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Buying a fuel efficient car in Nicaragua for a round trip to the US
Submitted by Christine on Fri, 2005/09/30 - 00:22.
My preliminary plan is to take my truck camper with at least some of the stuff I want to move for a couple months vacation in Nicaragua.
Considering the cost of fuel, I thought it might be a good idea to leave the Chevy dually and camper (7 - 8 mpg, 12 -14 mpg without camper) and get a small car to take back up to the states to finish up my business here and get rid of my stuff and then drive back down for good.
I don't fly unless I absolutely have to (got a 70 lb dog) and I enjoy driving. I have brought vehicles into the US from Europe and Canada and I suppose having a "visiting" car with Nicaragua plates won't be a problem and I should be able to just add it to my US insurance. I can check on that here if I go that route.
What about registering a car in Nica as a foreigner and, how do prices compare?
I hate nothing more than buying cars. I'd like an old AND fuel efficient car and the two just don't go together. The Toyota hybrid sounds so cool, but is way out of my price range and a new car is just not right for me. I prefer the ugly beat up look - not worth breaking into or stealing.
Is there a chance of finding a shop / mechanic to pay to check out a car before you buy it?
AAA told me I'm covered for towing up to 100 miles in Mexico ("as long as services are available") and their $1,000 trip interruption insurance (part of Cal. Plus membership) sent me those checks twice already -- it almost makes it fun to break down. They pay for lodging, rental car and all the restaurant bills and they promptly paid after I submitted my credit card statements and major bills.
I thought about getting a Dodge Ram diesel before I leave and then just storing the camper, but I keep reading about problems with diesel in Mexico.
I've hated the dually with a passion when it just didn't fit on some roads, but it's super cool when you have a flat and you can just DRIVE to get it fixed somewhere. And it's a very stable ride with the camper. It already has about 200K miles and I figured it would make a good work truck.
I greatly appreciate any suggestions.
Diesel->yes
Problems with diesel makes no sense. Most of the world (including Mexico) favors diesel because there is more energy per gallon, it is less dangerous than gasoline, it costs less and diesel engines are more reliable. Unless you want a car for very short runs, diesel is the way to go.
I wouldn't buy a US made car. First, there aren't that many here so they are just harder to get parts for and to get fixed. That is likely a result of the US embargo of the 1980s here--something that makes me want to only buy from places that will sell me parts in the future.
There are so many more Toyotas here I recommend them. I would guess that with the exception of the taxis here which are KIA Prides, over 50% of the vehicles are Toyotas. Pickups are the most popular with an assortment of land cruisers added in. Everyone knows how to work on them and everyone had parts.
While I don't (yet) have a mechanic I feel good about in Esteli, my friend Veronica has one she is very happy with in Managua. He checked out some cars for me (that I should have bought). Her contact info is somewhere on this site. :-)
You (sorta) cannot register a car you import that is over seven years old here. And there is import duty. So, the "buy here, visit the US" sounds like the best approach.
Thanks!
I didn't know there's a problem registering old cars, which applies to my Chevy, a 96. Well, it won't run forever.
Re. diesel: I was searching for fuel prices in Mexico a while ago and saw some postings about diesel problems in the RV forums. Don't remember if it was quality or availability, have to look again.
And I've also seen some of the comments here about the Toyotas, a little pickup sounds good.