where can I buy a used car ?

[AK74]

If it were that simple!

Not true. if one knows what he is buying and does his detective work right, you can get a very good car here for reasonable amount of cash. I bought a nice camry in almost new condition with all original miles and original parts. I did my research right and I won a good car.
AZB

It is VERY possible. But in two cases only:
1. You pick up the car yourself from the seaport before it was driven in DR
or
2. You buy it from a friend, or neighbour or relative who bought it new and you saw him driving and maintaining it every day. And you know the car`s true history and life.

Otherwise in DR you play Russian roulette. You cannot SEE condition of brake lines, or steering joints or timing belt. You can SEE only shining doors and hood/fenders.

And the reason or problem is not that US dealers are honest and Dominican ones - not.

In US car dealer activity is much stricter regulated and monitored than in DR or any other third-world country.

We are not talking about ANY US car auction (police, bank, public, etc) where you can find the same junk as in dominican lots.


No. Only about official , closed for public wholesale auctions like Manheim, Skyline, NADE, etc. Each vehicle under 100K miles is presented with full and legally binding history - regarding mileage, unibody accidents, recalls, paintwork etc.If upon purchase it is established that it was not presented correctly - it is returned to the seller with a serious penalty and warning.

Like the pros in this trade say - MONEY REST IN MILEAGE.

The same 2003 Camry with 40K miles is sold up to $6 000 higher than one with 100+K.

In USA to play with odometer is practically impossible for many years now, so this high miles Camry is bought to be shipped to a third world country where it immediatelly becomes 35K miles car and is sold accordingly. Easy money.


Same thing with accidents. DR is not covered by CARFAX or AUTOCHECK or any other database. So , while in Dominican territory a car may have several collisions and they are not reflected nowhere.

And if after an accident is is repaired COSMETICALLY well, only a pro can tell that it was done.

And its buyer does not know that the rails were straigtened with heatgun (that destroys the regidity of metall), that air-bag light was disconnected and SRS system is not working. And so on, and so forth.

Also you do not know how many miles really the car drove in DR.

Timing belt , for instance, must be replaced each 60K. On your odometer you see 50K and you feel good. But real mileage is 100K. Timing belt is cracked and dieing and while passing a car on higway between Sosua and PP you accelerate , it breaks and engine stalls with you being in the opposite lane helplessly watching an approaching truck.

We are grown-ups, let`s be serious, we are talking about our life.

You are living in a great place,Marko, with great climate and beautiful ocean and beach! How can you be so agressive and angry when somebody shares a invaluable info and knowleage ABSOLUTELLY FREE??!!

I could understand this if you were in a used car business, OK. But how it affects your nice hotel and restaurant I wonder?


Please be very carefull with used cars, folks. Car is the greatest potential threat and danger to our lives. Do not forget it while deciding between saving $ 2000 or getting a safe and proven product.

(Disclaimer. I am not a car dealer. I do not have nor ever had any used cars for sale. I only help people to find a needed car in a licensed dealers` car auctions and assist them with purchase with a needed license whatever they like and help with shipping to their respective countries. )

Happy Labour Day to all!

 

[DRob]

"Dieing" is spelled "Dying"

His name is spelled "M-a-r-c-o."

You wrote, "You cannot SEE condition of brake lines, or steering joints or timing belt. You can SEE only shining doors and hood/fenders."

Yes, you can. It's called an inspection.

You also wrote, "You are living in a great place,Marko, with great climate and beautiful ocean and beach! How can you be so agressive and angry when somebody shares a invaluable info and knowleage ABSOLUTELLY FREE??!!"

First, you mispelled "knowledge," which is appropriate. Given your responses, you don't seem to have any, so it figures you can't even spell the word. Second, you clearly don't know the guy if you think he's even remotely agressive or angry.

Marco has been a fixture for almost two decades. To casually dismiss his advice is to ask -beg, actually - for trouble and undue difficulty. He's a great guy, and one of the best folk in Sosua and the DR in general and this BB to know, and if you've missed that, then you're worse off than I thought.

 

[Rocky]

It is VERY possible. But in two cases only:
1. You pick up the car yourself from the seaport before it was driven in DR
or
2. You buy it from a friend, or neighbour or relative who bought it new and you saw him driving and maintaining it every day. And you know the car`s true history and life.

Otherwise in DR you play Russian roulette. You cannot SEE condition of brake lines, or steering joints or timing belt. You can SEE only shining doors and hood/fenders.

And the reason or problem is not that US dealers are honest and Dominican ones - not.

In US car dealer activity is much stricter regulated and monitored than in DR or any other third-world country.

We are not talking about ANY US car auction (police, bank, public, etc) where you can find the same junk as in dominican lots.


