BUYING A VEHICLE IN DR

We just bought a car with Cruffman two weeks ago.  He is the BEST choice you have, I promise.  He will take your money and buy a much better car than you could ever get with your money:)

When he had found the perfect car for us based on our budget and what we wanted, we took the Caribe Tours bus from Cabarete to Santo Domingo.  He picked us up at the last stop, took us to the dealer, helped us do the paper work, and we drove away with our car.

He's honest and cares about finding the best car for you because his referrals keep him working:)

ysenovalle, this is cruffman...i sent you a message..

hi, Naomi.....thanks for your generous words. enjoy the car in the best of health...

Good morning.....

Have read all the comments and wanted to add my experience since I just bought a car here.

It is overwhelming, car details on line are vague, most used cars come from the US, many have salvaged/re-built titles, odometers are not always accurate and financing costs are outrageous.

Santo Domingo has the best selection but dealers are all over the city and it takes hours to get around.

I was lucky enough, thanks to this forum, to fund someone called Mike Logan.  All he does is help people find cars - he is honest, gives you his opinion, works very hard on your behalf and charges a nominal fee.  I paid $250 - but gave him a significant tip.

I told him what I wanted, he advised and then he looked....at over 58 cars and found me one that I had put on my preferred list.  He picked me up at the bus terminal, helped me find a hotel and then took me to see the car.

It was perfect.....had a car fax, was excellent condition, had decent mileage and was a fair price.  He helped me and the dealer do the transaction, helped me with insurance, title, plates etc.  and has kept in touch to see how I was doing.

I HIGHLY recommend him.  His WhatsApp is 829-546-3624.

If you are looking for a good used car, Mike is the person to talk to.  Worth every penny of his fee.

Good luck.

thanks for the generous appraisal, Simon. it was my pleasure helping to find this car, and the most important thing to me other than knowing you are satisfied is the fact that i met a wonderful spirit. i will certainly stay in touch, and hope that you enjoy the vehicle for a long time in the best of health..

Happy Easter, my friend

Mike

Thank you for sharing that recommendation.

I very recently had an excellent experience with Mike as well. I contacted him after reading all the glowing posts concerning his performance. We were not dissapointed! The guidance he provided for a used car selection was spot on! My experience buying cars in the US required a bit of "recalibration" for this market in Santo Domingo and I really appreciated the reality check from Mike!
Bottom line, Mike was able to find the perfect car for us within a month of us first contacting him. He selected an excellent car dealer in Santo Domingo and stayed with us throughout to sale process. He also offered some sound advice with car insurance selection.
If you have little to no experience purchasing a car in the DR, the smartest move you can ever make would be to enlist the services of Mike Cruffman from the start in order to save you time and heartache! He is truly a buyer's advocate. He is more than worth the nominal fee that he charges!!!

Sounds like u have some fans. Best way to get hold of u ??

Looking to move to LT sooner rather than later from nyc

thank you very much for the kind remarks....i want everyone to know how much of a pleasure it was for me, too.  the upside of doing this gig is meeting wonderful people like yourself, who improve the quality  of my life..

Guidance, and blessings. Enjoy it in the best of health....Happy Easter.

hurry on down...when you get here just let us know...i will get a hold of you.

Looking to spend US$5K, as I will be in DR for no more than 4 months a year. Or am I better off just taking taxi ? does UBER exist ? I intend to live in SD.

if you plan spending  5k to buy a car, be very careful how you spend it, or you will be using UBER, anyway.  i always say that you buy the best you can afford to buy, and sell it when you need to.  if you buy a good car you can always get the bulk of your money back in the end. buy a beater and you spend twice the original outlay on repairs, and you cannot get anything for it when time comes to sell.

Sound advice. 

cruffman wrote:

if you plan spending  5k to buy a car, be very careful how you spend it, or you will be using UBER, anyway.  i always say that you buy the best you can afford to buy, and sell it when you need to.  if you buy a good car you can always get the bulk of your money back in the end. buy a beater and you spend twice the original outlay on repairs, and you cannot get anything for it when time comes to sell.

In SD use uber!  5,000 will not get you much of a car here.

Ive always thought that - Uber is too cheap not to use it. Everyone wants a car but the related costs add up very quickly..

