Advice on buying a new car in Buenos Aires?

[Bobbie Burgers]

Lots of jerks in CABA. I have seen a bunch of people hit cars on the street. Also, I'm not sure what kind of car you bought but they raised the taxes on some more expensive models.

Cambia el impuesto a los autos y motos de lujo: las nuevas escalas y a partir de cuánto se paga

El Gobierno subió la base mínima imponible del impuesto a vehículos de lujo. ¿Cómo quedan las nuevas escalas?

www.cronista.com

 

[Oatmeal]

I know a lot of people that once there car gets dented they expect that's a normal part of having a car in BA. I have also seen cars parallel parking and seen them gently tap the car in front and behind. They don't seem to care. Do you not live in CABA @Oatmeal? What makes you want to have a car in CABA?

I do not live in CABA. I just returned on my first trip of 5 weeks. My plan is to return after I tie up loose ends where I am. I am not sure if CABA is where I want to live as we are considering a little north like Tigre or Nordelta. However you are absolutely right, if we are to be in CABA, no plans for a car.

 

[Oatmeal]

Lots of jerks in CABA. I have seen a bunch of people hit cars on the street. Also, I'm not sure what kind of car you bought but they raised the taxes on some more expensive models.

Cambia el impuesto a los autos y motos de lujo: las nuevas escalas y a partir de cuánto se paga

El Gobierno subió la base mínima imponible del impuesto a vehículos de lujo. ¿Cómo quedan las nuevas escalas?

www.cronista.com

Argghhh. This will be another thing I will have to get used to. High cost of cars in BA. Definitely not looking forward to this if I do end up purchasing a car. Do car dealership take foreign credit cards?

 

[Avocado]

I do not live in CABA. I just returned on my first trip of 5 weeks. My plan is to return after I tie up loose ends where I am. I am not sure if CABA is where I want to live as we are considering a little north like Tigre or Nordelta. However you are absolutely right, if we are to be in CABA, no plans for a car.

Yes if you live in Northern suburb area you will want to have a car. But in CABA make no sense to have a car unless maybe you own a garage space but even then it very expensive to drive around and park and as you mention, many people hit your car. Now with Milei failed plans, crime rate go up a lot. Many people break into cars. My husband car window smashed the other day. Nothing to steal but they go through all our car to see.

 

[All the Answers]

Hello all. I just got my DNI and permanent residency. Can anyone explain the tax implications of owning a car? It sounds crazy but I couldn't get a car loan here as I just got my DNI. I had to pay cash to the dealership. I have a remote job and they wouldn't recognize that income as I am not yet paying AFIP.

My friends all told me now since I bought an expensive car now I will have problems with the Argentine IRS (AFIP). What does this mean? I was hoping to avoid paying taxes on all my digital nomad offshore income which is paid in the USA. Now will I have issues? Is there some paperwork that I need to fill out because I bought this car in cash?

Help!

Also another fee that you need to make sure you pay when owning a car is the Patente which is a city tax for owning a vehicle. It is paid every 2 months. Obviously the more expensive the car the more it will be. As well make sure you have insurance as if you get pulled over and don't have insurance there are big fines.

If you are buying a used car you can pay an inspection fee to a company like this below:

Verifica I Verificación precompra de autos usados a domicilio

Verifica empresa independiente con la verificación precompra de autos usados a domicilio más completa. Verifica es la empresa líder con más de 10 años de experiencia operando con profesionalismo y objetividad.

www.verifica.com.ar

 

[Oatmeal]

Also another fee that you need to make sure you pay when owning a car is the Patente which is a city tax for owning a vehicle. It is paid every 2 months. Obviously the more expensive the car the more it will be. As well make sure you have insurance as if you get pulled over and don't have insurance there are big fines.

If you are buying a used car you can pay an inspection fee to a company like this below:

Verifica I Verificación precompra de autos usados a domicilio

Verifica empresa independiente con la verificación precompra de autos usados a domicilio más completa. Verifica es la empresa líder con más de 10 años de experiencia operando con profesionalismo y objetividad.

www.verifica.com.ar

Thank you this is helpful.

 

[Oatmeal]

Yes if you live in Northern suburb area you will want to have a car. But in CABA make no sense to have a car unless maybe you own a garage space but even then it very expensive to drive around and park and as you mention, many people hit your car. Now with Milei failed plans, crime rate go up a lot. Many people break into cars. My husband car window smashed the other day. Nothing to steal but they go through all our car to see.

Any good new policies by the new president? My local friend said they will be removing some import taxes if you buy stuff out of the country. Not sure if this is true. Something about a $5000 limit? Not sure if this is from traveling (plane) and returning, or importing stuff by shipping.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

good new policies by the new president?

follow @BowTiedMara on twitter/X if you haven't yet. here are 2 of his car posts:

1

https://twitter.com/x/status/1740520798626939132

2

https://twitter.com/x/status/1751057098132033564

(he's a Dutch guy who lives in Argentina, speaks several languages, and actually has bought a car and wrote a guide for it)

Buying a car in Argentina

The road to bureaucracy hell is paved with forms and declarations

www.bowtiedmara.io

 

[Oatmeal]

follow @BowTiedMara on twitter/X if you haven't yet. here are 2 of his car posts:

1

https://twitter.com/x/status/1740520798626939132

2

https://twitter.com/x/status/1751057098132033564

(he's a Dutch guy who lives in Argentina, speaks several languages, and actually has bought a car and wrote a guide for it)

Buying a car in Argentina

The road to bureaucracy hell is paved with forms and declarations

www.bowtiedmara.io

Hey niceee. So soon all NEW cars will have a much lower price? I wonder how this will impact 1 year old or more used car pricing.

