This is a guide for the process of buying or selling a car in Trinidad and Tobago. This is meant as general advice and I accept no liability or responsibility resulting from any advice given here. All consumers are responsible for their own education of their legal rights and the purchasing options available to them. I am not associated with anyone mentioned in the post so do your own homework before taking their advice also.
The bulk of the local vehicles are foreign used ie. vehicles used in other countries and then imported. Many of these vehicles have very similar amazingly low mileage which you cannot help but feel suspicious of. Vehicle odometers can be rolled back easily and buyers should be wary on any used vehicle, foreign or local used. The majority of the imported cars are Japanese brands. These have more readily available foreign used spare parts which are cheaper than parts from new car dealerships. In many cases the dealerships do not even stock certain parts because it would be so much more than the cost of a foreign used one and probably never be sold.
Warning about used cars: Some unscrupulous persons offer the service to used car sellers to lower the mileage on their cars' odometers. I have personally had calls from a man who got my number from an ad I had to sell my car. He seemed to be calling sellers who would want to lower the mileage to make the car more attractive for sale. It is also amazing that most foreign used cars come into the country with such similar low mileage around 25,000KM to 40,000KM. Some parts typically need changing soon after purchasing as they have probably been run for far more than the amount on the odometer.
Depending on the car, this can be quite costly. CVT transmissions on newer cars cost approximately twice as much to repair vs conventional ones.
Buying or selling a locally used vehicle
There are many places to advertise or view local used cars for sale. Many of the websites or Facebook groups allow posting/advertising your vehicle for free. A person who was the first owner in Trinidad and Tobago of a foreign used vehicle can sell it the same way as a vehicle purchased brand new from a local dealer.
If you are going to view a vehicle for purchasing you should go during the day to see it properly. The buyer and seller can arrange to meet in a central location like a mall car park. Take it on a test drive for at least 10 mins to get a feel of the handling and running. If you like what you see, get it inspected more thoroughly by a mechanic shop where it can be hoisted up and given a 360 degree inspection for damage or leaks and deterioration.
You can have the car credit/ownership history checked for a fee at Motor Critic on Mucurapo Road, St James, POS. (They seem to value cars slightly below the true value though). There is currently no accident history database available for Trinidad and Tobago so your inspection would have to be thorough enough to pick up on repair work done.
You can also check the owner of a vehicle according to the Ministry's information via this site- https://apps.mowt.gov.tt/apps/vrv
Buying a repossessed car
Financial institutions sell cars that they have repossessed in order to cover the remaining portions of loans owed. Two companies that stock the cars are Rex Kar Ltd (Chaguanas) and
Ramps Ltd (Tunapuna). The buying process is in the form of an auction and you submit a bid via a written form to the bank. The bank responds to say if they accept your bid or if it is too low or even too high. I was told they are not allowed to make a profit on the remaining outstanding portion so they have to guide you to the actual amount. You are not allowed to drive the cars, only start them and inspect them where they are parked. Most of these cars are beat up and since you cannot do a road test it would be a very risky buy. You can sometimes get a car for pretty cheap depending on when it was repossessed.
Transferring a car
The process is outlined here:
http://www.trinituner.com/v3/forums/viewtopic.php?t=285700
If you are purchasing or selling the vehicle on behalf of a company you will also need to produce a letter of authorization to the license office. This would need to be typed out on the company's letter head and have the company's stamp.
The link also has additional info including the start and end dates for when number plate series were issued and relevant fees. The number plates stay with the vehicle for the life of the vehicle and is not changed at any time once assigned.
After the process is complete the new owner is
responsibility for breakdowns etc unless there was an agreement made by
the buyer and seller, which is very rare.
Buying a foreign used car
There are hundreds of foreign used dealers across the country. Each of them have their own reputations. They are all required by law to have a 3 month limited warranty on certain parts of the car. Some dealers keep a few cars stocked in their yard while others only import as customers purchase. This means it would be a few weeks before receiving the vehicle and after making a down payment. Foreign used and local used vehicles are usually similarly priced, but the foreign used typically have more features like better A/C, ABS brakes, bigger engines, better entertainment systems etc. You can also carry a mechanic to inspect the vehicle if you wish.
The maximum age allowed to be imported in the country is 6 years (previously 4 years old).
http://www.trinidadexpress.com/business/6-year-old_cars_get_green_light-128972528.html
The older car typically costs a few thousand less.
