I Want One

hector cardona · 05-31-2008, 04:40 PM

I Live In Puerto Rico, There Is Only One Car Dealer Marketing The Smart And The Only Model He Is Importing Is The Cabriolet, He Will Not Honor A Warranty , Neither He Is Importing Parts, His Price Tag For The Cabrio Is $34,000. I Still Want One And My Plans Are To Get It In South Florida , Then Ship It To P.r.
Any Ideas How Much A Fortwo With A Diesel Engine Might Cost??

Dave Van · 05-31-2008, 04:42 PM

Diesel N/A in USA....Canada has/had them.

**JPaul** · 05-31-2008, 04:49 PM

Isn't PAG also the dedicated (if only in the future) distributor for smart in Puerto Rico?

«smart USA, a division of Penske Automotive Group, is the exclusive distributor for smart in North America and Puerto Rico. smart USA is headquartered in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.»

hector, that may put you in a limbo for a while, though it'll give you access to the PAG network, and its warranty and guaranteed MSRP, in the future. But it may also mean some trouble for the one dealer you mentioned.

From: http://www.smartusa.com/smart-car-fortwo-company.aspx

Findel hernandez · 05-31-2008, 04:59 PM

I have the same problem. But I heard that "Garage Isla Verde" in Carolina, PR will have the Smarts available on August 2009 for sale, at staring price of $18,000 for the basic unit.

Flashman · 06-03-2008, 10:48 AM

Yeah, I believe "Garage Isla Verde" will be the official dealer. The "other" dealer is not authorized by PAG. There will be a price adjustment (upward) for the double shipping (from USA port transported down to PR headed port, on to 2nd ship, shipped to PR, etc.) on top of paying for PR related duty taxes. Having been raised in PR I expect this to be an excellent car for the small streets there.

smartgal82 · 06-20-2008, 01:01 AM

Hello Hector, Findel and my fellow puerto ricans, I'm in the same situation, on Wednesday i visited an "independent dealership" and I was shocked by the overpriced Smart Car, $33,500 it's way too much for a car worth up to $17,000. I've been on waiting list since January 2008, and to be quite honest I can't wait any longer, I see on our local tv ads for Mueblerías Berríos and Centennial giving away our loved Smart Car.

I called Garage Isla Verde and was told that they might not be the authorized dealers although MB manufactures the car, they say Royal Motors will be the authorized dealer, opening a new dealership exclusively to Smart USA by the end of 2009. I wonder if I fly to Coral Gables, would I end up paying $34,000 including the shipping, and PR taxes? and what about warranty?

On the other hand I see myself driving my Smart Car on the streets and the 40 minutes it takes me everyday just to get to my job...

Flashman · 06-20-2008, 07:54 AM

There two reasons cars are generally more expensive in Puerto Rico. 1st is the double-shipping (though not all manufacturer's suffer from this). 2nd, and biggest, is the Excise Tax that is applied to every car brought into Puerto Rico. This tax is based on the value of the car (new or used) and runs around 15%-18%. Good news, the smart qualifies for the LOWEST rate (actually 14.5%) of any car imported. For example, a Passion starting at $13,590 would have a $1,959 excise tax, for a PR starting price of $15,549. (source Departamento de Hacienda de Puerto Rico)

So the prices you are are hearing that Royal Motors will be charging for the smart car are probably appropriate.

You can go buy one in the U.S., then drive it around for 6 months so it becomes "used" and then ship it to P.R. (around $800-1,200). You will still owe 14.5%, but it will be on a slightly reduced used value. Not really a great trade-off I think, as the smart probably doesn't drop much in value after 6 months.

BTW, I know this because my father worked for the P.R. government while I was growing up and he helped re-write the auto Excise law to both lower it and make it so it treated cars of any size/power fairly (it used to be higher and tax above a certain weight and horsepower differently too). This was back in 1992.

smartgal82 · 06-20-2008, 11:35 AM

Flashman, thanks, that is some important piece of information, I think i'm going to keep waiting, until SmartUSA gives me the confirmation date...

Btw do you have your own smart car?