Importing a vehicle into Argentina

[Capn Rick]

For all the good advice on getting a shipment from BsAs to MarDel. Renting a truck turned out not to be the best idea. My 1999 BMW R1100S motorcycle was dropped off at the Barrio Saavedra train freight office on Friday by the bike repair guy and I received it in good shape in MarDel that afternoon. Total cost was AR$120. Not bad!

If I was planning on keeping the bike, I would have liked to ship it to Bariloche, Commodoro Rividavia, etc and drive it in those places. Getting to those places is too much like driving through West Texas. Miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles. The fun is definitely not in the getting there, as the old slogan said. Especially when the train shipment is so inexpensive.

I will get the bike nationalized in a few weeks and I will post pics and craigslist info, as soon as it is legal to sell it. As well as a report about the problems of getting an imported Ford Focus and BMW m / c cleared and nationalized.

BTW, I am selling it to pay for the household goods shipment on the move here from Miami. It was purchased for that specific reason. Also. I have no secure place to keep the bike and do not trust the commercial garage where it is now. Also, one also sees on TV news the results of guys on nice bikes getting a gun stuck in their face and told to get off the bike while awaiting a traffic light. On such incident happened in the relatively quiet part of MarDel right after we got here in March08

One quick piece of advice... I cannot currently drive either vehicle because I did not know, nor was I informed by my freight agent, that I should have gotten my temporary permit to drive the vehicles... which expired in Nov08... extended BEFORE letting customs know that I had received my permanent residency. It seems there is a Catch 22... if you have a temporary residency (mine would expire next Jan09), you may get an extension on the temporary permit to drive the vehicles here. One may not apply for nationalizing the vehicles until the permanent residency is approved. Once I found out the paperwork process was going to last longer than the Nov08 expiration date of the vehicle permit, I was well into the vehicle nationalization process... and was told I could no longer apply for a temporary vehicle permit extension because I am now a permanent resident.

Again. Muchas gracias and Suerte -CapnRick

[Billyboy69]

But if I decide to move to Argentina, carring my container, I have to pay for any personal goods I have? For example my hobby is electronic, I have many electronic equipment. It's a nightmare!

[El Aleman]

And, what I heard from trusworthy Argentine friends, customs tends to levy import duties on used goods not on their purchase value but on their presumed new value. The reasoning behind that seems to be that they can't check if the value on the invoice is fair market or just lowered to avoid taxes.

This info did not rely specifically on cars, but on all types of used goods, it rose up during a discussion about importing used lab equipment like gas chromatographs, etc. That are available in the US and Europe rather cheap but are apparently a nightmare to bring into the country.

If importing anything, it certainly may make sense to do it through a freight forwarder / customs agent who knows his way through the procedures.

2 centavos de.

El Alemán

[Andres]

Guys, you can get a nice Mercedes 250D Army G model, with 40.000km in very very nice condition (ok painted in green) with textile roof, for about 6500-9000 euros, 10 years old or younger. Transport to AR would be another 2000.- estimated.

So, what would be the price after customs and I don't know what else?

Just to give me an idea about the pain Andres told me.

Regards,

Carnevalistico

I heard it's about 50 to 80% of the value.

The other problem is that you may need to navigate a nightmarish and corrupt Customs institution. Don't be surprised if your car gets rusted for months on an outdoor parking lot while you try to get it out.

I know that it sounds kind of extreme (average experience may be less dramatic) but I saw myself not less than 30 Japanese cars back in the 80-90s getting rusted on an ANA parking lot.

Cheers,

Andres

[El Aleman]

Andres,

I do NOT trade in any sort of meat, be it German or whatever.

El Alemán

[CarneValistico]

Guys, you can get a nice Mercedes 250D Army G model, with 40.000km in very very nice condition (ok painted in green) with textile roof, for about 6500-9000 euros, 10 years old or younger. Transport to AR would be another 2000.- estimated.

So, what would be the price after customs and I don't know what else?

Just to give me an idea about the pain Andres told me.

