We buy great used cars in excellent condition at an average of US dealer retail plus 20%.
We buy from a dealer, get everything fixed up to perfection, just as any good US dealer would do.
I get the impression that some folks here are dealing with all the wrong people.
I have yet to see one of those Katrina cars here and it surely has everything to do with whom I deal with.
Stop dealing with fly by night dealers and you can get as good a car here as anywhere else in the world, only at approx. 20% more.
If you think that 20% more is a lot, then figure this.
The new cars are 40 to 50% more, so if you can buy excellent used cars at plus 20%, then you're laughing, and for those of us who remember the old days when cars were 300% the American prices, we scoff at +20%.
As there are nay sayers, rest assured that I can produce half a dozen folks within a day who can tell you about their excellent used vehicles at +20% or less, that were purchased from a good dealer.
And for those who think that there are no US dealers screwing around with odometers up there and selling flood damaged vehicles, you need to wake up and smell the coffee.
For those who think everything is wrong with the country, it may be time to go home from whence you came.
US retail + 20% is a very good deal here. I don't sell cars, only repair them, but what I see - even in Moca, the "vehicle capital" of the DR - they are about 40-50% over of the US prices.
On my personal car I paid almost 50% duty, tax and registration. And that was with a huge discount.
The registration tax is 17% for every cars comes in, regardless of private or business import.
Sure, many dealer are well connected and pay less than an expat. It just means more profit to them, but won't make the price lower. I'm talking of the majority.
And almost no dealer -well, very few- want's to get the car back into the "perfection". They try to spend the lowest possible amount on repair. I see their dirty tricks every day. Trough my trade I deal with quite few, and I still can't recommend more than 2-3 to deal with. Of course it does not mean that they are the only good ones. We are just in the same area.
Once or twice a week I get a phone call about turning back the odometer on BMWs. No man, I don't play that way.
A while ago a client brought a Volvo to my shop with only 60K miles for a pre-purchase inspection. The car was very nice and clean, but the seller was dumb enough to leave a 105K Timing Belt Replacement service tag on the timing cover.
rsg doesn't talk BS about high mileage suddenly became low mileage, believe me.
Back in the old country emission laws are federal laws. To remove a "Check Engine" bulb form the instrument panel can set you back $ 40,000 and/or 2 years of prison, just the same as to gut out a cat.converter.
In the US most states require safety and emission inspection, during that your odometer reading will be sent to the DMV's database. If your odo reading at the last inspection was 100K miles, but now -for some miracle - it's back to 60K, their will be a "Tempered Odometer" note attached to your title. Good luck to sell it after..
Sure they try to sell salvage / lemon cars in the US. Few years ago 2 of the biggest insurance companies did that. Actually they where the two who got busted.
In the US however, if you buy a salvage and that fact isn't stated on the title, you are covered legally, and you will be compensated. What about in the DR??
They will laugh in your face.
There is a big chance that you would buy a Katrina car, unless you would do some unusual checks on them. There is no blazing orange spray paint on them "hey, I was in a flood!"
I have a 745 Li in the shop right now. Most of my customers loves it. It looks like a dream car inside - outside. I don't know if it's a Katrina car, but sure as hell it was in a salt-water flood.
Those who are selling salvage cars are professionals. They know their trade, and now how to get rid of the signs.
You might be lucky and haven't seen any - yet, or they might just did a good job to cover it up.
I still say it is possible to find a good car with a fair price tag, you just have to keep looking.
The Hun