No. Only about official , closed for public wholesale auctions like Manheim, Skyline, NADE, etc. Each vehicle under 100K miles is presented with full and legally binding history - regarding mileage, unibody accidents, recalls, paintwork etc.If upon purchase it is established that it was not presented correctly - it is returned to the seller with a serious penalty and warning.

Like the pros in this trade say - MONEY REST IN MILEAGE.

The same 2003 Camry with 40K miles is sold up to $6 000 higher than one with 100+K.

In USA to play with odometer is practically impossible for many years now, so this high miles Camry is bought to be shipped to a third world country where it immediatelly becomes 35K miles car and is sold accordingly. Easy money.


Same thing with accidents. DR is not covered by CARFAX or AUTOCHECK or any other database. So , while in Dominican territory a car may have several collisions and they are not reflected nowhere.

And if after an accident is is repaired COSMETICALLY well, only a pro can tell that it was done.

And its buyer does not know that the rails were straigtened with heatgun (that destroys the regidity of metall), that air-bag light was disconnected and SRS system is not working. And so on, and so forth.

Also you do not know how many miles really the car drove in DR.

Timing belt , for instance, must be replaced each 60K. On your odometer you see 50K and you feel good. But real mileage is 100K. Timing belt is cracked and dieing and while passing a car on higway between Sosua and PP you accelerate , it breaks and engine stalls with you being in the opposite lane helplessly watching an approaching truck.

We are grown-ups, let`s be serious, we are talking about our life.

You are living in a great place,Marko, with great climate and beautiful ocean and beach! How can you be so agressive and angry when somebody shares a invaluable info and knowleage ABSOLUTELLY FREE??!!

I could understand this if you were in a used car business, OK. But how it affects your nice hotel and restaurant I wonder?


Please be very carefull with used cars, folks. Car is the greatest potential threat and danger to our lives. Do not forget it while deciding between saving $ 2000 or getting a safe and proven product.

(Disclaimer. I am not a car dealer. I do not have nor ever had any used cars for sale. I only help people to find a needed car in a licensed dealers` car auctions and assist them with purchase with a needed license whatever they like and help with shipping to their respective countries. )

Happy Labour Day to all!

Do you really think that the million plus drivers of this country are driving heaps, and that you and only you have figured out the solution?
We've seen guys like you come and go hundreds of times over, and they're all going to show us the path of light.
A year or two later they disappear into the sunset, licking their wounds, telling us how it's all the Dominicans' fault, that they failed.
Don't you think we know how to inspect a car?
What do you think people did before Carfax existed?
Do you think that you're the only person on Earth who knows anything about cars?
And guess what?
Dominican car importers/dealers do NOT pay as much import tax as you do.
They have connections and they average approx. 1/4 of what you pay.

 

[mbain]

Buying a used car

Some of that thread has to do with private sales and dishonest vendors, thus the extremes they go to, and then some people are ultra cautious by nature and may take that a bit too far.
When I buy a car from Espaillat, I do nothing, nada, drek.
They get all the documents for me, I buy the insurance right there, and I pay no more than if I went myself to do it all.

True, true and true. It was me who Mark helped by the 2002 Tracker. The first thing he told me before we left for Espaillat was to have an open mind as to the car or SUV i wanted and we would find the best deal available in my price range.

We both test drove the 6-7 vechicles before i decided and Mark's knowledge of cars was a great asset. Once i had decided they let us take the vechicle for the night so a mechanic of our choice could give it a full inspection. If you have ever driven from Moca to Sosua you would know it is a great way to find out about the way a car responds. We took the Tracker to an excellent mechanic close to Sosua who gave it a full inspection including an electronic diagnostic. The 1000 peso cost was well worth the piece of mind. We also checked the car out on internet and it came out clean. It had not been driven on island yet.

I returned the Tracker the next day with my list of minor repairs needed before i would purchase (i.e. 1 speaker, alignment etc) I went back on the Saturday and all was repaired as requested and all the paperwork was ready including insurance. The process couldn't have been easier.

I recommend you follow those steps and you shouldn't go wrong.

Thanks again for your hospitality Mark.

MB

 

[whirleybird]

It depends on what part of the country you're in.
We always buy from Espaillat Motors in Moca, in fact, we just picked one up today, a Chevy Tracker (Suzuki) 2002, in excellent condition.
They stand behind their product more than most, and generally have vehicles in better condition than most dealers.
Nothing's perfect, of course, and one still has to be a wise buyer.
We looked at many vehicles in a given price range and test drove 6 or 7 before deciding which one to take.

We are looking at changing my car - currently have a Mitsubishi Montero (doesn't everyone!!) 3.5 Limited Edition (not 4 x 4) which is petrol fed and need a good 4 x 4 turbo diesel - would you recommend Espaillat Motors and do they offer p/x?