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New Car Purchase

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Jubi
  4/16/2020 13:07 EST

I hear that new cars or "zero kilometre cars" are sold fixed price in Uruguay. Can someone confirm that for me and advise how to obtain the price for a given car short of walking into a showroom (assuming one is even open)?

I am looking for a new Subaru Forester and would appreciate any sharing of experiences in this regard, Subaru or otherwise.

As always, thanks to all of you. Take care and stay safe and well.

Morell
  4/16/2020 16:28 EST

There is usually a section in the Sunday El Pais with car prices. Also online you can check Mercado Libre. Looks like a Subaru Forester is $66,800 USD or so for automatic and $59,800 USD for standard.

Prices are fixed. We managed to get free floor mats included. It is worth making sure you get day running lights as here some do not have them. It was a simple software fix on our VW a few years ago.

Unless you have a UY income for at least a couple of years you will probably need to pay the full price upfront in cash. Also the road tax and insurance here are expensive and do not seem to diminish as the car ages,

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Jubi
  4/16/2020 17:24 EST

Thank you very much for the information. It is really appreciated, especially the mention of daytime running lights. I am always having to remind myself to turn on the lights in rental cars.

I knew the vehicles were expensive but double the US price appears to be the norm. I wish I could do without one altogether. Thanks again.

Alascat
  4/16/2020 18:31 EST

Before you resign yourself to paying an outrageous sum for a specific make and type of automobile, you might want to check out used (and some new) cars on sites like mercadolibre.com which have lots of good/acceptable choices.

Expat91364
  4/17/2020 17:50 EST

European models or Japanese will cost a pretty penny. You can do better with Korean or better yet the Chinese although admittedly many are pure crap and unsafe

Look at BYD and their larger Cross overs. I am very happy with my S 5. WArren Buffet supposedly bought a large stake in the company

Expat91364
  4/17/2020 17:50 EST

European models or Japanese will cost a pretty penny. You can do better with Korean or better yet the Chinese although admittedly many are pure crap and unsafe

Look at BYD and their larger Cross overs. I am very happy with my S 5. WArren Buffet supposedly bought a large stake in the company

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Click connect to have our partner contact you via e-mail and/or phone.

Mobility LCMobility LC

Mobility LC is committed to work hard to make your Uruguayan immigration and relocation process a reality. We can provide you with the best local contacts and will guide you all the way through the process offering support in 5 different languages. Your success is our personal goal.
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Expat91364
  4/17/2020 17:50 EST

European models or Japanese will cost a pretty penny. You can do better with Korean or better yet the Chinese although admittedly many are pure crap and unsafe

Look at BYD and their larger Cross overs. I am very happy with my S 5. WArren Buffet supposedly bought a large stake in the company

Vortice
  4/18/2020 07:28 EST

It seemed to us that the prices for used cars here are extremely high, too high for what one gets IMHO.
Being out on a chacra, we wanted dependable 4WD and the convenience of an automatic. We settled on a new 2017 Forrester XT. It was the top of the line model and cost a staggering $67k! It has been an absolute delight to drive, is very comfortable and I tow a trailer the size of my old 68 chevy pick-up bed. This is a great compromise in lieu of a pick up truck.
Be aware that annual registration fees are brutal. The vehicle is 3 years old now, yet the "patente" for this year cost $2,300! Buying and owning a car here is very costly, and explains the mass of motos and cheap cars not to mention the excellent and well used buss services. In town one could live w/o a car easily, out "en la media de la nada", a dependable vehicle is paramount. The weather can be crazy here so 4x4 and big wheels/ground clearance can be important. Our camino vecinal is dirt and has one paved stream crossing that is often impassible and sometimes we can still cross while smaller cars cannot. If the current is over a foot deep, the detour is 20-40 minutes....Subaru is a good choice for the campo.

Vortice
  4/18/2020 07:47 EST

The process: I would see if you can contact Subaru Montevideo to inquire about stock on hand. They only get a few at a time. As this is a new car, you could check them out at a local dealer to see what color, options etc, to see that the car they have is what you want, then buy it with an electronic transfer. You will need to act very fast if they have one you like.
We saw ours and were told that the deposit had to be cash, not credit card and that we had 24 hrs to pay or they would not hold the car. In the morning, we contacted them and said that we were not sure that we would be able to make the drive to MVD (1hr+) due to the storm. We drove anyway and arrived to see people sitting in our car w/ a price tag on the windshield. The dealers were shocked to see us w/ $1k cash in hand, and had some sticky back-tracking to do to explain why these people could not buy that particular car (the only XT). Had we arrived any later it would have been problematic. The electronic payment took one day and we drove away happily, and turned in the rental car. In retrospect, we should have bought a cheap used car instead of protracted car rental. For the price we paid for long term car rental we could still have an old, second car, as well as the Forrester.

Jubi
  4/19/2020 10:07 EST

Thank you all for such great information. This really helps. The decision I am making is whether to bring a new Forester with my household goods.

As a retiree, I can bring a new car as long as it has been licensed and registered in the US. Even with the cost of shipping and legal fees to get through the importing process, it looks as though it is certainly worth it from a sheer economic point of view.

