Shipping VS Buying a Vehicle in Panama

[Dustin Troutman]

Im sure you all have seen my post on looking for a toyota landcruiser, well ive been doing alot of research and my conclusion is to buy here in the us I found a descent 4X4 here in utah its a Landrover Defender for $1200 and in sure you are saying somthing is wrong with it but here in utah we have strict safety and emissions insp that are c/w every year for every veh I found the exact vehicle in panama listed for 9000 with more Km and exact same accesories Ive look all over for a good buy in panama and it just cost too much to buy in panama I did some shopping for a place to ship it form Texas to panama for about 2000 and lets add all the taxes 1500 est im looking at 4700 I save what 4300 so you may ask you have to bribe the official well I hope my wife brother will be a help with that since he works for Immigration/Customs so hopefully I wont get screwed well still im open to suggestions good night

[Keith Woolford]

Dustin, sounds like you got a great deal. I would only be concerned about vehicle choice.

[Johnny Sunshine]

The general thought  here is dump it there and buy one here especially if you buy one from Keith.  Buying used in Panama is always a tricky issue since preventive maintenance is a issue not practice much here and you never know how much the car has been rebuilt from wrecks.  You really don't need a friggin tank here anyway since many parking spaces tend to be on the short side.  Come down and take a look at whats available.  Seems we always have someone going back to live in the US who can't make it in Paradise for some reason or another.

[Keith Woolford]

Dustin, I think you're light on the customs end. First of all, there's a minimum tax of $1500 on older cars. Then 7% sales tax on the value of the car, the $1500, and the shipping costs. Better add some storage time and off-loading charges. And a broker fee unless you're going to try and clear it yourself. The bro.inlaw might be able to help with the evaluation but he can't get you around most of this stuff. After you get it out of hock, you can look forward to the registration process. By the way, not sure people refer to 'getting screwed at Customs' when they're talkinh about importing a vehicle here. Try taking a European or Japanese car into Utah or California if you want a sore backside. The modifications alone would probably scare you off.
In my previous note I mentioned vehicle choice. Obtaining LandRover parts and service isn't going to be near as easy as a  a Toyota LC, your first choice. Cowboy Dave has sold three or four really nice ones since I first referred him to you a year or two ago. Good luck, Keith