22 Nov 2007
Buying a Car/Truck in Puerto Rico
Author: Summer | Filed under: Cars, Puerto Rico
Stefan and I bought a truck yesterday! This is Stefans new Toyota Tacoma:
It’s a 2001 Toyota Tacoma with 4×4, automatic transmission, power everything, 8-cyl, 106,000 miles, etc. It also has dual exhaust, tinted windows, a bed liner and some other bells and whistles. Not exactly the beater truck we were planning on getting, but the price was right and Stefan really really really likes it. We bought it from Ideal Auto Sales in Aguada for $12000 out the door. They were asking $14K for it and we only wanted to spend $10, so we split the difference. Since it was already more then we had planned to spend, we also told them that we didn’t want to pay tax, or any other fees on top of the $12K. They agreed and they were very nice and easy to work with.
The process was very simple and took less then 30 minutes to complete. When buying a car in Puerto Rico (at least from a dealership), you need your license and social security card or birth certificate. That’s pretty much it. They even let us pay with a personal check. Ideal Auto Sales will file all the transfer of ownership paperwork and will call us when our plates come in (approximately 30 days).
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November 22nd, 2007 at 7:02 pm
Nice truck! Congrats, that will hold up well on these roads
My 4Runner is at about 54k miles and still like new, so you guys have a car for life.. lol
Happy Thanksgiving!
November 22nd, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Don’t know why but reminds me of a truck used by a baddie in 24, series 3 or 4 methinks.
It could be the tinted windows that makes me think of villainy.
November 23rd, 2007 at 3:54 am
Bulbboy…i guess that explains why it has Spyhunter machine guns behind the headlights…summer wasn’t kiddin’ around when she said it had bells n’ whistles.
November 23rd, 2007 at 7:54 am
2 legit!
November 23rd, 2007 at 7:54 am
Beautiful truck, it’s such a necessity in P.R. to have a reliable vehicle!
February 22nd, 2008 at 4:26 pm
Did you ever get your drivers license? I just retired iin Nov and plan on moving to PR for good in late spring, would like to rent a house in the Rincon area any suggestions.
April 25th, 2008 at 11:01 am
Hey guys. Did you ever hear of a Nativa?? or how about a Baleno or a Technica.. ?
The Nativa is what they call a Mitsubishi Montero in PR, Im sure you know because its popular. The Baleno is a Suzuki Esteem I think & the Technica is the Mitsubishi Mirage. I thought that was wierd.. lol
November 2nd, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Hi guys… Just wanted to say thanks for all your great posts… I’ve been reading up on your experiences over the last while and it’s been INCREDIBLY helpful! Thank you so much!
I’m flying in next week and buying a car before i make my way to Rincon and just wanted to ask about a comment above. Do I need to get a PR drivers license to buy a vehicle there, or can i use my stateside DL? What are your thoughts about doing a vehicle inspection if I buy privately? Suggestions?
BTW, the house and everything looks great! Looks like things are working out very nicely!
November 2nd, 2008 at 8:46 pm
Hi Brucifer,
You do indeed need a PR drivers license to buy a vehicle now (this is a recent change). Niether Stefan nor myself have actually taken the time to get a PR drivers license, so the truck we purchased is still in the dealerships name. I’ve heard that getting a drivers license here is a big pain in the ass and to pretend like you don’t have an out of state license when you apply for a PR license. If you do purchase a privately owned vehicle. MAKE SURE THAT THE MARBETE IS CURRENT and that the owner has the actual title. Otherwise it is not going to be worth the headache.