Regards,

Carnevalistico

[Andres]

Hi All!

Bringing a car inside the country, is that an option or is it so much hassle that you better leave it?

What about private belongings as well, I. E. Transported in a container?

What about my beloved smoked blackforrest ham, can I bring it in?

Regards, Carnevalistico

Yes, importing a car is a pain. You'll pay a lot of taxes. Better buy something locally.

A full container should cost around USD 3000, insurance and paperwork included. At least, it's what friends of mine are paying for moving back to BA from North American cities.

As of ham, 2 advices:

- There is a famous butchery at Benavidez (40 km from Capital) called Fiambrería Alemana (or El Alemán, something relatred to Germans) You can find a branch in Palermo, close to Cabello St and Lafinur St (if I remember well) Very expensive but very good.

- There is an INCREDIBLE butchery store at km 165 of Route 205, El Hornero (if I remember well) It takes a long ride from BA, and buying 10 kg of different pork products could cost USD 100. But believe me. It's worth the ride.

Hope this helps,

Andres

[CarneValistico]

Hi All!

Bringing a car inside the country, is that an option or is it so much hassle that you better leave it?

What about private belongings as well, I. E. Transported in a container?

Regards,

Carnevalistico

[Alan23]

Hi Bairespirata,

There's some good information on this subject on the TransPack website:

http://www.transpack.com.ar/

And specifically this page:

http://www.transpack.com.ar/index.ph...tionsforimport

Thanks,

Jackson

Jackson,

This thread has gone totally quiet - did the 78% import duty put the damper on your plan.

I have a 1988 Mercedes 260E (left-hand drive) which I would like to bring to Argentina (the shipping is very reasonable from South Africa) but not looking to pay big duty. Don't mind paying 78% duty - IF the valuation can conveniently be about 1/4 normal.

I can not find enough definitive information to allay my fears of not getting ripped by customs.

Alan

[Moore]

Being an expat living in Argentina it's like being a Mexican living in LA. It's going to be hard to understand some behaviors, actions and desires on a foreign society especially when not speaking the language and not being integrated to the society like having a normal job or attending school (or this can be replaced for living a very long time and having many local friends and having many problems to be resolved)

I am not an expat, I speak the local language 99% of the time, I have/had normal jobs in Argentina, I have attended school (ok classes) in Argentina, I lived in BsAs for years before, during, and after the 2001/2002 crisis, most media sources for me whether news or entertainment have been Argentine. Have I integrated? Can I understand the local behaviors and complexities?

And More, you've got from one extreme to the other, but what's in the middle? May be a non-stuck-up ***** more sophisticated than a working girl and capable to notice the difference from a renault and a bmw?

I thought I covered the entire spectrum. As I said, the majority have been middle class girls.

[MCSE]

It's sometimes a weird relationship argentineans have with cars. Narrow streets, cheap taxi, a lot of 24/7 colectivos by the city made that many doesn't even think about driving a car. They classify cars in: imported or domestic. And may be that one of the reasons for "imported" cars have to pay more taxes is Macri owned all of the cars factories in Argentina, so they probably made a law to "defend the national cars industry against the quality of foreign invasors". Being an expat living in Argentina it's like being a Mexican living in LA. It's going to be hard to understand some behaviors, actions and desires on a foreign society especially when not speaking the language and not being integrated to the society like having a normal job or attending school (or this can be replaced for living a very long time and having many local friends and having many problems to be resolved) I have a nice example here: For many porteno guys (and girls also) the top-current-car is the mini cooper, here cost about US$27.000 but in US it's around US$17.000 and it's targeted for younger people and mostly females and (in the US) it's on the same level than the PT cruiser and the bettle. Here is definelty a car for male, and here in las Canitas I've noticed that every restaurant owner on las Canitas owns a Mini Cooper, also Maradona's Mini Cooper got very famous on the media starring several scandals about discussions, confusions, gifts and sex with Nazarena Velez which it's attached on this message (Maradona was the #1 soccer player worldwide and responsable for Mexico 86 worldcoup Argentina's triumph. Both Maradona and his former manager they live in Las Canitas)

They will prefer a "ricky sarkany" pair of shoes than "prada", "infinit" sunglasses than "vouge" (in both cases prices are very very similar)

But anyways, why should you expect that someone who did not travelled can see the difference from one brand to another? And with cars same thing happens. It's not as easy to see a ferrari, audi, bmw, porsche, in BA unless you live in a private "country" or in las canitas.

