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Buying a used vehicle
Submitted by joed on Thu, 2010/02/04 - 07:47.
I am new to NL and have a question that I am sure has come up before. I am coming to Nicaragua at the end of February and want to buy a used vehicle. Since I will be within 30' of Managua I am trying to get some information on any dependable auto dealers that any of you may be able to recommend. I am interested in a dependable SUV type vehicle. What are some hidden or unexpected costs I can expect to run into? Apologies to those who have been here for some time and have seen this question before.
don't buy a used
car here.
That means a vehicle used by locals.
There is no service or repair done, unless it's broken down.
Go to one of the importers from Korea or Japan and buy your car, you know that is has been treated better from where it was shipped.
Good Luck.
Buying a Vehicle
Thanks for getting back to me. By "importers from Korea or Japan", are you referring to the Honda's, Toyota's ,Hyundai"s of the world or are you saying there are specific importers of used cars from these countries?
there are several used car lots in managua
that brings in cars ..kia,hyunda,and a couple of other makes..they are probably the safest to deal with
I agree with Roger...Don't buy used!
I am considering a Mahindra for my next vehicle. About 12k and built strong like the Toyota used to be.
Buying a Vehicle
Thanks for responding. I have not heard of a Mahindra. Who makes it and are they available in Nicaragua?
Mahindra Dealership
Mahindra is made in India. I believe they opened a dealership in the PriceSmart complex. http://www.mahindrana.com/indian-cars-and-trucks.html
Another brand would be Wall of China. These are basically Toyota knock offs. Reasonably priced and More and more of them on the road. They are serviced by the Mitsubishi dealership.
Mahindra's
I saw some on the Internet and they looked pretty nice, at least from the pictures. Have you seen or driven any? Also do you know if the SUV, I think it's Scorpio, are in Nicaragua? Thanks again.
Mahindra SUV
I have not noticed one in Nicaragua. This does not mean they don't sell them here. I am in the market for a new Double Cabina Pick up. Being the typical male shopper, I don't even notice anything I'm not in the market for :-).
Buying a Vehicle
Yeah I must have that "male shopper "syndrome cause my wife is always on me about not noticing things that are, to me, irrelevant. I looked at a few vehicles from ads that were forwarded to me and they seem to be greatly overpriced. For example, I saw an ad for an Xterra, a 2000 model with 200k + mileage and they were asking $10k. Here in the states the price would be 1/2 that. What am I missing in this?
Not sure you are missing anything
Used vehicles are fairly expensive depending on the brand and model year.
I have people coming up to me at gas stations and wanting to buy my old pick up. They are offering amounts that make me wonder if I shouldn't just hand them the key and take the money.
This makes a vehicle like the Mahindra or Great Wall of China even more attractive to me.
On the other hand, if you want something really rugged, easy to repair and great on fuel, I have a 1946 Willis that was rebuilt from the ground up. :-)
Don't be selling my future truck to just anybody!
Funny you should mention the Willy's
http://www.mahindra.com/Heritage/History.html
looks like that's how Mahindra started
I had the truck washed for you
today. Finally after about 4 month LOL.
Used vehicles, not many good ones around.
I think the answer to your question could be that a lot of vehicles are simply trashed after using them on road and in conditions that are at times just brutal. If you find a good one they will be asking a lot and maybe for a good reason.
An ex city vehicle might be a better buy, but then stop/start wear on clutch and transmission as well as a constantly hot/maybe overheating motor needs to be compared with front/rear end/suspension and bone jarring wear on dirt road and in the country.
In the States and Canada "Mainly highway mileage" did mean something as far as assessing wear and tear. I don't think it applies as much here.
Who and how it's been driven before will become apparent as a major factor as you drive around here! One of the reasons I don't. Luckily for me, 15 cords to Rivas on a bus or 35 for a cab fair (and feeling of being "Green" for half an hour) is an option.
Don't rush into anything. There are a few guys here in SJdS I would, and likely will one day buy one from, not many though.
There was one in SJdS the other week, it looked good.
I compared it to my sandal purchases. Ryder's for $35-50 or cheap imports for $6-10.
Both wear in, get comfortable, get beaten up, eventually wear out and both can get stolen.
I can get 3 or 4 pairs of imports for one name brand. If I alternate the usage, they all last a long time. If they get stolen, I call into the dealer and buy new.
Does Mahindra make sandals?
Buying a Vehicle
It's a point well taken. I'll look for Mahindra sandals after we settle in a bit.