If I were staying put in MVD, I would not bother with a car: but, living in PdeE I think I really need a vehicle. Next question is whether a rental car is the better option. From what Vortice says, probably not. The licensing and registration sounds like something I will just have to deal with as part of living in UY.

Thanks again everyone for the advice and experience sharing. As you know it is invaluable to newcomers and saves surprises later.

Morell
  4/19/2020 11:58 EST

The law about retirees no longer applies unless you are a UY citizen? Only returning UY citizens can import a vehicle and even then, it is highly regulated. Proof of ownership at least 1 year prior to importation must be provided and the vehicle cannot be sold for at least 2 years after entry into UY. Returning UY citizens can only do this one time per lifetime.
The insurance and road tax are based on the value of the vehicle here. I know someone who did this and the car sat in their driveway as they could not afford to pay the high costs involved.

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Click connect to have our partner contact you via e-mail and/or phone.

Mobility LCMobility LC

Mobility LC is committed to work hard to make your Uruguayan immigration and relocation process a reality. We can provide you with the best local contacts and will guide you all the way through the process offering support in 5 different languages. Your success is our personal goal.
Connect

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Jubi
  4/19/2020 12:07 EST

Thanks for the heads up.

Law 16:340 applies to retirees that are permanent residents of UY. The vehicle cannot be sold for four years and you must have a minimum of US$100K invested in real estate or UY bonds for ten years. I should live that long if I can fend off Covid-19.

My law firm in MVD is advising and handling. I will also receive an UY passport for travel use although not evidence of citizenship.

I have to wait five years for citizenship if I choose tp take it. The passport is great for travel to Schengen countries though in light of new registration requirements the EU has established for US citizens effective next year.

It is not an inexpensive proposition but still far cheaper than $67K

Morell
  4/19/2020 12:41 EST

Oh that one. I do not know anyone who went that route.

The passport is unlike any except apparently Namibia. 'It defines you as a citizen of Uruguay but not a national. Your original country of birth is listed as your nationality and in countries where this nationality requires a visa it will still apply.

It has been said that it will not help you in Schengen countries according to others here who have tried it and were refused.

Morell
  4/19/2020 14:26 EST

This has been posted a number of times by different people over the last few years.
If your lawyer is using it then that is surprising but things here are never black and white so who knows?

This was on a Uruguay expat group on Facebook in Dec 2018.
Others have said it no longer exists as well

That "$1500 pensioner with fastrack passport, 100000 USD home home purchase or bond with 6 year lockup" thing hasn't existed for a decade or more. Not in practice, whether or not the law got fully repealed. Ever since the first Frente Amplio presidency (Dr Vásquez' original term, before Mujica and now Vásquez again) it was stopped. I've heard it was because they consider it unfair, preferential towards the wealthier (it was 1500 per person, and rewarded by allowing "bring lots of your material stuff and vehicle, and a cheap "flag planting" passport without requiring societal initiation), thus unworthy of a democratic socialism republic's ideals.
Lots of lousy, outdated, hyped, non-authoritative websites still may mention it. They're wrong.

cib
  4/19/2020 14:34 EST

Here is a Uruguayan government site, updated in may 2019, still describing the ley:
https://www.gub.uy/tramites/beneficio-extranjeros-jubilados-obtengan-residencia-permanente

???

Jubi
  4/19/2020 14:39 EST

Thanks for the warning. Anderson Tax and Legal is a very reputable, old UY law firm (Fischer and Shickendnatz) now affiliated with the Anderson International Group that handled my residency with impeccable attention to detail and success. They also offer an international relocation department for corporate moves to UY. I will rely on their advice regarding 16:340. As with everything Uruguayan, I know it will take a great deal of time. Uruguayan friends tell me that patience is what Uruguay teaches best. I believe them. The last year and a half feels like an eternity!

Morell
  4/19/2020 14:49 EST

Yes, I have seen it as well but so many say it has been repealed that I have no idea.
We used Fischer when we applied for residency in 2011 and they did not feel the requirements were worth the benefits. If something happened requiring you to sell or leave, you could not get your money back for the full ten years.

Many of the expats I have known since arriving have either left or died so what that would mean if they had used this law is uncertain.
Inheritance laws here are very different to up north - you do not get to decide what you leave to any children or spouse, the State does, and having a property tied up for potentially ten years would be a nightmare in my opinion.

PeerV
  4/17/2021 15:05 EST

I would love to hear what came out of it. For now I only heard stories about how it can be done, not this forum but n plenty of situations, but never heard of a single case of foreigner where it succeeded

alfista1
  4/21/2021 10:20 EST

Yes we returned a couple of years, my wife being the returning citizen. We looked at bringing back a car but just wasn't worth the hassle. (they obviously do this on purpose).

Also my car was a Jaguar with a 3litre engine so road tax and insurance would have cost more than a new car here probably.
I sold the Jag for 2000 USD!!! (plus a 307) Worth 15 times that here. Still miss it. They were both under my name also so would have had to change that a year prior.

Instead, we brought back a full container with all our belongings and new appliances/furniture for a house here. The legal process was fairly simple, fortunately. (not the case for a car).
Container shipped directly to puntabox for storage. Customs only opened 1 box inside the container. The one that did not have the name of the moving company on it. Was an odd one with amazon prime on it! LOL

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