Car ownership

[katti]

2) As for bringing in a car, I also thought about bringing my family's old 2001 BMW X5. It has about 80k miles and is in great condition. In the states I think it is worth $12-$14k. Here they all seem to be listed over $40k. So, if you bought a used X5 for around $13k in the US, paid $1500 to ship it on a roll-on/roll-off boat, you could have the car here for around $15k. Then after local import taxes your total is about 15 + .8(15) = $27k. (unless they charge more?) So, it seems like, if you pick a high end used car, there might be enough of a difference to justify going through the hassle.

I was told to be careful with this, because at AFIP they don't accept that you buy a 2nd hand car for a "cheap" price abroud. They will tax you on the value that car has here in Argentina, not on the amount you paid for it. So be careful to check that out before doing this.

 

[mini]

I was told to be careful with this, because at AFIP they don't accept that you buy a 2nd hand car for a "cheap" price abroud. They will tax you on the value that car has here in Argentina, not on the amount you paid for it. So be careful to check that out before doing this.

Yes. This is correct. You will pay the tax on what THEY value the car at, not what you paid for the car.

 

[jimdepalermo]

Also note that legal residents who bring in a car within the 6-month period for importing personal goods will usually be required to post a customs bond for the unpaid import duties. This usually costs about 5% of the AFIP-declared value of your imports each year and must be renewed annually until your visa status changes to permanent resident.

Before importing any car, consider the availability of parts and service equipment. If it's not built in Mercosur, replacement parts are sure to be VERY expensive and often scarce. Even cars built locally tend to be rather different from their US and European equivalents, so your imported Ford Escape may have considerably different content than an Argentine-built EcoSport.

 

[jago25_98]

With contacts and people I know in the UK and a little mechanics I can get a reliable working car for next to nothing, perhaps less than $500, but its right hand drivers side.

For another $1500 the car can be shipped here.

But I dont understand how your Belgium plate worked Katti? I thought a self insurance type thing was needed for that (like the overland travelers do). What was the company you used?

 

[French jurist]

With contacts and people I know in the UK and a little mechanics I can get a reliable working car for next to nothing, perhaps less than $500, but its right hand drivers side.

For 6/7.000 Euros you likely can buy a very nice SL500 convertible in a great condition in Hamburg... Doesn't cost much to ship from there

 

[katti]

With contacts and people I know in the UK and a little mechanics I can get a reliable working car for next to nothing, perhaps less than $500, but its right hand drivers side.

For another $1500 the car can be shipped here.

But I dont understand how your Belgium plate worked Katti? I thought a self insurance type thing was needed for that (like the overland travelers do). What was the company you used?

We have a Belgian plate, still pay yearly tax in Belgium, and are insured here in argentina at la meridional, which is actually a lot cheaper then in Belgium. Belgian insurance does not work outside of Europe.

 

[jago25_98]

Thanks for the info Katti. I come and go every 2 months so I can't get a DNI. With this option perhaps I could ferry the car to Montevideo somewhere, store it there and fly from Montevideo instead. A lot of hassle though... but using hire cars for 6 months a year could be expensive... there has to be a creative solution to this...