Porsche questions - importation into the DR, maintenance of car in the DR

Pikobello

Active member
Nov 12, 2020
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I have seen some 911 in the capital, sometimes a Ferrari or a Lamborghini. Then I ask myself, what the hell do you want with this sportscars in a country without streets and speedlimits so you can't enjoy there real power?
For the streets in the DR it's more recommendable a Cayenne or Macan, better an Humvee. But yes, driving a 911 with sunglasses on you will become your attention, not only from women half of your age...
 
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NALs

Economist by Profession
Jan 20, 2003
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I've seen a dealer in S.D. so that might be a better way to go.
It's the only Porsche dealership in the country and supposedly its the dealership that most sell Porsches in Latin America when taking into account the size of the market (aka, per capita).
 

SKY

Gold
Apr 11, 2004
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A friend of mine in Sosua has had a Cayenne for many years. But he did build a steel garage to keep it in outside in an apt. complex parking lot.
 

william webster

Platinum
Jan 16, 2009
30,247
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OK
I have just driven from Cabrera to Punta Cana

I saw Porsche’s, BMWs, a Bentley, Maserati..... all sorts... driving like maniacs , I might add

I have nothing ...NOTHING... against fancy cars
in fact , I own a Macan...in the USA... plenty in my part of the country

I have owned better marques too.

The Porsche is a good car.
is it the right tool for the job in this country ?

here I own a Jeep and an Isuzu MUX.... durable vehicles

Suit yourself sir.....
but , as has been said, the percep here is a bit different than LA or Miami or other big cities

BtW, when I had one of those ‘fancy’ cars..in the US.... I debadged it
it was unidentifiable except for Neptune’s trident
No Name

Just make sure you’re using the right car for the conditions

The reverse is driving the African safari vehicle to lunch at the Ritz in NYC
that looks stupid.....

if you choose to go forward.... go to the SD dealer.... you’ll be fine

Best of luck
 

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
13,280
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Santiago de Los 30 Caballeros
If you are worried about how much it will cost you to bring the car to the DR, don’t fret...

You can get a straight quote prior to shipping it.
But first you need to establish you CAN import the vehicle on your own. You just can’t import a car without meeting the requirements as per customs.

The value of the car is not what you paid or bluebook or else. It’s whatever customs has jotted down in their master book.

Then you have added VAT and the usual suspects since CAFTA -DR came into effect.

I tried bringing my classic 2003 E500 to conserve my classic, but it wasn’t worth the expense here.

Then I was set on bringing my other car from Florida to here as well, but I figured wasn’t a great idea at this point in time. Those two got sold and now I drive something less peculiar together with an early 90’s Toyota for loads in the DR.

The E500 was the first one in 2003 for that pre-AMG production. A classic! Great car and a superb engine. Later it was replaced by the E55 as it competed with the S500 and provided more bang for the buck.

The other one was a crazy impulse buy as I reached midlife crisis mode. My hormones were imbalanced. This one put some order to that.
I later came to hate the stripping as this was not what I wanted, but the guy was pitching them like crazy. What do I know! Here you can see it before the stripes and after... you be the judge...

Anyhow, it was a nightmare to drive in the streets of Orlando, as even with the suspension adjusted at max it kept hitting everywhere on front and rear. Nasty scrapes under the spoilers. If you went too fast, the paint on front received a nice batch of nicks from the loose gravel/pavement. They look nice, but are a pain to get in and out. Just lately I understood why older folks loved their Cadillacs and Lincoln cars.

That made my mind quick about bringing it to the DR, together with the taxes to be paid $$$$.

I left my Altima and X6 for later visits. Altima in Orlando and had the X6 shipped to NY (snow).

My niece and nephews made a lunar landing picture atop my Sienna (somehow the sheet metal is thinner on it than my other cars as you can notice on pic) dealer was not so open to a trade-in with as it was. Ended up giving it to the oldest nephew (will need two more years to drive it legally). I don’t understand why kids have a need to sunbath atop cars!

