Buying a car in Puerto Rico

I use Toyota in Rio Piedras.

They have good reviews and a great website. Its cheaper to bring a vehicle from the states than to buy from them though. With the large inventory of cars available on classificados.online i am hoping to find a better deal on the island. Thanks for the input.

Cars have titles and are registered just like in the US. The car must have the Marbete up to date and you should go with the seller to get the car transfer to your name at the DMV, if they have any tickets, the seller must pay them first before you let go of your money.

Good questions. We were just discussing this today whether to buy a used car or ship our car instead. I was under the impression that shipping is expensive (we’re in CT). My case with my wife was that we’d need to sell our two vehicles because it’d be too expensive to ship one of them over. Thanks for sharing a reputable car dealership on the island!

mrtibbs wrote:

Good questions. We were just discussing this today whether to buy a used car or ship our car instead. I was under the impression that shipping is expensive (we’re in CT). My case with my wife was that we’d need to sell our two vehicles because it’d be too expensive to ship one of them over. Thanks for sharing a reputable car dealership on the island!

Must people sell their cars and buy another in PR. Transportation averages about 1200 - 1500 in most cases per car and then you have to pay the import tax which is based on the INFLATED value of the car. They have their own table of value which is thousands more than blue book. Either way, get your car insurance before you register the vehicle that way you dont get charged for the compulsory insurance.

Yeah, we are shipping ours and the fees ReyP listed are accurate.   Obviously $1200-$1500 + tax on import is much cheaper than buying a car once you arrive (does depend on the type of car you have)

There are a lot of old cars in PR , 12-20 yeear old ones are not uncommon, good mechanics make all the difference, so prople keep running the old one instead of getting a monthly  payment. Cheaper to spend 1-2 thousand in repairs a year than 4000 thousand in a new car.

Yeah, that is a good point, if you don't own the car you are bringing, then it might not be worth it.

But when we were trying to decide we looked at prices for buying cars on the island and we were seeing  2013-2014 Toyota Corollas for $14,000 when we can buy them in Florida for $8,000.    So we can save $6,000 and put it towards shipping the car over.

Luckily we own our car, so it makes even more sense for us to ship it.

sontek wrote:

Yeah, that is a good point, if you don't own the car you are bringing, then it might not be worth it.

If you don't own it, you probably won't be able to ship it.  If you fail to make the payments, the bank will repossess the car.  If you ship it to Puerto Rico, the bank can't repossess.  You might be able to get the bank to agree to let you ship it, but it may require an escrow account to cover the outstanding balance on the loan (in which case you might as well pay off the car loan anyway).

If you go to Obras Publicas, with the owner, to transfer the title, they have to pay the transfer fee ($10) which covers you, to the month the car was registered, (that month never changes). It'll be safe. I have bought two cars that way, and did not have a problem.

Great advice, Rey. We will make sure in doing this to have our dicks in order. I agree from what you’ve said it makes the most sense to sell our cars. I looked at the hacienda website provided and for one car alone the price was astronomical.

mrtibbs wrote:

Great advice, Rey. We will make sure in doing this to have our dicks in order. I agree from what you’ve said it makes the most sense to sell our cars. I looked at the hacienda website provided and for one car alone the price was astronomical.

*ducks*

Ducks!

Best check out the tax you will need to pay to the Hacienda to import a car.  I wanted to ship my Jeep, but the tax is over 6K.  😡

We live in Rincon half year and decided to buy a car 6 years ago. First we research inexpensive and reliable cars and decided on a 2007 Toyota Yaris. We then visited https://www.clasificadosonline.com/ early in the AM (to beat out competition, good used cars can go fast). We found two, The first didn't work out. The second one did and we bought it for $7,700 although I think I could have got it for cheaper if I bargained more (it was listed for $8,000).  We still have and are very happy. After a few problems in the beginning (replace fan unit, cut away the stupid plastic under cover under the engine compartment). We bought it with mileage of 72,000 and currently it is 103,000.

Tips and Procedures:

Ask the seller: "So tell me about the accident" even though you don't know if it was in an accident.

Determine, if you can, if the car had water damage during the Hurricane.

Ask what maintenance the car has had, although the seller most likely will not have a record.
Test drive, por supresto.

Check if registration and sticker are current. You must have the current registration in order to get a new registration.

We went to Motor Vehicle Center (DTOP) with the owner to get the new registration, I forget if this is mandatory or not.

Payment is usually cash. We transferred to amount to our account at Banco Popular, the went to the bank with the seller and literally withdrew $7,700 in cash which the seller proceeded to stuff into his pockets.

Registration includes a $99 insurance policy, which covers only a few thousand in damages if there is an accident. So we purchased insurance that cost us $550/year and consequently did not have to pay the mandatory $99 insurance fee.

Well that's it. Good hunting!

Great info and thanks for sharing. My husband and I were just debating between shipping our current 2004 Odyssey with low mileage or purchasing a used pickup truck in PR.  Even though the Odyssey is a very dependable car and shipping cost is reasonable, it's not the best choice for our farm. We're leaning towards getting a used pickup truck once in PR. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Personally, I find that a van like a Odyssey is a very practical choice.  It can haul six adults and luggage to the airport or beach. Take out the seats and haul building materials and stuff.  Very versatile for me.

I like pickups too, had several in the past.  But I really don’t need four wheel drive on the island.

Shop the classified ads on line, you’ll eventually find what you need.

Good point!!!!

mrtibbs wrote:

mrtibbs wrote:

Great advice, Rey. We will make sure in doing this to have our dicks in order. I agree from what you’ve said it makes the most sense to sell our cars. I looked at the hacienda website provided and for one car alone the price was astronomical.

*ducks*

I'm moving to PR from FL this year and want to buy a new SUV ($50K MSRP). At this price point is it better to ship from FL or buy new on the island at a new car dealership? We have 7% sales tax in FL. Thanks.