how so many expensive jeepetas in this country?

rubenpriego

New member
Feb 28, 2011
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I am really amazed about the number of jeepetas in this country.
Jeepetas are premium cars, very expensive everywhere at any country.
How in a developing (just not to say third world) country there are so many premium cars?
Just an example, in Spain, where people earns 3, 4 times more than a dominican, they can only afford those jeepetas if they are mid-high class professionals.
It would be like if I would be in Barcelona for example and all roads were plenty of Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborgini ... no way, it would be ilogical situation, so ...

how this happens in this country? really curious about it ...

Just one of a long list of things that I cannot really understand from this country ....
 

windeguy

Platinum
Jul 10, 2004
42,211
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We probably should have a poll on this. Something like

A) Political graft
B) Money Laundering
C) It's cheap to live here otherwise so let's get a Jeepeta
D) A and B not C
 
Dec 26, 2011
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Many and varied are the explanations:

1. Though there is widespread poverty in DR there are very wealthy Dominicans with the means to purchase such vehicles.

2. There are pensioned and well-invested foreigners with the means. Other foreigners work as professionals and entrepreneurs in the DR and this provides them with the means.

3. Drug dealers and their extended families.

4. Baseball players and their extended families.

5. Persons receiving financial assistance from family/lovers outside the country.

6. Dominicans that have worked hard abroad that return home with money saved and/or pensions.

Just some explanations.
 

JMB773

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Nov 4, 2011
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D) A lot of those really fancy SUV are STOLEN from other countries and end up in the Dominican Republic.
 

zoomzx11

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Jan 21, 2006
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Its all about appearances-looking rich. The site had a member who was a talented mechanic working on BMW, Mercedes, etc and he said that he could not make a living in the DR as the owners of these vehicles spent every cent they had paying for the car and would not change the oil or do any maintenance. These high end cars make the owners look wealthy and are a big boost to their love life. Some say (not me of course) that driving these cars make up for the fact that nature left them out when it comes to the size of certain of their appendages.
 

JMB773

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Nov 4, 2011
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Also the roads are terrible, traffic lights ALWAYS not working, tailgating is second nature to most Dominicans and you think a person should subject a Cadillac Escalade to the streets of the DR? I think not. A Rav 4, Montero Sport, even a Dune Buggy are all better choses then something like Infiniti QX56 in the DR.
 

Randall Bell

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Feb 17, 2012
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Many Dominicans are asset rich but cash poor. This results in things being leveraged to the hilt.

One of my old landlords - they had 2 nice SUV's, 2 apartments, but honestly they didn't have the money to for example pay someone to fix their own window. Just living hand to mouth month to month. Their maid told me that they hadn't paid her for 2 months. etc. They even asked to borrow money from ME! lol imagina te!
 

Mariot

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Oct 13, 2009
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people from developed countries often assume that a poor country consists only of poor people. in reality however, most of these countries consist of very very rich, and poor people, with only a few people in the middle. so you could say that in the dr, most of the people who can afford a car have enough money to buy an expensive one. most of the rest of dominicans is not able to afford a car at all (note that you see also much more small motorcycles than in developed countries.)

in addition, wealth is much more openly flaunted in the dr than in a lot of european countries (not all, in some eastern european capitals, i saw even more expensive suv's than in santo domingo).
 

Reasonable Man

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Dec 23, 2011
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I really do think it's about getting some ass. I know countless guys who I know for a fact are cash strapped, barely making ends meet, who have saved up years to be able to buy a Jeepeta just to impress women, and the women of this country really do love that type of thing.
 

JMB773

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Nov 4, 2011
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I met Dominicans from the states who save up all year just to return to the DR and RENT a highend SUV just to impress their countrymen, but they WALK in NYC or they drive a 89 Civic with a different color door on the driver side.
 

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
13,280
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Santiago de Los 30 Caballeros
I am really amazed about the number of jeepetas in this country.
Jeepetas are premium cars, very expensive everywhere at any country.
How in a developing (just not to say third world) country there are so many premium cars?
Just an example, in Spain, where people earns 3, 4 times more than a dominican, they can only afford those jeepetas if they are mid-high class professionals.
It would be like if I would be in Barcelona for example and all roads were plenty of Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborgini ... no way, it would be ilogical situation, so ...

how this happens in this country? really curious about it ...

