Buying a new or used vehicle in Quito.

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kevinfisher729 wrote:

Can I buy it with an American DL ? Can she buy the car and I'll make all the payments and I'll do the driving  etc ? What type down payment of collateral do they want for buying cars ? Can I go back to the USA every 10 or so months and avoid getting a Ecuadorian Drivers license ? This can be done in Argentina and many other countries.

Dear Kevin,

Welcome to the Ecuador forums of Expat.com ...

An Expat may buy a car in Ecuador even if he has no driver's license.  Absent a valid drivers license, he just can't drive it.

In this scenario, your fiancée/wife or other licensed driver could drive the vehicle.  Provided 'la mujer' qualifies for financing, she could sign the purchase contract and make the monthly payments using money you give her.

A while back, when I researched how long an Expat can drive on a U.S. state license, I found varying facts and opinions on the matter.  The consensus indicated that about three months was the maximum .. and in no case was anything near ten months 'kosher'.  The length of time may not be based on a national driving law, but rather on a province or city's local ordinance or custom.

cccmedia in Quito

Thank you so much ! This is all new to me ! I have read that a USA citizen can get a license in Ecuador by bringing a copy of driving records translated in Spanish and stamped by a notary , blood type ??? And turn in a USA drivers license and pass a test with 20 questions ! Thanks again

You asked about a scenario in which the fiancée buys the car and you, Kevin, "make all the payments" and Kevin drives the car.

Which brings up the following questions...

Does she currently know how to drive?

Why does she need or want a car to drive? 

My recommendations...

If you move forward with such a deal, have an attorney draft or review all contracts.

Be clear that she really needs a car or you really want to buy her one.

Buy a used car, even in spite of the fact that cars driven in Andean Ecuador depreciate slower than similar models driven in North America.

Sign all contracts and paperwork after the nuptials.

cccmedia

Thank you ! She lives in Centro Historico , Quito and has never driven before ! Her ex used to drive when was married 6 years ago ! I on the other hand have had a nice vehicle for 40 years and can't imagine not having one or depending on public transportation ! I drove in Quito and surrounding destinations the whole time I was there in February ! Maybe I'm putting the cart before the horse like I have a tendency to do in life ! Thanks kevin

kevinfisher729 wrote:

I have read that a USA citizen can get a license in Ecuador by bringing a copy of driving records translated in Spanish and stamped by a notary , blood type ??? And turn in a USA drivers license and pass a test with 20 questions !

When I used my then-valid Pennsylvania DL to obtain my Ecuador DL in 2015, things got so complicated I ended up having an attorney accompany me to the national headquarters of the Ecuadorian DMV, a.k.a. ANT.  We got in to see the woman who was the agency's director at the time.

It all worked out .. and this being Ecuador, the attorney only charged me a fee of $50.

The paperwork requirements were slightly different for some U.S. states than for others.  There were some other requirements beyond paperwork.  For instance, I had to buy an expensive hearing aid because the hearing test showed that there were certain sounds I could not make out (probably sounds audible only to caninos).

I aced the 20-question test, partly because I knew more Spanish than the Gringo promedio, partly because all the questions and answers were posted online by ANT.

cccmedia

kevinfisher729 wrote:

She lives in Centro Historico , Quito and has never driven before ! Her ex used to drive...

I live in Centro Histórico as well .. and drive a 2016 Chevy Sail.

Here are a few considerations you may not know about...

1.  We drivers in Quito cannot drive at will seven days a week.  Due to a traffic law called Pico y Placa, I cannot drive in most of the Gringo-friendly areas of the city including Centro on Mondays and Tuesdays (based in part on my drivers license number) during the busier hours of the day.

2.  There is no street parking in much of Centro Histórico.  If a motorist drives from home to another part of El Centro, he or she typically needs to park in one of the few pay-parking lots unless going to a residence or business where he will have permission to park.

3.  Yesterday, to drive home from a lot at Plaza de la Independencia (the heart of El Centro) to my condo located five blocks to the North on the same street (Calle Garcia Moreno), it took half an hour.  It wasn't the weather, as there was no rain.  It was because of Saturday traffic and the maze of one-way streets that a driver needs to know in order to navigate the necessary route.

--

To state what may be obvious, I don't recommend buying a car for anyone who doesn't yet have a driver's license.

cccmedia in El Centro