All in all I feel I made the right decisions about not bringing any of the cars to the DR, without having to make a declaration of moving to the country. I seldom drove here during my stays from work overseas and really was not challenged to keep up with traffic as much as I do now.

Here I posted some pics of some of the cars (yes! There were more!) As I put lots of miles on them daily due to work, so the more the less miles on each. I loved to drive there.

Here in DR I drive with the SUV in a defensive and extra careful mode. The older Toyota Camry I drive like the Devil to a soul reaper’s meeting.
Like a maniac! Hhhhhhhh

I believe here you can drive whatever you love to drive. Just keep in mind where you go to and where you park. It is worth it to bring a car? In my personal opinion, no... Warranty is out the door for a newer car once you take it out of the country.

Add that some parts are even hard to come by in a large market like the US, imagine here.

Yes you can get them there and bring them over, but is it worth it?

I think unless you are bringing an older vehicle 🚗 to the DR, it’s best to just buy it here and have some sort of warranty covering your investment. BMW, Merc and other $$$ brands are not cheap to keep up with.

I did sell the E500 only because I had no place to keep it. Was parking it at my sister’s apt complex near me, but she sold her unit and as such there too went the parking space with it.

There are plenty of Porsche here in the DR, one more you bring ain’t going to make it a problem.
If you love the car and wish to, why not?

I think my next car will be a recliner sofa, I mean a Lincoln Navigator or Cadillac Escalade... hhhhhhh
 

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windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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My opinion is that owning such a car is a bad idea. From the costs of importing it , the bad drivers and road conditions, the costs of a upkeep and the concept of making yourself a target. It is simply a "bad tool for the job" here in the DR. A really bad idea. I would never consider it.
 

Michael DR

Banned
Jun 7, 2020
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Earth
My opinion is that owning such a car is a bad idea. From the costs of importing it , the bad drivers and road conditions, the costs of a upkeep and the concept of making yourself a target. It is simply a "bad tool for the job" here in the DR. A really bad idea. I would never consider it.
Chief amongst all the sage advice I've been blessed with over the years is to do your best to blend in. Everyone has their own idea of what that may mean but it surely does not mean to be a showoff or to flaunt your money and vanity. The next bit of excellent, complimentary advice is not to appear to be wealthy or perhaps even to appear no more than average. Don't over dress, dress like everyone else, drive an average, older vehicle, etc. Most of the tragic stories you read about people coming to a bad end in the DR is when these rules are not followed. Also if for whatever reason you are perceived to be well off, even if just for being a gringo even if you are not by your standards, and someone sees or makes an opportunity. It's a long list...
 

JD Jones

Moderator:North Coast,Santo Domingo,SW Coast,Covid
Jan 7, 2016
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Chief amongst all the sage advice I've been blessed with over the years is to do your best to blend in. Everyone has their own idea of what that may mean but it surely does not mean to be a showoff or to flaunt your money and vanity. The next bit of excellent, complimentary advice is not to appear to be wealthy or perhaps even to appear no more than average. Don't over dress, dress like everyone else, drive an average, older vehicle, etc. Most of the tragic stories you read about people coming to a bad end in the DR is when these rules are not followed. Also if for whatever reason you are perceived to be well off, even if just for being a gringo even if you are not by your standards, and someone sees or makes an opportunity. It's a long list...
I have 4 SUV's in very good condition, the newest is a 2008 Prado, the oldest is a 90 Cherokee. I wouldn't be afraid to give the keys of any of them to a friend to drive as they are all very dependable, not that I would.

I also subscribe to the mindset of "don't draw attention to yourself" by having a vehicle that doesn't "fit" your neighborhood.

A lot depends on where you live in the country. If you live in an area that's not accustomed to expensive vehicles at some point in time you'll regret having that beast in the driveway.
 
