Luxury cars in Buenos Aires

To be honest living in BA did me good from this aspect, I used to spend a fortune on cars and motorbikes. Now I am far less materialistic and I feel better for the humbling.

Imo it just depends on reasoning. Not everyone buys nice cars just to show that they have money. I personally like nice cars because they excite me. I feel complete regardless regardless because I am comfortable enough to know myself. And driving through nicely paved curvy scenic roads in a 2012 Toyota box box just makes me feel wrong lol.
 
you can buy yourself a nice late model RCZ for surprisingly little. https://auto.mercadolibre.com.ar/ML...cking_id=bb273146-0eba-4406-b180-169e9c08019a
It's a nice car, had decent reviews when launched too. Although, it's also not a luxury car or exotic. It also costs $22,000! That's hugely expensive for a 2012 RCZ, but maybe I am talking with my UK hat on and not for Argentina or some other markets. I wouldn't pay anything over $12,000 for that in the UK, although I know the second hand market for that car is higher in the U.S. and a 2012 model can go for that much. Amazing really because a 2012 RCZ absolutely is not a $22k car in 2021, but it seems some markets see them as cult cars maybe.
 
It's a nice car, had decent reviews when launched too. Although, it's also not a luxury car or exotic. It also costs $22,000! That's hugely expensive for a 2012 RCZ, but maybe I am talking with my UK hat on and not for Argentina or some other markets. I wouldn't pay anything over $12,000 for that in the UK, although I know the second hand market for that car is higher in the U.S. and a 2012 model can go for that much. Amazing really because a 2012 RCZ absolutely is not a $22k car in 2021, but it seems some markets see them as cult cars maybe.
I'd like to hear more about the market for a Peugeot in the US. Same as unicorns, I would reckon.
 
I'd like to hear more about the market for a Peugeot in the US. Same as unicorns, I would reckon.
That's why they cost so much in the U.S., they need to be imported? Right, now I get it. I found it bizzare that a car that would cost at most $12,000 (2012 model) in the UK/Europe (I find some for as low as £4,000) would cost between $15,000 and $24,000 in the U.S. It's because the vehicle was never sold there so has to be bought from Europe or another market, right? Makes sense to me now. In that case, I retract my statement and think the $22,000 the person on Mercadolibre is asking is extremely high... unless that model was never sold in Argentina.
 
That's why they cost so much in the U.S., they need to be imported? Right, now I get it. I found it bizzare that a car that would cost at most $12,000 (2012 model) in the UK/Europe (I find some for as low as £4,000) would cost between $15,000 and $24,000 in the U.S. It's because the vehicle was never sold there so has to be bought from Europe or another market, right? Makes sense to me now. In that case, I retract my statement and think the $22,000 the person on Mercadolibre is asking is extremely high... unless that model was never sold in Argentina.
Yeah, French cars disappeared in the US back in the 80s. Something about failure to comply with standards - I'm sure Chrysler's distribution deal had nothing to do with it.
 
That's why they cost so much in the U.S., they need to be imported? Right, now I get it. I found it bizzare that a car that would cost at most $12,000 (2012 model) in the UK/Europe (I find some for as low as £4,000) would cost between $15,000 and $24,000 in the U.S. It's because the vehicle was never sold there so has to be bought from Europe or another market, right? Makes sense to me now. In that case, I retract my statement and think the $22,000 the person on Mercadolibre is asking is extremely high... unless that model was never sold in Argentina.
I am not an expert, but I know a bit about this:

Importing an auto to the US is subject to DOT approval / process and if the auto is deemed unroadworthy (ie not up to safety spec at the time of manufacture.) then the auto may only be allowed in under "COLLECTOR" status which means you will never get it titled / registered for public road use. As well, the process can consume capital given the many hurdles that could lie ahead of each process as they are all unique given that every car is too. So, it's the sport of the rich in a sense.
 
Cars hold their value more in Argentina. I think the RCZ was actually sold here, so its not technically a grey market import- but many legal cars here still cost double what they cost elsewhere, thats pretty common. Especially if they are not 1 liter econoboxes from Fiat or Chevy.
There have been no peugots in the USA for almost 40 years. I had a mid 70s 504 that was legal, and it was still a huge problem to get parts, even when there were still dealers. No RCZs are in the USA, except if Peugot themselves (they still have an office in Jersey) brought one over under a manufacturers title. Certainly you could not buy one at all in the US.
 
Cars hold their value more in Argentina. I think the RCZ was actually sold here, so its not technically a grey market import- but many legal cars here still cost double what they cost elsewhere, thats pretty common. Especially if they are not 1 liter econoboxes from Fiat or Chevy.
In Argentina, people use cars, "TO PARK MONEY." Pun intended as factual as it may be.

So, real estate and cars are habitually over valued in Argentina if you ask me. If people had a way to park money with out inflationary fears or government confiscation worries, I think the value of RE & autos would adjust downward quite a bit.
 
While that is true for a few expensive cars, I think the main reason used cars are more expensive here is that its really hard to import cars.

The two factors that make used cars cheap are-
1- a big enough middle class always buying new cars and handing down used ones (The US is the biggest example of that, but the UK and Japan do the same thing)
or
2- easy import of cheap used cars- Mexico would be a good example of that- just drive em over the border.

But its extremely hard to import used cars to Argentina. So the existing base of used cars that are already here is valuable.
And the economy has not been good lately, so not a lot of purchases of new cars, creating more used cars for the market.

Its a long boat ride from Miami. If you could just bring in a used car with, say, a 5% duty, the streets would be full of used american cars. But at 100% import costs, it just makes sense that the cars that are already here are going to hold their value.

There are gigantic used car markets in the middle east and africa, where boatloads of japanese and US cars sell very cheaply- because its so easy to import them. Hence the stories of ISIS driving US cars- https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-12-15/how-texas-plumbers-truck-wound-isis-hands

If Argentina would allow used car imports, the value of used cars would go down.
 
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