Below is an excerpt from a specimen warranty form from the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Feb 2015. Every foreign used car now comes with this:
This car was subject to pre-purchase inspection by the Purchaser Yes No
Section 2: General provisions
1. This
warranty agreement, its meaning and interpretation, and the relation between
the Parties shall be governed by the Laws of the Republic of Trinidad and
Tobago.
2.
Amendments and additions to the
agreement must be in writing.
3. Where
any single provision of the contract is or becomes ineffective, this shall not
affect the effectiveness of the remainder of the agreement.
4. This
Warranty Agreement shall provide coverage for a three- month period after the
date of purchase.
Section 3: Warranties for this Car
1. The
Dealer agrees to allow the Purchaser to have the car inspected by a mechanic before transfer of title and agrees to
cancel the sale if the car is not fit for the purpose for which it was
purchased.
2. The
Dealer warrants to the Purchaser that it has good and marketable title to the car,
full authority to sell and transfer the car, and that the car is sold free of
all liens, encumbrances, liabilities and adverse claims of every nature and
description whatsoever. In this regard,
the Dealer shall provide the Purchaser with a translated copy of the
certificate of cancellation issued by the Transport Authority in the country of
origin.
3. The
Dealer warrants that the car being sold is in good operating condition and
warrants the car against defects, except for defects resulting from ordinary
wear and tear and/or caused by the intentional or negligent acts of the
Purchaser for a period of three (3) months or 3,000 kilometres (whichever comes
first) immediately following the transfer thereof (hereinafter called ‘the
warranty period’).
4. During
the warranty period, the systems covered in this warranty must not be modified
in any way that will cause deterioration to the parts or components of the car,
without written approval from the Dealer. Any modification or addition to any of the systems without the written
permission of the dealer will void the warranty on those systems.
5. The Purchaser must not take the car for repair to any other mechanic
during the warranty period, without the written permission of the dealer or the
warranty will be voided.
6. The
Dealer agrees to refund the Purchaser the full purchase price of the car,
inclusive of all taxes if the dealer has been unsuccessful at fixing a material
defect in a system or related component covered under this warranty agreement
after at least three attempts or if the car has been out of service for twenty
cumulative days while the Dealer is attempting to fix it.
7. The
Dealer warrants that the odometer reading of the car is _________________
kilometres and that this reading reflects the actual number of kilometres
driven by the car. Further the Dealer
warrants that the car’s odometer was not altered, set back, or disconnected
while in the Dealer’s possession.
8. The
Dealer agrees to give the purchaser a manufacturer’s manual or chart, which
must be in English or have an English language translation.
9. Additional
Warranties [optional]_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Section 4: Coverage
1.
This warranty agreement provides coverage of the
following systems during the warranty period:
§ Frame and
Body
§ Engine and
related components
§ Transmission,
Drive Shaft and related components
§ Differential
§ Cooling
System
§ Electrical
System
§ Fuel System
§ Brake
System
§ Steering
System
§ Suspension
System
§ Exhaust
System
§ Air
Conditioning Unit
2.
The Dealer warrants paying 100% of the cost of labour and 100%
of the cost of parts for the repair or replacement of the covered systems that
fails during the warranty period.
3. No
liability will be accepted for damage caused by:
§ negligence,
abuse or wilful damage (including continuing to drive the car when it is not
mechanically sound);
§ damage
to systems not covered by this Agreement or any subsequent costs or damage;
§ the
use of a grade of fuel not recommended by the manufacturers of the car;
§ subjecting
the car to a weight greater than that permitted by law or the manufacturer’s
recommendations;
§ fire,
self-ignition, lightning, earthquake, explosion, storm, tempest, flood, water
damage, theft or attempted theft, or any extreme cause.
END OF EXCERPT
Buying a brand new car
This is the most expensive option. There are many dealerships that offer brand new vehicles from a host of manufacturers. They typically give a few years warranty provided that you have your vehicle serviced by them which is typically much more expensive than servicing outside of the dealership.
A rough price list for new vehicles can be found here
http://www.trinituner.com/v3/forums/viewtopic.php?t=237573
There is a chance of things going very wrong though:
Over 100 cars with the same number plate
Forum discussion of duplicate number plates
Same number plate different vehicles
Topics:
Foreign used vs local used Trinidad and Tobago
How to sell a car Trinidad
How to buy a car Tobago
Purchasing a brand new car
Warranty for foreign used vehicle
Procedure to register a car in license office Port Of Spain
How to transfer a car San Fernando license office
