Shipping a Truck from Panama to Ecuador

Dear Dario,

Welcome to the Ecuador forum of expat.com ....

Despite their name, A-1 Auto Transport delivers trucks, SUVs and motorcycles across the western waters, as well.

a1autotransport.com

Have you asked them for a free estimate?

cccmedia

Dear cccmedia,
thank you very much for you reply.  We are having a very hard time determining whether or not we can bring our truck.  We are relocating to Ecuador from the U.S. We are working with the Ecuadorian embassy to obtain a permanent resident visa.

the shipping company is telling us that we CANNOT bring our truck with us.
The Ecuadorian embassy is telling us that we CAN bring our truck.
at this point we do not know what to do.
the truck is a 2015 Toyota Tundra with a 5.8L engine.
any suggestions?
thank you

dfasoletti wrote:

2015 Toyota Tundra with a 5.8L engine.

I wonder what the duty and taxes on that would cost, maybe $70,000-$80,000?

Besides everything everyone else has said on this and related threads. I'd follow the advice of the shippers.  After all, they do this activity every day and get asked such questions often. Shippers love to have your business and would be ready to serve if they believed the project to be feasible and/or legal.


Consider that you'll be wasting money on taxes, fees, losing time, suffering bureaucratic migraines... You stand to lose quite a bit.

The solution might be to sell the truck and buy another Toyota after you arrive.

Thank you all for your input.  We have come to the realization and accept the fact that we can't bring the truck.  It's too big and would be way to expensive due to import tariffs and taxes.

dfasoletti wrote:

Thank you all for your input.  We have come to the realization and accept the fact that we can't bring the truck.  It's too big and would be way to expensive due to import tariffs and taxes.

Wise decision. Some relatively affordable truck options would be something like the Chevy D-Max which I believe is assembled in Ecuador and comes with a 3.0L engine. The Toyota Hilux is also available and ranges from $30,000-$50,000+ depending on if it's 4x2/4x4 and engine size.

Why would that be? The truck belongs to them. By that logic, they'd have to pay taxes and duty on ALL of their belongings. When one is moving to take up residence in a foreign country, their personal belongings are not taxed or subject to duty.

When I brought my car down, I didn't have to pay anything—other than the shipping fees for the boat, which were just over $1000. No “tariffs” or taxes. Just like you don't have to pay taxes or tariffs on the rest of your belongings.

Hi,
  We are here 12 years. Never claim to know everything about what is or is not possible in Ecuador, but our attorney friend in the Aduana, or agency concerning imports, advises against trying to import your vehicle. Ecuador is a very difficult country concerning vehicle imports. Prices here are inflated and protected by the government. We use taxis, buses, and private cars, safer and cheaper for us. Do not trust anyone that would profit from shipping your goods to tell you the truth about importing goods here. Aside from that, Ecuadorian life can be really nice, but take time to find out if you are suited for life here before making big moves. Good luck and safe journey.

My understanding is yes you can bring the truck but within 90 days it has to be gone. If you try to register you have to get government go ahead and pay import taxes equal to 20% to 40% of the assessed value of the truck. You can't even sell within the country. So not good idea. Good part is cars here have very little depreciation. There are 40 year old cars here ,looking good and daily drivers

Lurch wrote:

My understanding is yes you can bring the truck but within 90 days it has to be gone. If you try to register you have to get government go ahead and pay import taxes equal to 20% to 40% of the assessed value of the truck.

Lurch's understanding that a truck can be imported to Ecuador is unsubstantiated and probably untrue if the truck is not of the current model year.

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If a truck-owner can find a CarMax that buys trucks in his or her area of the USA, I'd recommend selling the truck to CarMax and buying new or used in South America if you still need one.  In my experience, selling to CarMax before I moved south of the border was easy and the price I received was fair.

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Also, don't assume that shippers to the South American mainland will allow you to store personal items in your truck's shipment.   That is unlikely IMO unless you are willing to fork over more dough for a separate shipment.

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Shipping the truck, even if theoretically possible, is a deal that could go sideways in too many ways to risk it .. given that there is an alternative.

cccmedia

Cc media you are mis quoting me. I said you can bring it but it has to be gone, out of the country in 90 days. I did not say it can be imported. I covered that in the next few lines. My answer is a hell of a sight better than your plug for a car transporter. What kickback do you get from them?

Lurch wrote:

My understanding is yes you can bring the truck but within 90 days it has to be gone. If you try to register you have to get government go ahead and pay import taxes equal to 20% to 40% of the assessed value of the truck. You can't even sell within the country. So not good idea. Good part is cars here have very little depreciation.

Dear Lurch,

My reading of your earlier post (cited just above) is that you believed that with government "go ahead" and payment of import taxes, it could be possible to import, or to use your word, "register" a vehicle .. beyond 90 days. 

As a longtime journalist, I understand the term "misquoting" and I know that is not what I did in this exchange.  There can possibly be more than one interpretation of what you said;  however, claiming that you were misquoted is not accurate in my opinion.

I had a good experience with CarMax, and I stand by my comment about them.  You are certainly welcome to call it a "plug."  I would use the phrase "well-intended advice."

As may be obvious, I agree with you that it is "not a good idea" to attempt the import of a truck.  I also agree -- and it's widely known in some circles in Ecuador -- that vehicles have low depreciation in La República.

I believe you were intending to give out helpful information.  However, as to your insinuation (perhaps a rhetorical question) about my supposedly getting a kickback, I won't dignify that with a rejoinder.  Except to say that if you press the point, you'll be ushering in the moderator team from the Home Office.

Peace and love,

cccmedia

Lurch wrote:

a hell of a sight better than your plug for a car transporter.

To correct the record, CarMax is not principally a transporter.

CarMax is the largest retailer of used cars in the United States and a Fortune 500 company.

They will buy your car or sell you a car.  At some locations, the same for your truck.

Source:  Wikipedia page for CarMax.