Purchasing a car

[rdcooper]

I understand the majority of vehicles in Argentina are manual transmission and that automatics are rare. Just how rare are they? I'm not looking to purchase anything fancy, possibly a midsize vehicle, and I'm thinking I should be able to find a dealership in Buenos Aires that has one.

 

[Cordoba]

It is rare only for budget vehicles or some base vehicle trims. Most of the higher trim levels of the budget vehicles have an optional automatic and many of the mid-range suv's and cars won't even have a manual option anymore. I don't think you can get a Rav4 or Corolla in manual anymore. But if you want a Yaris with an automatic it will need to be a top trim level.

 

[rdcooper]

Thanks for the information. What about a European vehicle?

 

[FrankPintor]

Thanks for the information. What about a European vehicle?

I have a midsized Volvo SUV, available only in automatic I believe. Worth more than when I bought it (but that's down to the crazy economy here). If you buy a newer vehicle, especially a hybrid, I'd expect it to be available only as an automatic (due to the much greater complexity in combining power sources).

If you can use MercadoLibre, you can filter by transmission type.

Bear in mind that Asian vehicles, particularly Toyotas, attract a premium. I know someone who bought a 2007 Toyota Prada, with 200k+ km on the clock, for more than twice the price I paid for my Volvo.

 

[LuckyLuke]

Cars vary widely and so do their prices. Getting an automatic is not a problem. For most people, paying full price up front is the problem. Knowing your budget can help determine your options available. As for Euro brands, I haven't heard great things about Renault. The Peugot 208 is quite popular right now. Most here seem to drive a Fiat, VW, or Toyota.

 

[FrankPintor]

As a European, I would run, not walk, away from offers of Citroën, Fiat, and Renaults. Just possibly Peugeot, who are popular in Africa, and must have adapted to that market.

Euro brands to consider would be the VW family and Volvo. Going upmarket, you have Audi, BMW, and Mercedes, though I’m told that the first two have problems with their emissions control.

Honda, Kia, and Toyota are popular here, but at a price premium, as I mentioned.

 

[LuckyLuke]

As a European, I would run, not walk, away from offers of Citroën, Fiat, and Renaults.

Have to say I'm quite happy with my Fiat Cronos, it's a lot of car for the $16,000 I paid for it. Given today's price though, I would probably choose something else. Sadly, Argentina has a trunk space disorder and can't seem to get over it's fascination with hatchbacks, which is virtually useless for traveling with children.

 

[elhombresinnombre]

It may also be worth noting that many European "brands" are actually manufactured in Argentina and sometimes with specifications which differ from the originals. I know this because a while ago a relative bought what was the latest Argentine model Renault Clio which looked identical to the latest French-built model. It wasn't. Beauty, as they say, is only skin deep and this car was only identical as far as the body shell. I don't know how they did it, but all the mechanical parts were from an earlier generation. Neither the purchaser nor myself (nor I imagine, most car buyers) were avid car specification nurds and just assumed the latest model would be the same worldwide.

How did we find out? Back in England, I bought them a copy of the Haynes manual for that model. They were delighted - until they realised that nothing in the car apart from the doors, trim, lights etc were as described in the manual and we had to get a manual for the previous model to cover little, insignificant things like the engine, transmission, electrics etc, etc.

 

[Quilombo]

You can search for automatic transmission cars on Mercado Libre and then message the dealerships via their website or social media.

The other thing to keep in mind is that very few Argentine vehicles pass standard American/European safety tests and fold like a lawn chair on impact.

 

[Edmonton770]

Just be careful & look into your dealership before buying a car. Dont get scammed, it is Argentina