Uber rates are EXTREMELY low in the DR.  Indeed, i don't know how the drivers even get enough to pay for gas. 
-- I have learned to pay attention to the size of the Uber vehicle when  options are available.  Some of those tiny vehicles just don't work for me. 

But, to each their own.  If someone wants and can afford their own vehicle, more power to them. 

Jim

DRVisitor wrote:

Ive always thought that - Uber is too cheap not to use it. Everyone wants a car but the related costs add up very quickly..

Sometimes it's about needs not wants.  Uber is great but not if you need to travel daily. 

Fyi the vehicles that really work well for Uber run on propane not gasoline.   

Propane cars are not safe, that's why I let my car just as it is, I regulated the engine by adding gasoline premium only it's more expensive but it's good for one's safety, including the car's.

Hahahahaha if that is the case something like 50% of vehicles on the road are unsafe! ( I don't actually know the % but it's high)

Yeap they are    most of the times when these cars crash they always get burned up and the passengers turn into coals, I used to conduct incident investigation for a Californian company that's called Inspectre solutions, I've seen a lot trust me 

i learned something interesting about UBER yesterday....

i took one to Casa Cuesta, and it cost me 159 pesos to get there...

then i took one from Casa Cuesta back home. that trip cost me 309 pesos.

so, i asked dude how it can be twice as much to come back as it is to go, and he gave me some mumbo jumbo about demand and congestion..

kinda like last wee when i ordered an UBER, he cancelled after i had waited 14 minutes, and the replacement charged me 60 pesos for having cancelled!!!

maybe buying your own car will save you aggravation..

what statistical data can you submit to the thread to buttress your contention that propane cars are not safe?

Nope I'm not happy for the flaws of the propane cars, but by trying to save yourself money you can endanger your life, food for the thought my friend

i have this bad habit which importunes me to look for facts when i discuss a subject

read and enjoy

https://www.elgas.com.au/blog/722-are-l … han-petrol

That took place in Russia I guess but you can check out the LPG propane car crashes in DR... https://youtu.be/5-nOPvXiIWQ

what is the statistical frequency of that event? besides, you asserted that the occupants were carbonized, but i saw these guys jumping out of the car. it sure looked scary, but is there any data on the force of the explosion?

just asking for a friend...

It's better to learn how to reduce emissions from cars and save fuel 

Nope I didn't put this thing in the thread it's too 18+ and for those which are sensitive it ain't good to be seen lol but if you wanna see it I can send you the link in private, ahaha

That one is less dramati

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.adelai … f43c%3famp

ever heard of a car called a Ford Pinto? it might be before your time, but google is your friend

i saved you the legwork

https://www.tortmuseum.org/ford-pinto/# … %20market.

I've never heard of it, as a former car designer I'm really interested in car ngineering, powertrains etc and I used to make lots of researches just like you,,, but one I know the old powerplants suck 

Okay all your comments and studies are not for here!

We have very few propane fueled vehicle accidents blowing up or turning occupants into  coal.  That is absolute BS.

We have a huge amount of accidents here and many many propane fueled vehicles.  Either provide LOCAL based facts on this or stop!

Eco friendly, save emissions - I am all for it. 

But don't confuse facts with stories and don't post as facts without solid sources or proof!  And do not be spreading fear!

Yes Uber drivers do try to take advantage at times.  File a report and they will resolve things.

Sadly traffic and congestion are real issues in the capital!

Hello. I’m new to EXPATS.  Does anyone know the average cost of purchasing insurance for a car and registering it?

Thanks.

Welcome to the forums. Insurance is based on the type of insurance, the year and value of the vehicle.   

Full insurance is  easily available on cares up to  10years old.   Anything older gets more expensive for FULL insurance.

Insurance as required by law  is not expensive at all.  It is based on vehicle and value so no way to  estimate.

as an expat you do not want to be without full insurance.

Thanks.  I live in Jarabacoa.  Do you know of a good place to socialize with people who speak English?

I can I get ahold of Mr Cruffman looking at buying a used SUV jus moved to Sosua

New bigining wrote:

I can I get ahold of Mr Cruffman looking at buying a used SUV jus moved to Sosua

You can send him a PM through this site

https://www.expat.com/forum/profile.php … mp;lang=en

Please understand if he takes a bit to respond, he has been sick!