Want to buy a Guagua

I was offered a motor scooter by a vehicle rental co. for $1000 in Las Terrenas in September. It looked good and rode well but I was a tourist. Did he expect me to take it back to NY with me? It was the off season and he had lots of vehicles in his lot.

While humorous the response didn't really help answer the question.  The best places I am told are in Moca and La Vega.  There are many many car lots,  know your prices and prepare to negotiate!!!!

Moca is a mecca for used vehicles of all types with lots of used car lots along the road. HOWEVER be very careful and do check all vin numbers of vehicles you are interested with Carfax (online vehicle checking company) for a full history on the car.  Most used cars you find are imported from the US and many will have bad titles (junk, wrecked etc), have had miles rolled back (one I looked at had over 100,000 miles rolled back), flood vehilces and so on.  If you are careful you can find a good solid car/vehicle but you have to be careful and do your homework

Bob K

thanks everyone! will check out these places when we are ready. I know these places are probably the best bet for a good deal, but I bet it's super busy, noisy, and hectic. Would be nice if we could buy from an individual through a website or newspaper or something.

Remember you are not in Kansas anymore!!!!  It is BUYER BEWARE here, you are responsible for checking everything out!  Moca and La Vega can be quiet or noisy, depends where you go and when. 

You can try sites like http://www.supercarros.com/

Great site planner for cars, shared the link with someone here on the island looking to buy a car.  I would also like to suggest that anyone looking to purchase a vehicle here, please invest in checking the cars history with carfax.com since you never know the history of the vehicle.  This will only apply to vehicles imported from the U.S. Carfax will give you all the little details the dealer is not going to give you or might not know.  All you need is the get the vin number of the vehicle and punch it in the website page which will then give you a complete history of the car... How many owners, accidents, odometer tampering, flood rescue, etc..... Do you have any more websites like the one you posted above planner? Would truly appreciate it. Thanks.

you are welcome.  here is another site for stuff: 

http://www.mercadolibre.com.do/

Thanks again planner, will send him this one too, it looks like the other place is willing to allow to place a major deposit on the car of choice and finance the rest. He is Dominican and has a good job here, don't think it will be much of an issue for him, he is a chef in Punta Cana.

Be very very careful with financing,  the rates will be at least  30%  from these guys. AND missing 3 payments means they take it back and you lose everything!  So be careful!

Will be sure to tell him to read the fine print and cover all his bases. Gracias.

What about leasing a car? Is renting a car long-term a good option?

thanks

Not an option,  rentals are very very expensive here!

You might check some of he "local" rental agencies. Many have pretty good monthly rates.

We have friends that rent a car for 2-3 months at a time this way.

Bob K

And again buyer beware!!!!  Some "local" rental agencies are not properly legal,  don't have all the insurance and if something happens you have little protection.  Unless you know these agencies or someone like Bob refers you,  don't try this on your own.

I agree with Planner. Check it out before you rent and make sure in includes full coverage (insurance), a reasonable deductible and most importantly "casa de Conductore" to keep you out of jail.

Bob K

Hey Bob,  I actually had the interesting of assisting someone using the "casa de conductor"  and wow that was quite amazing. 

This person was not in big trouble but I saw some interesting cases, it was a  Monday of a holiday long weekend.  WOW.

For those who do not know, this is a safe place to go when you have had an accident that you may or may not be responsible for.  They provide full security and a place to sleep if needed.  They will  house you while an investigation goes on and provide medical assistance as needed.

In cases of a major accident,  hot heads can get out of control. A "casa de conductor" is  where you want to go immediately if there is a safety risk. IF you do not know where one is, head to the nearest hospital or  police department. (me, I would go to the hospital first)

From here on the north coast they actually take you (you pay for the gas) to a hotel in Santiago where there are people from the insurance company that will help you navigate who and how much you have to pay

Remember no mater who is at fault it will be the gringo's fault 95% of the time.

Bob K

that is true Bob -  most of the time the  foreigner is at fault!!!! So be careful out there. It is usually better to rent a car and a driver - it is called a taxi. Then it is their fault if something goes wrong, not yours.

Bob how do you contact a casa del conductor here on the North Coast. I indirectly know someone here who might need it if he has not gotten there by now.  My girlfriends acquaintance sister in law was hit by an American driver about 2 weeks ago and the poor guy has been prohibitted from leaving the country until this whole thing clears up.  The Dominican family would actually prefer to see him go home since the rental car insurance is taking care of the med expenses, but their attorneys say he must stay.  I don't think he knows of this casa de conductores thing.  I believe the victims family wants to help the American as well since he has been cooperative and helped with some finances, but he will probably lose his job and run out of cash by staying in a regular hotel, and from I was told this is his first visit to the island and he does not speak spanish. The info would really be appreciated. Thanks.

Casa de conductor must be included in the insurance that he had on the vehicle I believe.  And at this stage it is likely too late already.

I understand why  they will not let him leave the country until this is resolved,  if he leaves then there is no recourse. I hope this guy also has a lawyer,  sounds like he needs one.

Would this insurance and "Casa de conductor" be a good idea for a motor scooter owner? That owner would be me, a foreigner, and the other party would be a Dominican citizen (or resident or tourist) in the case of an accident.

Don't even know if you can get it for a scooter!

Thanks planner. I was told his lawyer from N.Y. Sent a proposal to the Dominican Lawyers here and It was rejected, it seems like they will not let him leave until his lawyer comes up with something satisfactory. I beleive he was staying in Cabarete, but last week Saturday was when his hotel stay expired and he did not plan to stay beyond that time. :-( If I get any more info I will update. Thanks.

Casa de Conductore HAS to be included in your insurance. You cannot get it "when you need it".  Well worth the extra $25 or so on the yearly premium.

It is common to not allow you to leave the country until the matter is settled. The only question for this guy is how much is he going to have to pay the family.  Fault has no bearing in the payoff.

We had friends who were involved in an accident.  They were stopped on the street to make a left turn. A moto hit them from behind and the kid injured his leg.  They ended up paying his hospital bills ($500 which was a rip off), repair of the moto ($200, it was worth probably $100) and they were stopped at the airport and prevented from boarding their plane until they paid the family (through the "family" lawyer) another $600 for lost wages and so forth.  The kid was unemployed and probably made $100 a month max.

So if you are going to drive here BEWARE!

Bob K

Yikes!!!!!  I guess I better use Taxis or get full coverage insurance here if I plan to drive in the future.  Thanks for the info Bob.

You are welcome.  Have a safe trip home and see you soon.

Bob K

:-) Thanks. Still have a few days left and some people to meet :-) much appreciation on the contacts and advice you gave me, learned a whole lot more on this trip. Education is priceless :-)