Buying a used car - seems intimidating.
I'm searching the classificado's, facebook, etc. Looking for an SUV for around $5k-$7k. I've been looking at some of the 3rd gen 4runners for example. But people post so little about their cars it's hard to get a sense from the ad. I know there have been a ton of "buy or ship" posts, I've read a bunch of them. I'm pretty street smart but have still done the run around many times, travelling an hour to look at cars that are not what they say, bad papers, etc. And my Spanish is not good enough for that conversation.
Are people even ok with you taking it to a mechanic?
Island miles are hard on a car, and there can be invisible water damage. I have a very nice 4WD 1998 4runner with only 130k miles that looks new. I could sell for $4k here (due to has some minor hood damage). But it would last me 10 years on the island. Shipping+tax is $3,500 to get it down there, so my break even is about $7,500 if I sell and then buy something there. But the paperwork and 10 months to get title don't sound fun. I see a few decent ones in that price range, but not sure I want to run around for 2 weeks disappointed and confused and not knowing what I'm buying, whereas I can take the hit on shipping and know I'm getting a dependable vehicle in good condition. I'll be in Rincon, so that is going to make it that much more challenging not being near San Juan to find a vehicle.
Is it pretty easy to find a decent SUV for $6k+ that is not a rusty rattle trap and going to leave you stranded? Or is it just easier to bring one down? Thanks.
@Blueslab
Hello there...I shipped mine, reason being even thought it's a 2006, It was maintained and cared for and most important I know i can trust it in giving me great service for years to come. I did end up getting a smaller car about 6 months later. But I gotta say, bringing my old reliable vehicle was the best decision I made. At the end, it's going to be your call. Best of luck.
I totally get that. With so much uncertainty, and no place under lease yet, it's almost like...at least I know I can spend the night in my car if I absolutely have to. Now to just find a car wash who will give me an affidavit that they are USDA compliant lol. 😬
Hey! Not sure if you're still looking for a used car but I do have some tips if so. I bought an FJ Cruiser in Aguadilla which is close to Rincon.
The first thing is that anything online used in the price range you're looking for is going to be insanely hard to find one from an honest person.
I was looking for the exact same year, make, model and price range you mentioned. I drove all over the place looking at cars only to be disappointed every time. Here are some valuable things I learned along the way:
- People often flip vehicles in PR to make quick money. Most of the time they get it running just enough to sell it and in the price range you're looking for, it's almost always going to be a lemon (junk aka breakdown on you) .
- Request that the person meet you at a mechanic or dealership and get the car inspected first. If they won't agree with that then you know that the vehicle is garbage and they're just trying to flip it. I have had people straight up say that they won't do that and some do. So keep asking! If you do get someone to agree, tell the mechanic that you want to run a diagnostic report so you can see what codes it throws aka what's wrong with the car. Do your research first though and google common problems with the car you want to look at and make sure the mechanic checks those things.
- Have the mechanic double check that the ODO has not been tampered with. I looked at a toyota sequoia that had "110,000" on it and when I took it to the toyota dealership, the last ODO reading from previous owner said 225,000!!! (People mess with the ODO to trick you)
- Do not purchase a vehicle if the marbete and titulo is not in their name (title and registration) You want to avoid the headache at the PR DMV or even worse purchase a stolen vehicle
- IF you do find a car and all checks out, make sure you ask the agent at PR DMV if the car has any fees or tickets against it. In puerto rico, things like speeding tickets and tolls are actually linked to the car and not the owner. So if the previous owner didn't pay their tickets or fines, you get to pay them....
- Ask around to people you know on the island. Someone always knows someone. IF you don't know anyone really, then you are just going to either have to risk buying a beater and accept the consequences with a good mechanic in your pocket or bite the bullet and spend more money.
The bottom line is, if you want to buy a used car with peace of mind in PR, you're going to have to shell out at least 10k. Some folks get lucky and that's great! I happened to know someone who was trustworthy and still paid 12k for a 2008 FJ cruiser. It hasn't pooped out on me yet so that's good.
For that price, you also have the option to buy an old 4 runner in FL where there's less likelihood of rust and pay the 5k to have it shipped to PR. If it's an older model then you don't have to pay a tax on the value of the vehicle. Just the shipping cost.
I know most of this is relatively negative but I wish I would've known these thing when I began my hunt for a vehicle. I learned all of those things the hard way. Best of luck to you!
@Blueslab
As we know, most used car dealers are unscrupulous. and Puerto Rico is certainly no exception by far.. I was lucky. A neighbor put one up for sale in his driveway. 4wd Ford pickup for 5k cash. It has no problems at all, but the battery went bad in a week. I suspect he pulled the old switcheroo. But that's nothing. If one has money Id recommend buying a new one or a used one less than two years old
Hayseed
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