I have a question here and is: what makes a brand to be popular in one country and not-popular in another?

And Moore, you've got from one extreme to the other, but what's in the middle? May be a non-stuck-up ***** more sophisticated than a working girl and capable to notice the difference from a renault and a bmw?

[Bairespirata]

My car is a 633 from 79', imported from the US to Europe 82'. This model has a lot of problems with corrosion (in my country) and electricity / electronics. Parts can be found at.

http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/bmw~rep.html

To enjoy such a car you have to have a nostalgic mind of course. A SUV is much better car overall.

Mu female friends here in Argentina though like the old coupé, but their absolute favorite is Audi, because of their futuristic looks make them stand out.

I agree that a 635 is useless in a city.

Prices on old luxury cars here seems very high if they are in good condition, so it might be a good idea to import a SUV as Jackson is thinking about. Maybe one can aviod the tax for cars up to 13 years old if you have an argentine importing it in his / her name.

[Moore]

of course cheap girls doesn't see the difference, but for nicer normal girls they can notice the difference, does not matters if you date cheap girls all they want from you it's to get paid to feed their relatives and children and get away as soon as possible

Maybe you could tell us more about cheap girls and giving them money to feed the family. Please teach us about them, MCSE.

I think most of the amateur girls I've known/dated/fucked/triedtofuck have been pretty nice and pretty normal, from a variety of areas in Capital and provincia, most from middle class families but some upper class and a few working class. I used to date a girl from a nice area of Palermo and when I picked her up at her apartment I would have to blink the headlights because she couldn't tell the difference between my car and any other. It happened to be a relatively huge Alfa Romeo at the time but they all looked the same to her. She wasn't dumb, but all vehicles with 4 wheels were equal in her eyes which, though it seems rather extreme, is an attitude more consistent with a much less materialistic society like that of Argentina.

The only case of real materialist behavior or car-consciousness that I can recall was with a very wealthy girl from San Isidro about 1 year ago. The kind that has spent so much time in Miami/NYC, has a true mansion in Punta del Este, speaks flawless English, and is so Anglo-"sized" that I don't even consider her an Argentine girl. She looks, acts, and dresses more like a US biatch and ended up just being a friend (guess why).

The vast majority of local women, whether they are form Recoleta or Lanus, don't care what (or if) you drive, which is fine by me especially since most people don't own cars in Argentina.

[MCSE]

Of course cheap girls doesn't see the difference, but for nicer normal girls they can notice the difference, does not matters if you date cheap girls all they want from you is to get paid to feed their relatives and children and get away as soon as possible.

[Moore]

The status driving this car can not be overestimated. Or blaha, driving it on the Argentine highways must be really cool. Eating mile after mile while heading to Mendoza, Iguazu or Bariloche with little traffic and running at 80-100 mph!

Is such a car really a status symbol in Argentina? My experience with Argentines, mostly girls, is that they wouldn't know the difference between a new Mercedes S500 and a new Honda Accord. Compared to a Renault taxi that looks like it was built in Hungary circa 1958 they both look kickass. The only vehicle that seems to stand out in Argentina is an SUV.

When I see a new Benz or even Saab in Argentina I see it as a waste. You just don't need it, it's too big, and it will get banged up on the roads, parking areas, etc.

I cruise at 200km/h on route 2 to Mar del Plata and that's in what would be considered a compact car in USA. Made it door to door in under 3 hours once, leaving BA in rush hour. That's faster than taking the Aerolineas flight, usually.