Buying a used vehicle

[HotYogaTeacher]

Greetings All~

My SO and I are planning to relocate to BA in October. We will be purchasing a property to use as a home and a business. I am a Bikram yoga instructor and he is an artist. Because our business and home will be in the same place we wont be driving much but will need to purchase an old truck for hauling things when needed. We are hoping to find something like a very old Ford that we can pimp out. Something with roundy corners~
I read in a couple of books that buying a car is different there, don't know why that would be true, but want to be sure that it won't be so much trouble and expense that just bringing it with us wouldn't make more sense. We certainly can buy the truck here very easily and then just have it shipped. It will qualify as an antique. Also, is it hard to get parts down there for old cars and trucks, because that part would be super easy here too.

Thoughts, knowledge, suggestions??

Thanks~ I am looking forward to getting to know some of you and learning along with you about this beautiful and amazing place to live!
A~

 

[brend]

I haven't got a clue regarding laws relating to the age of the vehicle and whether there are certain exemptions etc. I bought a relatively new car and was very glad to have the help of an agent who charged me about 2.5% commission, which included finding the vehicle. The bureaucracy was incredible but he took care of everything so that I just had to turn up and sign the papers when they were ready. I have no idea about importing a vehicle either but given the problems I have had with certain small items being sent by DHL, I can't imagine it will be easy. It is a great place to be at the moment and I would recommend anyone to give it a go here. However, there is a lot of bureaucracy so you need to leave all your home country assumptions behind and be prepared for some time consuming processes! It's all part of the great experience here! I'll be glad to pass on the details of the agent etc.

 

[EvergreenGal]

Buying a car here is a nightmare! We bought a new car and from the first to the last day it took over 3 months, no kidding!! Everytime we went back to see if they needed anything else, i.e., paperwork..it was no...but that was never the case! We had planned to ship a car until the last minute we found out from customs in BA that they charge you 80% to 90% of the value of the car, the value in BA, in import tax!!! So bringing a car here is a NO!!
Used cars from a private seller I would think would be a little better. Tabs are very expensive, for a 2007 Peugeot it was $600 dollars for a year!! Car insurance is not cheap either. We need a car, but after all that we have been through we feel it's really a very expensive luxury here...then there's dealing with the worse drivers I have ever had to deal with that pay no attention or don't even know the rules of the road. Taking a remise, train, subway or your feet is more to my liking!!
I love living here but there are some things that I will never adjust to and that's the crazy drivers...People of Argentina are wonderful but get them behind the wheel of a car and they turn into someone else!
Good luck in your search...

 

[tangobob]

Tabs are very expensive, for a 2007 Peugeot it was $600 dollars for a year!!
Can someone tell what Tabs are? is this like our UK road fund licence (car tax) ?

 

[RWS]

"tangobob" asked:
"'Tabs are very expensive, for a 2007 Peugeot it was $600 dollars for a year!!'
"Can someone tell what Tabs are? is this like our UK road fund licence (car tax) ?"I think that it was a typographical error for "tags", which is slang in some parts of the United States for "license plates" ("placas", "chapas").

 

[HotYogaTeacher]

The truck we would bring, if we bring one, is actually an antique.It has no blue book value and because antiques are hard to place even the classic car guides, which who knows if customs would even have a classic car guide, puts it between $3000-$15000 USD. I wonder if we could get away with not paying through the nose because the value is hard for anyone to place. It would be a great vehicle for us, used for our business and mostly just because it makes us happy. A useful vehicle and with some awesome character but not pricey and not something that might get stolen. Solid as a rock, big enough to be super safe on crazy Argentinian roads, slow but sure and steady, been going as long as I have, 44 years~

 

[EvergreenGal]

Yes, tabs are the license plates...sorry for the confusion..that is what we called them in the States.
I would contact customs about the antique truck...they can charge you whatever they think the value is...really! If my husband had not called we would have paid more than double the value of the car we had planned to bring here...and if we couldn't pay that then we would have had to pay the price to ship it back to the States. I have seen "classic" cars here and I am sure they have a high ticket value.
Again..good luck and assume nothing with customs...get the answers you need before you ship anything.

 

[nickthebrit]

hi

please can you get me the details of the agent does he speak english???
thanks

nick

I haven't got a clue regarding laws relating to the age of the vehicle and whether there are certain exemptions etc. I bought a relatively new car and was very glad to have the help of an agent who charged me about 2.5% commission, which included finding the vehicle. The bureaucracy was incredible but he took care of everything so that I just had to turn up and sign the papers when they were ready. I have no idea about importing a vehicle either but given the problems I have had with certain small items being sent by DHL, I can't imagine it will be easy. It is a great place to be at the moment and I would recommend anyone to give it a go here. However, there is a lot of bureaucracy so you need to leave all your home country assumptions behind and be prepared for some time consuming processes! It's all part of the great experience here! I'll be glad to pass on the details of the agent etc.

 

[steveinbsas]

Have you considered the difficulty in finding repair parts for your truck here? Any parts you had shipped from the US would be subject to a 50% duty (which would also be assessed on the shipping charges as well). What would you drive while you are waiting for the parts? Also, are you aware that all artworks you might bring with you require permission of the government to enter the country (as well as any art you might want to take out when you flee). You are also limited to ONE shipment of art per person per year and written permission is also required for the exportation...even if they are your own creations. You will also be required to use the services of a customs broker and you will be shocked at the costs (you can't just ship art via UPS, FedEx, or DHL). You CAN take art with you when you fly, but you will still need the requisite papers from the Secretary of Culture and the Aduana and also may need an appraisal from the Banco Ciudad, for which a fee is charged for each work ofart.

 

[HotYogaTeacher]

Hey All~

Thanks for the input. We have looked at the situation and have decided, given the availability of delivery (cheap) and taxis, public transport and the short distance we intend to set up our studio from our house, that we actually don't really need a car there. It does seem like too much trouble and expense to be worth it.

A~