Is There A Kelley Blue Book Equivelant Here?

[mixiekins]

Probably not, but just thought I would check.

I'm still pretty new here, and my boyfriend who's lived here all his life has never had a car or let alone a license, so we're relying on my knowledge while searching for a car. (His family also hasn't bought any cars in the past 3 decades, so we don't trust their "know-how".) The market here (Neuquén Capital) is very different than what I'm used to in the US, so I'm trying to research as much as possible.

I gather that the automotive market isn't terribly stable here, and from what I understand there was a big spike in prices over this past year. (We're guessing that everyone's trying to "invest" in cars so they don't sit on large sums of depreciating cash or something like that.) Anyway, I'm wondering if there's any kind of resource to use in additon to just manually surveying listings. Perhaps something like the good old KBB.

Also, for anyone who's in the know, does haggling work fairly the same here? There's some things here that are done very differently (had no idea about the bottle-on-top indicator, for instance haha!) so I'm not sure if I should handle the purchasing process the same as in the US. I'm used to checking the car out, inspecting it thoroughly, asking about the maintenance history, taking it fror a test drive, and then haggling before settling on a final deal. Is that pretty average here for used cars? (We're probably going to be dealing with private owners, like on mercado libre.) We're hoping to purchase sometime in the next year or so; I need to sell my car in the US first.

Thanks!!

 

[nlaruccia]

I've only ever bought one used car from a friend who never drove it. The only useful advice I can offer is to make sure the used car you buy has no traffic violations from the previous owner or you'll end up being responsible and you won't be able to get or renew your driver's license here with unpaid traffic tickets....and they're not cheap.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

I've only ever bought one used car from a friend who never drove it. The only useful advice I can offer is to make sure the used car you buy has no traffic violations from the previous owner or you'll end up being responsible and you won't be able to get or renew your driver's license here with unpaid traffic tickets....and they're not cheap.

This is also true in Chile, where I own a car (and where the process is generally simpler, I think). In one instance, there was a pre-existing infracción, but I was able to prove that I acquired the vehicle the date of the ticket in question and did not have to pay.

 

[Rich One]

If buying a used car ONLY buy from a reputable dealership that provides a 6 month warranty, etc.

 

[jez]

dont know what a kelly blue book is, but it you are looking for the values of used cars in Argentina: http://www.cca.org.ar/descargas/precios/Autos.pdf

 

[argcalif2010]

http://www.autofoco.com/ This is the link to a magazine used by the insurance industry to put a value on cars for insurance purposes. This is the equivelant to Kelley Blue Book value. I know because I worked in an insurance company here. I hope this helps...


Note: Be very careful with used car odometer readings, and bad "pink slips" and crashed/robbed cars.

 

[Hybrid Ambassador]

Same as is in the US, when going for a pre-owned vehicle. Look for those brands that is ranked highest in reliability and those brands belongs to in order: Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Subaru, Mitsubishi, Suzuki etc.

You will not be wrong by purchasing the most reliable cars which are made-in-Japan..Then the next best, albeit be prapared to pay for high initial price + maintanance on them and that is the Germans. The rest, will rest in peace. Not worth putting money ( hard earned )if you do, guarantee to see them depreciate very rapidly!

 

[Montauk_Project]

Be careful about buying imported cars, you may have problems getting parts.

 

[French jurist]

Forget the Kelly book, buy a survival guide instead.
Bottom line is that you face risks: your BF knows zilch about cars and we don't know your knowledge about cars, mechanics & such. I have been screwed buying a vehicle (in France = young, no xp), like quite a few on this forum I guess, which is some kind of first hand experience...
Furthermore the market in the province is very different (some provincials come to Bs As with the express purpose to buy a car).

If you know to correlate: the wearing on the seats, wearing of the tires, general aspect with the mileage, good start.
If you know where to look to understand the real past history of the car, even better (stickers still in place in the engine compartment?).
If you know to take out the oil gauge while the engine is running to see if smoke comes out of the hole, and such, then you know what to buy or not.

Otherwise, hire a relative, a local mechanic with a good reputation or anyone who knows what to look for when buying a car.

 

[ElQueso]

If things are similar in Neuquen like here in Cap Fed, I'd say your best bet may be to go to a dealership. Exactly the opposite advice I'd give someone in the States.

It's been almost 6 years since I bought my car, but since then things don't seem to have changed much, aside from the actual price of the cars. you nailed it, probably, as to why prices have gone up - this is the easiest investment most people can make that is more than buying electronics, which won't their value quite as good as a car. The value of a used car is much, much higher than you would think, compared to a new car.

Second thing is, dealerships and individuals will probably be at about the same price for cars that are comparable, and worth owning. Any differences you see on the individual side, as in it looks like a good deal, I'd be very wary of.

Personally, I would NOT (at least in circumstances I can see now, after 8 years here) buy a car from an individual here because of the second thing. In the States, it's much more on me to check out the worth of a used car being sold by an individual, but the cost difference between an individual and a used car lot there is significant. Here, it is not.

One big issue here, with individuals, is that fines go to the car's license (green card), NOT the driver's. If you go to an individual MAKE SURE that everything is paid off and there are no issues against the car itself. Otherwise, you may give the owner the money, but you will not get the title until all of those monetary issues outstanding are taken care of. That could add quite a bit to the cost of your car and you won't get that difference back from the owner. Ever.

I'm not saying it is too difficult to treat with individuals, but it sure is nice to be able to go to a dealership (most new car dealerships have used cars as well, though it may be on a different lot, or a used dealership is fine too), pick out the car you want (even if you have to go to a couple to find what you want), know that at least there is a warranty, that all of the paperwork is going to be handled by them, all fines will be paid off, etc, and that if anything happens along the way you have a much better chance of recovering your from your problem than if you deal with an individual.

And, maybe the individual market in Nuequen is way different than here. Just my two cents' worth from this side of things.

I'd also say, buy a car that they produce here. I know guys who have bought imports and can't find replacement parts often. I have a 1999 Renault Megane hatchback (5 door) that has a bit over 250,000 kilometers on it. It's still running good, although it's been in the shop a few times. I've never had any problems finding parts for it and labor and replacement parts are relatively cheap because they (at least used to!) assembly the cars here.