[yqpY4iw6]

I going to be buying a car in the near future, probably in La Vega or Santiago. What are people experiences on negotiating the price. Me I'm lousy at bartering, but my wife is a pro. I'm looking at Toyota RAV4 and Honda CRV (2002-2006) Price range from 450,000 to 650,000. Any advice? There are other vehicles I like but my parking space is limited.
Raining right now whilel the sun is shinning so I guess a witch is going to get married.

[ENCOSEARRALIA]

I going to be buying a car in the near future, probably in La Vega or Santiago. What are people experiences on negotiating the price. Me I'm lousy at bartering, but my wife is a pro. I'm looking at Toyota RAV4 and Honda CRV (2002-2006) Price range from 450,000 to 650,000. Any advice? There are other vehicles I like but my parking space is limited.
Raining right now whilel the sun is shinning so I guess a witch is going to get married.

If you are going to buy a car in el cibao, you need to take somebody that knows about cars and how they are worked up here.

Used cars, especially the 2 small suvs you are talking about, are frequently sent over totaled and rebuilt here from the ground up. My cousin bought a 2003 Honda Crv off the lot that looked showroom new , and he knew a bit about cars, but after a year or so he found out the car was actually 2 pieces that were welded together somehow. This was found out by examining certain parts of the car that are covered by plastic and the felt stuff.

At the higher end of your pricerange I think you can get something pretty close to a new car that would be a lot less dangerous if you can't find the right person with the mechanical experience. If you do try to do it yourself, check inside the gas tank for any signs of welding or repainting, inside of the hood on the frame, inside the trunk, underneath the back bumper, if you ask the salesman they will tell you the car is "nuevo de paquete" when it reality it's a totaled car rebuilt.

[Valdoyes]

I think buying a car from here is an easier way to avoid problems. An export, as we have discussed.

If it was imported by SDMotors, they have the records.

I got them down about 5%..... I think there is less flexilibity here than stateside.

[Hpdovoxm]

And you could buy a car that only has good record via CarFax.

[ENCOSEARRALIA]

I think buying a car from here is an easier way to avoid problems. An export, as we have discussed.

If it was imported by SDMotors, they have the records.

I got them down about 5%..... I think there is less flexilibity here than stateside.

Have you imported a car through them?

[qp0yfHOf]

I going to be buying a car in the near future, probably in La Vega or Santiago. What are people experiences on negotiating the price. Me I'm lousy at bartering, but my wife is a pro. I'm looking at Toyota RAV4 and Honda CRV (2002-2006) Price range from 450,000 to 650,000. Any advice? There are other vehicles I like but my parking space is limited.
Raining right now whilel the sun is shinning so I guess a witch is going to get married.

I think you have to go to Moca, the capital of the DR of used cars. Espaillat Motors has a good reputation.
- also the dealer of governamental cars -.
Good luck !

[qp0yfHOf]

I going to be buying a car in the near future, probably in La Vega or Santiago. What are people experiences on negotiating the price. Me I'm lousy at bartering, but my wife is a pro. I'm looking at Toyota RAV4 and Honda CRV (2002-2006) Price range from 450,000 to 650,000. Any advice? There are other vehicles I like but my parking space is limited.
Raining right now whilel the sun is shinning so I guess a witch is going to get married.

...... or take a look at EL YAQUE MOTORS, in Santiago. Dealer of new cars but they sell also used cars from customers who bought a new car .

[Krruqgwt]

Hiram suggested Moca. That's the epicenter of car imports in the DR. Good suggestion.

[Valdoyes]

Have you imported a car through them?

See my thread on Suzuki XL7

[Valdoyes]

And you could buy a car that only has good record via CarFax.

Remember that CarFax only works for the No American vehicles.
An Export to RD isn't "CarFaxable".... no record of it in Can/USA... it was built and shipped out

[lopaayd]

I going to be buying a car in the near future, probably in La Vega or Santiago. What are people experiences on negotiating the price. Me I'm lousy at bartering, but my wife is a pro. I'm looking at Toyota RAV4 and Honda CRV (2002-2006) Price range from 450,000 to 650,000. Any advice? There are other vehicles I like but my parking space is limited.
Raining right now whilel the sun is shinning so I guess a witch is going to get married.

Good choice with either model...but opt for an 06...or better yet 07. The reason for this is the 5 year rule. Right now until June 30, 2013, 2007's are still allowed in to the country. Dominican dealers favor the 07 because it is the oldest vehicle they can bring in and it has the least duty owed (as compared to the same model but newer).

I mention the 06 as there may still be some on dealers lots that have been imported and not yet sold. If so, you will still be able to get a Car Fax/ Auto Check on the vehicle and reasonably rely on its accuracy. After the vehicle has been sold in the DR, as the case may be on a 2003, 2004, 2005 model year cars, you have no way (unless you personally know the owner) to verify accidents/maintenance etc.