 

[All the Answers]

follow @BowTiedMara on twitter/X if you haven't yet. here are 2 of his car posts:

1

https://twitter.com/x/status/1740520798626939132

2

https://twitter.com/x/status/1751057098132033564

(he's a Dutch guy who lives in Argentina, speaks several languages, and actually has bought a car and wrote a guide for it)

Buying a car in Argentina

The road to bureaucracy hell is paved with forms and declarations

www.bowtiedmara.io

Great blog full of good info. So much corruption in Argentina so it's good they will get rid of this.

 

[Bharat]

I was also thinking of buying a car there in Argentina but it sounds like it makes sense to buy a used car instead. Does anyone know what is the sweet spot of how old the used car is where I can still sell it after I move back in a year or 2 and do well selling it?

 

[StatusNomadicus]

do well selling it?

well, selling to an Expat you might do well, but locals will probably try to continuously scam you. i think this would be a great service to start, since the buying process with all its hoops, and the lack of worthwhile listings make it hard to car shop as a newcomer. cars lose value 95% of the time, so i'm just going to price that in when the time comes. also, buying New with a warranty is a sort of value that can't be quantified (the guy selling you a 2-year-old car might know it has something catastrophic wrong, and will just screw you over since you're not a local and he assumes you have a ton of money to lose)

 

[All the Answers]

I was also thinking of buying a car there in Argentina but it sounds like it makes sense to buy a used car instead. Does anyone know what is the sweet spot of how old the used car is where I can still sell it after I move back in a year or 2 and do well selling it?

Typically my local relatives all tell me that it isn't worth it to buy a used car more than 5 years old. Luxury cars actually uphold their value quite well. I know some that have sold their cars more than the cost they purchased it a few years later.

You can check out these links for car values:

Valuación automotores bienes personales: cómo se calcula

Si bien todavía faltan muchos meses para el pago del Impuesto a los Bienes Personales, ya se puede estimar como se valuarán los vehículos automotores

www.iprofesional.com

https://www.dnrpa.gov.ar/portal_dnrpa/valuaciones2.php

 

[Hornie Todongs]

Several years back, I got a secondhand Volkswagon Jetta from a major Volkwagon dealer named Dietrich. They handled everything, including registration, checking fines and mileage, transferring the title, and registering with CUIL. I paid in cash pesos, depositing it into Dietrich's local bank account. The car was covered by a warranty for 6 months. If you're not fluent and you have limited language skills, I wouldn't suggest buying from a private seller. I would buy it from a reputable dealer.

Volkswagen | dietrich

Encontrá tu próximo VW en Volkswagen dietrich. 0 Km, Planes Autoahorro, Taller, Repuestos, accesorios y ventas corporativas

vw.grupodietrich.com

 

[Vero]

Several years back, I got a secondhand Volkswagon Jetta from a major Volkwagon dealer named Dietrich. They handled everything, including registration, checking fines and mileage, transferring the title, and registering with CUIL. I paid in cash pesos, depositing it into Dietrich's local bank account. The car was covered by a warranty for 6 months. If you're not fluent and you have limited language skills, I wouldn't suggest buying from a private seller. I would buy it from a reputable dealer.

Volkswagen | dietrich

Encontrá tu próximo VW en Volkswagen dietrich. 0 Km, Planes Autoahorro, Taller, Repuestos, accesorios y ventas corporativas

vw.grupodietrich.com

This is great advice. My sister also bought from this dealership. They are very reputable. Good folks.

 

[JoeTrip]

Little bit off topic. I notice a lot of cars have dents all over the car. Even in random places you wouldn't expect dents. Is there a reason it is like this and not fixed? Does insurance claim make it not worth it (increase in rates). This was something very surprising for me. I also notice people park very close and saw many cars tapping/hitting the parked car as they navigate into the space. I guess what I am trying to say, if I purchase a car, having random dents from other cars something I should accept?

Funny you mention this. Just last night I saw a car parallel parking in Soho and there was a really tight spot. There was a car behind that had a lot of room in front of it and the guy wedged his car in and was bumping on the bumper ahead and kept pushing the car. I don't know if that causes damage to a parked car but for sure he dented the car but he was pushing it with his car.

People just watched this without showing any reaction. In the USA, Karens would be all over filming it. But in BA it seems normal which is a bad thing.

 

[StatusNomadicus]

in BA it seems normal

you will see people playing Buenos Aires Bumper Cars literally every time you walk for more than 10 minutes. they think the word Bumper means it must be bumped. and even if a visual glance tells you there's no way there is room, damnit they will try! i would put a sharp metal bumper on the front and back of my pickup if i had a car in BsAs.

 

[Vince]

Yikes, new car sales have plummeted. No one is buying now.

Car sales plummet in Argentina

The business of selling cars in Argentina contracted 36.6% in the last 12 months as the South American country faces considerably high prices in US dollars coupled with rampant inflation and unemployment, it was reported in Buenos Aires.

en.mercopress.com