Should I buy a nice car in Colombia

Weinmannp wrote:

I just arrived in Colombia on a 5 year visa and need to buy a car ASAP.

Dear Member Weinmann,

Since you just arrived in Colombia, we will presume you do not have a Colombia drivers license.

You can drive on a North American DL for three months and probably extend for another three.

In the meantime there may be a raft of paperwork needed to obtain a Colombia license, one piece of which is to obtain a cédula.  There may need to be a certification by your previous DMV of your current license.  Older drivers may have to pass a hearing test and buy a hearing aid depending on the test results.  This is only a partial list of requirements for a DL.

cccmedia

We have had an apartment in Colombia for years and I would never drive there.  People don't respect the rules and always do the unexpected.  We always use public transportation or Uber which is safe and inexpensive.  If you have an accident and somebody get's killed, you will probably be facing jail time.

A BMW?

You could be target for kidnappers or extortionist s, unless you take a lot of precautions

Not having a car is not an option. I have a family and a kid and will be living about an hour outside a big city so it’s a must.
Thank you for different perspectives

I have friends in Mexico who have many millions of dollars, who only drive junker cars because they don't want to be targets for kidnappers.  Other rich people in Colombia I know have armored vehicles they drive.  If you are living away from the city you should have armed guards to protect yourself and your family.

Laker4115 wrote:

I have friends in Mexico who have many millions of dollars, who only drive junker cars because they don't want to be targets for kidnappers.  Other rich people in Colombia I know have armored vehicles they drive.

I drove my late-model Chevy, nothing fancy, during nine months in Colombia several years ago.

I was stopped from time to time by police who thoroughly checked my papers, usually in Medellín.

On my first night, having driven into Colombia from Ecuador, approaching Popayán, my car was attacked from the rear by two rock throwers on motorcycles in the rain.  This was on the Panamericana highway.  As I sped up in a vain attempt to escape the attackers, my car spun out .. and the cobardes rode off.  Though my rear windshield was totaled, I was lucky and unharmed.

After that, I stayed off the intercity roads at night except in the Coffee Zone.

I recommend against driving a fancy car in Colombia at night outside of patrolled city areas.

cccmedia

Armed guards?

Maybe if you have a BMW and drive it all around all the time  but otherwise ridiculous

Rich People have fancy cars in Colombia but they only drive them on Sunday afternoons, and keep them parked in the guarded parqueadero inside their condo complex (conjunto)

Really, a foreigner driving his family around in A BMW is not "Low Profile" and breaks all the rules.

Very irreponsible idea and endangering to your family. Give your head a shake and buy a KIA, at least until you know the ropes and then  in a few monthsa Low end used  SUV once you" learn the ropes " if you are concerned about accidents (which is¡s also a very legitimate concern)

Thank you all for all your perspective. I was looking at Kia Sportage or Sorento and they even cost more than A BMW but it does not bring attention as much because there are tons of it on the road. Mazda’s are everywhere. And others. I guess I’ll stick with low profile. Thank you again

I bought a Capri Classic for 430$ when I lived in Panama. I never regretted. It was so big ang ugly  that everyone got out of my way. I could fit 17 people in it with groceries.

Rollrock wrote:

I bought a Capri Classic for 430$ when I lived in Panama... It was so big (and) ugly... I could fit 17 people in it with groceries.

Sure you did.

Good luck parking a bus that size.

@Laker4115  This seems a bit out there.  I've driven my father-in-law's BMW around Colombia.  Not just on Sundays and no armor necessary.  Nobody paid it any attention.  We were even in guerilla-controlled territory at one point and all was fine; nobody was worried.

@MotitaSr Makes a difference if you look like a gringo, if you do, you are all the more likely to have problems driving a fancy car.  Like I said before the people with real money in Colombia either drive armor plated vehicles and often have bodyguards or they drive total junkers to avoid being noticed.  There are a lot of BMW drivers in Colombia with not a lot of money, in that case the main risk is having the car stolen and not kidnapping.  I look like a gringo and have been kidnapped, Argentina not Colombia, there are Colombians who figure that all foreigners are loaded with dollars and would like to make a visit to the nearest ATM with you plus your credit and bank cards.