Buying a new car in Santiago

Yes sometimes you just have to walk and see if they call you back.

You are likely getting treated like a gringo. I agree with the above advice, walk away.

Wait a week and send in a professional looking Dominican to see what the price is

@taccj9903

Buying a car here as you may know can be tricky. Here are some recommendations to consider.

1. Get a Car Fax report on your car choice

2. Research thier social media buyer comments.

3. Check the Blue Book estimate value and add about 12% to 18% on top of that for fees,import fees they paid.

4. Ask for n English version of the contract or warranty information on the car of choice

5. If you have a trusted Dominican to first walk in without you to scope your car choice and negotiate price, ask your questions, etc before you walk in.

There are other recommendations that others may have for you.

Good luck!

I ended up walking away. I was trying to buy a new Sorento listed at 49,990. It came down to me asking for floor mats and tinted windows—maybe a $350–$400 value according to the salesman. All they had to do was drop the price by a few hundred dollars and I would’ve bought the car, but they wouldn’t move at all.

So my takeaway is this: either they treated me differently—maybe because I was paying cash—or people here just pay the listed price and don’t negotiate on anything, even small extras.

Everyone here negotiates. If you want a new or used car I suggest you contact Cruffman on here. That's his handle. His name is Mike Logan his # and WhatsApp +1 (829) 546-3624.  He can tell you where is the best dealership or he can go in and negotiate for you. His fees are very very reasonable considering his knowledge!

@planner

Thanks.  Buying a car here certainly is an exercise in patience. 

Honey it's pretty much like many many things here, tries your patience.  But, it's worth it!

I ended up walking away. I was trying to buy a new Sorento listed at 49,990. It came down to me asking for floor mats and tinted windows—maybe a $350–$400 value according to the salesman. All they had to do was drop the price by a few hundred dollars and I would’ve bought the car, but they wouldn’t move at all.So my takeaway is this: either they treated me differently—maybe because I was paying cash—or people here just pay the listed price and don’t negotiate on anything, even small extras. - @taccj9903

Recently bought a new 2025 Suzuki Jimny in Santiago.   They could not get the color we really wanted so we settled on a different color.  They tried to upsell to the 4 door model.. Nope

The floor mats were promised in the deal, but the salesmen was released by the company before the deal was made and the new salesman did not make that happen..  What is up with the missing floor mats?  Same thing happened when we bought a new Kia Sorento.... No floor mats. 

I ended up buying a new Mazda CX-5 from Espaillat Motors.  They just happened to have the color and model I wanted because the other person who was going to buy it couldn't get financing.  I'm still waiting on the floor mats they promised as part of the deal.  However, I don't fault the salesman because due to the year of the car and availability of floor mats that will fit.

Regarding my experience with Vegamovil.  It took some effort but I was able to finally get my deposit back.  I had to go through Remitly and have them get proof from Banco Popular that the $500 deposit was received.  My Dominican wife also gave them HE** so they finally gave my deposit back. I would steer clear from that dealership, they apparently can't keep good financial records of deposits received and have no way of knowing who sent money, at least that's what the salesman told me.

I bought a car with Mike Logan. I highly recommend him. He will take you through all the necessary steps. I had my purchase completed in a couple of days.