Hello, All...
I have just spent the last eight days in Boquete preparing for our permanent move to Boquete in late June. I was here to accomplish several things:
1. Purchase a car
2. Retain a lawyer for our Visa application, cedula card, etc.
3. Take a look at our leased home and get to know our landlord
4. Get acquainted with Boquete
5. Eat like a pig at the great restaurants in the area
I managed to accomplish all of these things. You might think I enjoyed number 5 more than the others, but it was a distant second to number 1. The reason was Keith Woolford.
You all know Keith to be the "go-to guy" when it comes to assisting expats on car purchases in Panama. What we expats don't know about it would fill volumes. I consider myself to be a good researcher, but when it came to Panamanian automobiles, I found that did not really help that much. Experience is what counts.
Enter Keith. I found out about him on this forum. After a couple of preliminary emails where we got acquainted and he answered some of my "standard questions" about purchasing a car in Panama, we agreed to meet for lunch on my first Monday here. He picked me up, and off we went to the Baru Restaurant and Bar, where by chance I was able to meet a couple of the locals who knew him. Well, I said "by chance" because I really didn't know that almost EVERYONE I have met in Boquete either knows Keith or knows of him. Over a couple of beers I got to know one 'Dave' and one 'Gentleman Jim', delightful characters! Then we got down to business. I wanted a reliable 4WD, and mentioned to Keith that I am, unfortunately, a cheapskate. There were a couple of available vehicles that fit the bill, but both were more than I wanted to spend. I asked him about another 4WD that was around $6,000 I saw on Craiglist (yes, I know, ugh), and he told me the car in question was at Cowboy Dave's outside of town alongside one of the cars he was recommending, so off we went. Since I had no car during my stay, Keith was kind enough to drive me there. Meeting Cowboy Dave was another pleasant experience. One look, by the way, at the $6,000 4WD vehicle was enough to tell me that I better forget about my normal cheapskate ways and listen more closely to what Keith was trying to tell me. To his credit, however, he never told me I was wrong, rather he just let me find out for myself.
At any rate, the other car was out on a test loan with another prospective buyer, so we started chatting about the second vehicle, which was located in Panama City. He shot me an email with several photos of it to my cell, and it wasn't long before I came to the conclusion that this was the car for us (my wife Debby and myself), even though it cost more than I had originally intended to spend. Why did I get it? Well, although Keith did not know this, my wife has always wanted a Jeep, but I was under the impression parts would be hard to come by, and also it would be hard to get it worked on. The vehicle was a 2008 Jeep Wrangler Sahara, and it only had 20,000 miles on it. It was a one-owner (a Gringo), who took good care of the car, and Keith was familiar with it. This satisfied most of the parameters Keith said to watch for, the only thing that remained was how to get it serviced. Well, Keith informed me that Jeep finally had a dealership of some sorts in David, so I might be able to get it worked on there, but I would still be better off ordering any needed parts from the US and having them shipped. Based upon the mileage on the Jeep, and especially based upon my wife's desires, I agreed to purchase the car. I have since found out that the price I paid was excellent.
Okay, fine. Why am I "bragging" about my car purchase? Well, I'm really not. What I'm really talking about is Keith. You see, I'm an extremely careful individual, and would be intensely embarrassed if I got caught "with my pants down" purchasing a vehicle. So how did Keith manage to get past the most sacred cow of my personality traits? That's easy. It's because he is a genuine person. A good man. A kind soul. A trustworthy businessman. He is all of these things, and now he is one more.
He is my friend.
Replies
Keith,
Even though they say your popularity has dropped because of the X-Mass post lets remember when some of those same people loved you.
Ah the good times.
Who are THEY, I think he is more popular now than ever!!!
Keep up the good work Keith.
Patrick
Won't someone please mercifully close this thread?
What's wrong with this thread?
Yes, Walter REALLY! I really do need to wear my readers when I want to hit backspace and not send. :) So...
The KEITH KHRONICLES KONTINUED: Everything written by everyone here is true and more. Have worked with Keith for about 10 months, the first five of which he taught me not to rush, the next three of which he showed me that he would find the vehicle I needed and I could stop concerning myself and the last couple of which have resulted in simple banking transactions ending up with us having a wonderful XTRail in formidable condition; one that Keith kept at his home and washed and exercised; one on which he took care of every detail imaginable from the tag to the Revisado to the insurance, to new tires and, one that he had delivered to us at Tocumen when we arrived on Saturday night by a colleague of his who then drove us to our hotel so that we and out four massive suitcases could make the drive to Boquete on Sunday. And, I haven't even met him yet! Emails and phone sure, but we are only going to meet after the parades are done. I look forward to it. He's a remarkable guy.
I agree that Keith goes the extra mile to help get done what needs to be done. Thank you, Keith.
Maybe i will get killed for saying that...but without offense to Keith, it takes a couple of hours, let's say half a day, to change a registration, and i guess the cost is around 25 maybe a little more...All you have to do is to go with the previous owner to the municipio where the car is registered, both you and the owner fill a first document that will be stamped by the municipio...that should cost 5$ or so, then you have to make a small payement to the Banco nacional go back to the municipio that will give a document to bring to the nearest ATTT office...depending on the queue, some times later they will do another certifate ( the pink document) and that is basically it.
That's true, Stephane. But for newcomers who don't know their way around, those with little or no Spanish, and folks with physical limitations, that two hours or half a day can be a real challenge. And there are others who simply would prefer to spend their time doing something more fulfilling.
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