Buying and registering a car in Guatemala as a tourist

You are aware that there is NO road from Panama to Colombia, although there is a car ferry that started in 2014, previous ferries did not last long so you might want to get going while the going is good. Cars in Central America tend to be more expensive than in the US, why not start from the US.

We are aware of the Darien Gap and plan to put the car on a ferry, like you mentioned. The main reason we do not want to start in the US is because we don't want to have American license plates, which we feel will make us a target for thieves, etc

Once you get into South America having Guatemala plates will be even more unusual than having plates from a US state, either of which will stand out like a sore thumb and I doubt Guatemala plates would provide any protection from thieves except in Central America.

Boy have you got some homework to do!
-Because of the duty a Guatemalan car will cost you far more (50%+) than the comparable car in the US.
-You will need a lawyer or notary in order to transfer the title and together with the taxes and other fees will run to a significant amount.
-You will then have to wait weeks for the title document to be produced by the National Registry.
-You then cannot cross any Central American borders with the car without applying for exit papers from the Registry and these must detail all the exact dates that you will enter and exit countries.
- The ferry you speak of is not a RORO (or I've certainly never heard of it being done). You will need to container your vehicle for around $1000 plus fees and then travel independently.
- You cannot sell the vehicle in SA without paying all the import duties so you will be required to then do the whole trip in reverse.
- You will not find any companies that offer affordable insurance for this trip.

I would wish you good luck but despite your inevitable protestations you will not do this trip so it would be pointless. Seriously, you will not do this trip....

You do not want to buy a car in Central America, as you will paying 50% more for it, due to import taxes and duties. You want to buy a car in the US, get it registered in your name, get Plates, and then drive it to Argentina. Keep in mind that once you want to sell it, anywhere in Central or South America, there is a huge duty/import tax on it in order to get it legally in a country.

Also, you want to be sure the car is under 10 years old, as many countries do not allow used foreign imports that are older...

The other issue is, if you are thinking of dumping it in a country, is many countries, the vehicle is in your Passport, you can not leave the country you entered with it, without the vehicle, or, face huge fines/import duties, so, when you do sell it legally and import it, you also need to get the proper paperwork from the correct ministries, to have it removed from your Passport, otherwise, you could get screwed all over again after you sell it....

I would also suggest a Asian make car, diesel if possible, and a make that is widely sold and access to parts, like Toyota, Hyundai...

Boomer, there is the new Xpress ferry operating now twice a week, between Colon and Colombia...

Also, read the "Driving the Americas" website...dedicated to people that want to drive from MX to points south...

You really need to see and to test out and any car you are buying any where in the world. Do not buy any car sight unseen.

I'm currently exploring buying a car in Guatemala, with a lot of help "on the ground" from friends who live there. My basic takeaway is this: if you have any other option, go with that.

For instance, a pickup or SUV from early 1980s will set you back about $5,000 US, excluding associated legal costs and of course excluding the cost of gas and dragging the thing across so many borders and paying fees every time. And I presume you know what used car dealers are like--do you really want to be dealing with one in your second language, over the phone, to buy a car you haven't seen yet?

Take a look at the price-for-quality on these sites to get a taste of what you're in for:

http://clasificadospl.com/

http://gpautos.net/GP/carros/filtro

I agree that buying the car in Guatemala only to avoid sticking out w/US plates makes no sense and just isn't grounded in reality. You're going to stick out anyway and no one is going to suddenly decide not to rob a car just because it has CA plates.

As others have mentioned, driving through CA is a lot less straightforward than you may think. It's also a darn shame to make the trip about driving and not staying in special places for a week or two at a time, but hey, to each their own...