Expert: MRZ - 1/29/2010

Question
Hello!  

I have dear friends in Colombia that I would love to go see, and I am thinking of road tripping to South America. I am toying with a few different trip ideas...

Trip A., I drive from Virginia USA to Panama, have my car shipped to Cartagena, visit with friends there, in Barranquilla and Bogota, drive down through Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, then sell my car in Paraguay and return by plane. It would be nice to experience more of South America, but the *real* reason in the extended trip is due to the reported ease in selling an American-registered car in Paraguay.

Another choice is to fly to Colombia, stay there for 2 weeks, visit who I want to visit, buy a car, and return to the US driving.  The thing here is that I know all of Colombia's policies on imported vehicles, but can't find a thing on how to legally purchase a car in Colombia and import it to the United States.  

I hesitate to ship a car around the Darien Gap twice due to cost, and I also hesitate to make a very strenuous round trip in one vehicle.  That is why I don't just go down and return in one car.  What would you recommend, and would I be able to purchase a car and put it in my name in Colombia? How difficult would it be to legalize once back home in the USA?

Gracias por su atencion!!!

Amanda

Answer
Hi Amanda,
First of all I am sorry about the lateness of my reply, I was dealing with a family emergency.
You can bring a used car into Colombia as long as you register it as a temporary import. You will get a temporary permit for no longer than 6 months. You have to process an Entry Card, a transit card from Customs and a declaration of temporary Import. It has to be done with DIAN and the Transportation Department. Fees are hefty.
Buying a car in Colombia is VERY expensive. I'll give you an example, you will find a 1997 Blazer for no less than 9K. New are also very expensive, Colombia imports all cars and they have a 20 to 30% tax mark up. Just by comparison, you can find a Chevy Tahoe new in the U.S. starting at $37K, and in Colombia the same SUV goes for $65k.
Also as a tourist and without having a valid Colombian cedula (ID with an identification number like the social security number) you could not get a driver's license or purchase a car in your name.
I think you are limited to importing temporarily and selling in Paraguay.
Hope this helps.
Thanks
Marta