Chile Forum

Allegro, I haven't been to Chile in quite a few years, so I should be good on that front. Honestly, we're leaving here October 1st. We'd looked into it when we were in Calgary and having to ship from there to a Port and then to Chile just wasn't worth the cost but there are quite a few more options now that we're in Toronto.... we're curious as to what it all would entail. Did you arrange your shipment from Chile or did you handle it before you left your country?

[[[....How about a 1920 model T ford? .........need at least one example of each vehicle to test new products we design. .....]]]]]

helitool, Uruguay permits the importation of antique cars for exhibition purposes only. You aren't allowed to drive them around, but it sounds like you don't need to drive the model T ford around anyway. Maybe, if you really need the 1920 car, you could move to Uruguay, instead of Chile.

It's possible that Chile would allow the importation. They allow the importation of salesmen's samples, not for sale. It sounds to me like that model T is a salesman's sample. It's worth a try.

Since this thread was started how have the prices of the very cheapest cars been affected?

In Buenos Aires the minimum you really need to spend to get a car is about 1500 dollars. This was quite a shock for me as you can get a working car for less than 500 dollars in the UK.

With these tax changes in Chile I wonder if cars there have become any cheaper now. Im not talking about new cars, Ive never been that interested in new cars, although Id be interested to hear about fuel efficient cars what with the price of gas.

In provinces, specially the smaller you can use old cars but in Santiago is very difficult because the absurd "Revisión Técnica" procedure, this is a big problem and the reason why so many people buy new cars in Santiago. I think the lobby of car dealers is very powerfull in Chile so as to forbid the import of used cars and increase the requirements of Revisión Técnica for old cars

tombrad2 wrote:In provinces, specially the smaller you can use old cars but in Santiago is very difficult because the absurd "Revisión Técnica" procedure, this is a big problem and the reason why so many people buy new cars in Santiago. I think the lobby of car dealers is very powerfull in Chile so as to forbid the import of used cars and increase the requirements of Revisión Técnica for old cars

The requirements for the revision tecnica are essentially the same whether in Stgo or elsewhere. At least in Patagonia the revisión técnica standards are the same as in Stgo even though there is no significant air quality issue to worry about down here. And not every planta is honest. Part of Chile's bureaucracy exists to make sure that lower economic levels have to pay comparatively more to own a motor vehicle.

And tombrad is right -- new-vehicle distributor lobby is very strong.

If the poster for "how have the prices of the very cheapest cars been affected" wishes to see current prices of used vehicles there are plenty of online sources. From EMOL to Chileautos, and more.... But it looks as though all prices are trending upward.

There are lots of cars for sale under 1500 dollars in Santiago. They will be 20 or more years old though, but then rust is not much of a problem, the mechanics might be and you will face the problem in the winter months of the restrictions on the use of non-catlytic cars.
I don't think prices are going up. There are new cars for under $8,000. In general, cars are at least 25% cheaper in Chile than in Argebtina even for models made there. Sales of new cars have gone through the roof in recent years so that Chile is about to become the country in Latin America with the highest sales per capital. It has already overtaken Argentina and will most likely overtake Brazil this year.