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Caonabo

LIFE IS GOOD
Sep 27, 2017
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I have 4 SUV's in very good condition, the newest is a 2008 Prado, the oldest is a 90 Cherokee. I wouldn't be afraid to give the keys of any of them to a friend to drive as they are all very dependable, not that I would.

I also subscribe to the mindset of "don't draw attention to yourself" by having a vehicle that doesn't "fit" your neighborhood.

A lot depends on where you live in the country. If you live in an area that's not accustomed to expensive vehicles at some point in time you'll regret having that beast in the driveway.

The SUV's, or your friends?
 

Caonabo

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Sep 27, 2017
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I have 4 SUV's in very good condition, the newest is a 2008 Prado, the oldest is a 90 Cherokee. I wouldn't be afraid to give the keys of any of them to a friend to drive as they are all very dependable, not that I would.

I also subscribe to the mindset of "don't draw attention to yourself" by having a vehicle that doesn't "fit" your neighborhood.

A lot depends on where you live in the country. If you live in an area that's not accustomed to expensive vehicles at some point in time you'll regret having that beast in the driveway.

Would you not park a Maserati Levante Trofeo in Capotillo overnight?
 

PICHARDO

One Dominican at a time, please!
May 15, 2003
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Santiago de Los 30 Caballeros
Would you not park a Maserati Levante Trofeo in Capotillo overnight?


Well... You can have it flatbed towed and dropped off to Capotillo. In a fine parking spot.

I highly doubt you can get it out of there, unless you leave behind the ground effect skirts, bumpers, exhaust system and the oil pan stuck to one of the policías acostados...

😊
 

rfp

Gold
Jul 5, 2010
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You might want to find out the minimum number of years that you have to have owned it to qualify. Also there is an age restriction.

More importantly have you thought this through at all? Are you armed? Do you employ security? Do you realize that you will instantly become an elevated target?

Hell, I'd almost carjack you myself! LOL
Wrong, Porsches are a dime a dozen in many part of the country. If you have one it means that you serious business, not to be messed with. They assume you pack and are "connected". You are far more likely to be a target driving a 10 year old Accord.
 

Michael DR

Banned
Jun 7, 2020
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Wrong, Porsches are a dime a dozen in many part of the country. If you have one it means that you serious business, not to be messed with. They assume you pack and are "connected". You are far more likely to be a target driving a 10 year old Accord.

Opinions vary and we've pretty much beaten this horse to death. Do you. Me, I'll do what I think is best and imagine you will to.
 

Caonabo

LIFE IS GOOD
Sep 27, 2017
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Opinions vary and we've pretty much beaten this horse to death. Do you. Me, I'll do what I think is best and imagine you will to.

As a member of this web forum community since June of this year (2020) are YOU flexing your wannabe Moderator wings, Sockpuppet stakes, or just being a general Weirdo Walley?
 
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windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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Wrong, Porsches are a dime a dozen in many part of the country. If you have one it means that you serious business, not to be messed with. They assume you pack and are "connected". You are far more likely to be a target driving a 10 year old Accord.
Certainly the most amusing post thus far.
 

chico bill

Dogs Better than People
May 6, 2016
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Why do you say that? I've owned two Porsches here and still have one. Never had any unwanted attention. In fact I get a lot of positive comments about my 968 as it is the only one in the DR as far as I know.

I too would evade the main stealers in this country. I buy most of my parts off eBay, Pelican Parts and DC automotive from the US and ship them over. I do all my maintenance myself as a hobby.
Porsche is not what it used to be in terms of worldwide panache of 30 years ago, that being said they are priced to the moon and need real tuning from time to time and the rough roads take away a lot of fun a sports car owner should enjoy. You don't see many 2-seater convertibles which would be fun here if not for the roads

Now if you are talking a new Lexus LX 570 or a New Landcruiser Prado - those might be more the target of tigres for carjacking becuase they can fill it with more stolen stuff