Just one of a long list of things that I cannot really understand from this country ....


After all the clueless hints:

First of all SUVs and Cars are not that apart in overvalue for the DR, that's to say that an SUV that in the US could fetch some 20,000 with a year of use, in the DR would be just about the price asked for a Honda civic with a year use as well.

SUVs are more common in the DR based on the conditions of many roads and country side paths. The more remote the town/place, the more need for an SUV.

Economics wise, an SUV would actually give you about the same miles per gallon as car would if you had to take the hills of the mountains each day. Cars are forgiving in normal traffic and best on the highways, but once you put a car on a road that's full of slopes and steep hills all that Mpg savings evaporates faster than a liquid fuel during the launching of the space Shuttle...

In reality and contrary to the held beliefs of many experts here, Gmen prefer exotic or premium sedans over SUVs for their travels and baja-panty effect. They consider driving a Porsche Cayenne a queer's option.

Another reality of the driving grind in the DR is that the bigger vehicle has the right of way in many instances. So the bigger the SUV the more you can drive aggressively on the road and gain the right of way...

Unlike before some two decades back and a bit, today there are more choices of SUVs to pick from and many of them have done great in the Mpg subject.

There are still many places in the DR where you'll need an SUV to drive there and back safely, not to mention when it rains for several days.

It's a need not a luxury for the DR to have so many SUVs on the road, unlike other places where mostly the well to do would opt for such gas guzzlers and nightmares to find parking for.
 

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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To all Dominicans,rich and poor,it's all about "Image"!
They will sacrifice EVERYTHING,including a better life for their childreen,just to impess people they don't even know.
For the very poor,they wear expensive shoes,clothes,and have the latest "Blackberry" or "Iphone".
To those with some income,they will live in a poor "Barrio", and eat only "Espagetti" with some salami on special occasions,just to drive an "SUV".
I prefer to skimp on my vehicles,and spend everything on my kids.
Just so you know about the "Sexual" aspect of driving a great car,or SUV,they call those vehicles a "Baja Panti"!
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bob saunders

Platinum
Jan 1, 2002
32,502
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dr1.com
Even the maid has a nicer cell phone than my wife, because she doesn't have one. Imagine and style over substance, not only Dominicans are guilty of this, but certainly it seems to be a Dominican trait.
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
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Huh?

I got mine handed to me at immigration when I came in.

I thought everybody got one.
 

JMB773

Silver
Nov 4, 2011
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I have a question and I will use the car I have been pricing. A 2010 Infiniti FX35 with around 22,000 miles is around 32,000USD here. In the Dominican Republic this same car is around 65,000USD. Now this is my problem Dominicans make way less money then Americans how an the HECK can they come up with an extra 33,000USD?
 

cobraboy

Pro-Bono Demolition Hobbyist
Jul 24, 2004
40,964
936
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I have a question and I will use the car I have been pricing. A 2010 Infiniti FX35 with around 22,000 miles is around 32,000USD here. In the Dominican Republic this same car is around 65,000USD. Now this is my problem Dominicans make way less money then Americans how an the HECK can they come up with an extra 33,000USD?
tony-montana1.jpg
 

lisagauss

Bronze
Feb 16, 2011
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I myself have also pondered this question....I see more fancy SUV in Santiago/DR in general than in NY. Some reasons I have gathered for this....

1) These are rented vehicles, specially many of the FX's you see on the road.
2) Drug/money laundering.
3) Up to the neck in bills/loans just to own an SUV
4) Sold a house/apartment owned just to buy the SUV
5) Retired an receiving a nice $ from abroad

I heard of a funny story of a guy in Barahona. This guy's brother had to leave everything he owned in the DR to go back to the states cause he ran out of money. One of the things that was left behind was a Mercedes "del a?o". The brother would drive around in it and get all the chicks. However, one day the air condition either broke or ran out of freon, but the driver would NOT roll the windows down and when asked why; he would say, "then people would know I don't have air condition".