Buying and Selling a Bike in Sth America
 

i am currently traveling down through canada bound for cenral and sth america. my girlfriend is joining me in sth america in april 2004. she will need her own bike. i am trying to find information regarding buying a bike in northern sth america and selling it further down. what are good countries to buy a bike in (something like a dt350 or similar). I am a uk citizen so will this involve a lot of paperwork and time to buy a bike. any information,warnings etc that may help would be appreciated.
thanks

Hi,

good plan, I am sure your girlfriend will have fun riding her own bike in SA.

first question - what is a dt350 - I think you mean a suzuki dr350.

ok. me an my girlfriend bought a bike in BsAs Argentina in 01.2002 and sold it after 23.000 km in Bogota Colombia. we bought a Honda XR200R Model 2000 in nearly new condition, the bike was made in Brazil.

you will travel north to south. ok. so maybe to buy in Equador or Colombia. I dont now much about prices in Equador as I only stayed five or six days. But I spend more than three month in Colombia. Bikes in Colombia are expensive, good for selling but not good for buying. suzuki dr350 hard to find in Colombia. many bikes from brazil 200 or 400 cc. yamaha makes the xt600 and xt225 in medellin.

to find spareparts more easy it would be good to buy a bike made in SA - and also it is more easy to sell.

one option is also to buy a bike from a traveller over the HUBB.

paperwork. we registered the honda in bsas in my name - a nightmare of paperwork, but possible. but than we had problems to leave the country with the bike and had to make fake papers for the bike ... so, Argentina is not the best place to buy. If you sell, just tell the buyer that he has to do the paperwork, for him the price must be good, so its worth the hassle - or no papers are needed - like in some parts of colombia ...

for more details email me direct

mika kuhn from vladivostok russia

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I own two two KLR 650's in Chile. I am an America. I travel there annually for vacations. Must get a document called a RUT that is equivilent of US social security number to buy a bike. Its free. Once you have that it is easy and legal to purchase a bike in Chile.
Contact me for more detailed info such as a contact to help get the RUT etc.

i take it that you need a RUT for vehicles as well.
Can you buy cheep reliable cars/ vans down there?
cheers
Craig

RUT is the Tax Service identification number. Is free but not fast, and is required to buy and sell a car or bike here.
Here cars and vans are very expensive as in USA or Europe because the taxes are high, but you can buy a used car or bike without tax in Iquique (free port) in the Chilean north.

Greetings,

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Ya verás como quieren en Chile al amigo cuando es forastero (traditional song)

Jose Pedro Espinosa
Curico, Chile

I am located in Colombia, I own an Independent speciallist and I work with double purpose motorcycles...
buying a bike in colombia is not a great idea, because motorcicles tend to be expensive in Colombia but if you do need one I can get any used bike I recomend the colombiand made Yamahas xt225, xt600,dt200 xt350 or zuks xf650freewind or v-strom or a honda xl-200 or nx400 (I can get you a bunch of them used for you to choose) but if you come here with a used foreighn bike I could buy it cash.

I hope I can be of any help.
but please drop me a line before whith the business you have in mind.
cheers
camiloosejo@hotmail.com