Volvo?

You just have to GOOGLE- and see if there are Volvo dealers, it list Panama City Panama, as the only dealer in Centro America, but you may have to wait for car parts,and a find a mechanic with a repair manual for your model, you can buy one in the states and put in trunk. You may want to buy in advance simple thinhs like parts that wear out, fan belts, brake pads, oil filters, air filters, wiper blades, headlight bulbs/brake light bulbs.

Did you also look into the taxes and licensing of a foreign vehicle in Nicaragua, if its naything like Costa Rica, you will pay up to 50% of the determined Blue Book value of the vehicle, getting nailed is a hobby by these guys, so good luck. And as with anything legal, hire a lawyer to do it for you. The process can be daunting...

There are Volvo dealers in Guatemala and El Salvador (the El Salvador one is the same Guatemalan company - the "Los Tres" or something... they also sell Jaguar). But my friends that have the classic '70s Volvo 144s usually buy the parts by Internet, and usually have a hard time finding parts. Have seen some V40's (one of my friends has a classic 144 and also a V40).

If the cars you see on the roads of Nicaragua are anything to go by, I would say your chances of easy and quick access to parts are less than slim. In the 18 months I've lived here and travelled the country extensively, I can't remember having seen a single Volvo, old or new, anywhere in NI. And parts availability is very much depends on demand.

Do you have El Salvadorian plates?

Hi,
Thanks for the info..my car does have Salvadoran plates.
I was wondering about the taxes and customs issues...I guess I need to look into it. My mechanic here is wonderful.. in case any one needs someone in San Salvador :)

Susan

I think I've seen 2 volvos in Managua. If you are going to be here a while you might want to just sell your car in El Salvador (or leave it there in some capacity) and buy a good used car in Nicaragua. It will take a little time to find a car in good shape, but the process is pretty easy if you don't mind leaving circulation and other documents in the previous owner's name, which seems to be quite common.

"It will take a little time to find a car in good shape, but the process is pretty easy if you don't mind leaving circulation and other documents in the previous owner's name, which seems to be quite common."

Yes, it's quite common, but it has one potentially significant disadvantage: You're not allowed to take a car out of the country if the car papers are not in your name. That's definitely true for Costa Rica, not sure though about ES, HN, and GT (the C4 countries).

Oh, and if you do want to buy a used car, don't go to Autolote El Chele. Advertises a lot, but is hopelessly overpriced and has been known to sell on crashed cars with a new coat of paint, and stolen cars from over the border.

There is a Volvo dealer in Managua. Needless to say it is not the most popular make around. Parts, that´s another game. Unless you have a Toyota, Hyundai, or Kia, parts are not that easy to find, specially those that are not frequently needed, for example: turning loght, etc.