealer issued several preprinted deposit slips to deposit by buyer in the dealership bank account , each for a value below the limit that has to be reported to AFIP. After your cash is credited to their account , the wheels start moving.

 

[Fishmanfun]

Guess it doesn't hurt.
I drove with a Foreign drivers license for over 10 years, was stopped innumerable times cross the Borders over 12 times. Never had an International AAA license..?

Thank you

 

[on the brink]

It is worth getting an International Driving permit, if only for the fun of handing it to the cops open in the Chinese page, and watch their faces.

Seriously, now. I was stopped on the way to. Mar del Plata once. The cops objected to my USA license, but retreated in the face of the International one. Same happened in Entre Rios, and in La Pampa. In my experience, the more official-looking papers you carry, the better.