As you are aware, odometers are regularly rolled back once they reach the DR. So start with a reputable dealer and as former Pres. Reagan said "trust but verify." If you do not know or trust the dealer try to find someone knowledgeable about cars. This is not necessarily a car mechanic.

While many mechanics can repair anything, they lack the training to spot "salvage" vehicles (fire, flood, collision) or "clipped" cars (two different vehicles "clipped" (welded) together.

That is why so many people rely on Car Fax/Auto Check....but they are not foolproof. Rental fleets (Hertz, Avis, National, Enterprise etc., are self insured and DO NOT report to Car Fax/Auto Check. They regularly send damaged cars to the auction and the out of country dealers salivate over these. They can buy them cheaper, repair them and ship them out of the US with a "clean" title. Therefore, on your Car Fax/Auto Check Report pay particular attention to the prior owners. If they were a rental fleet, be aware that the vehicle may have more history than is being shown on Car Fax/Auto Check.

While "salvage" vehicles are supposedly banned from import (I am sure some get through) I am told that salvage vehicles that are "reconstructed" can be brought into the DR after a one year waiting period. Again, a Car Fax/Auto Check should spot the majority of those vehicles being sent out of the US...but it is not foolproof.

If you do not know your cars, know your dealer. If you do not know/trust your dealer, bring someone knowledgeable with you. There are several dealers that have been recommended here over the years. That might be a good place to start. Do not forget Pres. Reagan's words..."trust but verify" and you should be able to find what you are looking for.

Good luck with your search.


Respectfully,
Playacaribe2

[yqpY4iw6]

I have several knowledgeable Dominicans to help me. Pito is my wife's first cousin - Trained Autobody person, and Miguelito - another cousin - speaks English very well and is a scam artist himself so good at spotting fellow scam artists, knows the market in Santiago well. I have owned quite a few cars over the years, and well not an expert, I'm not a novice either.

[joOEMcheapSOFTWARE]

There are many cars that may be advertised for example as a 2006 which also reflects the date on the metricula, but could actually be a 2003 vehicle. I've seen it quite a lot on Japanese imports

Here's an easy way to verify the manufacture date of a car. Look at the seat belts. At the bottom, by the anchor point is a little white tag. Stamped on that tag is the year of manufacture.



Dominican dealers are really tough to negotiate with. It's almost if they are losing face by dropping the asking price. Try and keep your negotiations as civil as possible and try to negotiate extras into the deal. In the last three cars I've bought I've successfully negotiated the traspaso (transfer tax) into the deal. Usually they are connected with the local DMV and can get the vehicle transferred into your name without any hassle. You also agree to hold back a portion until then.

I've also found that many dealers will let you drive a car away with around half the payment. I've done deals when I got an interest free loan over four months, to settle the balance.

Be aware that some Honda CRVs are also imported direct from the Japanese grey import market and have been converted from RHD. Some conversions are well done, but you will run into electrical, steering and air-conditioning problems in the future

[Andoror]

I've bought a car here and recently helped a friend do some research in Moca, which has become somewhat a center for cars.

I would recommend buying from agencies that import the vehicle from the US, such as Espaillat Motors. However, keep in mind that unfortunately that all (or almost all) dealers will sell cars with the odometers rolled back. Whether this happens in Miami where I expect most come from I do not know. As most Dominicans are unaware of Carfax I expect the dealers feel they can get away with it. From my recent research, you can't find a vehicle with more than 80.000 mi and they seem to generally roll them back 50-60k or more. Not too worry really, for the good brands such as Toyota and Honda the engines are built really solidly and they can go to 300k easily if the oil is changed regularly. Also, an engine can be rebuilt here for US1000 to 2000. And the fact that the miles have been rolled back is a good bargaining tool for knocking off RD100k. Also, never pay the asking price.

Finally, Bob i will gladly meet you in Moca and help you out - schedule permitting.

[Npbfamgt]

Loved my RAV4. I've owned Civics and an Accord, but you'll find that the RAV rates slightly higher than the CRV in most reports and reviews. Good luck.

[yqpY4iw6]

Thanks for the offer Chip. I'll let you know if Moca will be my destination. Beeza thank you for the valuable information. I currently own a 2007 RAV4 in Canada that I've owned for 5 years, and it's been great. I am leaning to getting another one.

[Hpdovoxm]

Thanks for the offer Chip. I'll let you know if Moca will be my destination. Beeza thank you for the valuable information. I currently own a 2007 RAV4 in Canada that I've owned for 5 years, and it's been great. I am leaning to getting another one.

Toyota is a very good option in the DR.