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We've sold our Ford Escort. It served us well over 27,000 miles. About two weeks ago we got serious about learning how to ship it. Very quickly we learned that it would cost $1000 and that was completely out of the question. So we then started to make efforts to sell it. From when we entered the country we considered just leaving the Escort in customs. That option was explained to us at the border and when we went to renew the one-month import permit. It seems pretty obvious that a lot of foreigners just abandon their cars. We think somebody in customs rakes off a lot. Anyway, abandoning the car is what we called the zero-dollar option. If we got even a dollar for it we thought we would be ahead. Starting ten days ago we spread the word the car was for sale. We made some flyers and posted them at the few places we could find, including the yacht club bulletin boards. We asked our floor bell boy to spread the word. He introduced us to an American in the next room and for a short period it seemed he would buy. But he declined. At the same time we had been making efforts to learn how to import the car and what it would cost. We'd learned the import fee was 15% plus another 5% sales tax fee. Guessing that the car was worth about $1000 we felt comfortable with a $200 fee. On Friday we learned from a very friendly customs broker that the actual fee was more like $960. There went our idea of a quick, private sale. Sunday we went out in search of Auto Depot. Two months ago we'd seen their ad that said how easy it was to sell with them. We got the idea they were some sort of flea-market where buyers and sellers came together in crowds. When we got there, about 8 miles from the center, we found the place deserted. No crowds were going to be fighting for the privilege of driving our Escort. We'd gone to Auto Depot by a route that passed about a half-dozen used car dealers. We'd chosen the route for that reason. They were all closed on Sunday afternoon. So Monday morning we went back.
The first one we stopped at was Star Motors, run as we learned, by immigrants from India. It seems by the names of the places that most of them are Indian owned. It must be similiar to the United States where small motels are almost always owned by Indian immigrants. At Star Motors the first person to talk to us said they didn't buy American cars. I could have let that deter me, but I didn't. I asked to talk to the owner. Jan talked to him in better Spanish than me and that got him interested (it was probably the word "cheap" that did it). He turned the conversation over to his hidden partner, who spoke good English. The American in the hotel room next door had told me that cars similar to ours were being advertised in the papers for $3500 and up. I had checked a few ads and had concluded the same. Sahat, the guy we were talking to, told me that he could buy a car like mine in Miami for $300 wholesale. I was ready for that and replied that he'd still have $300 shipping costs and other expenses making the car cost $1000. In my mind, that wasn't comforting because if he paid the $960 import fee we would only get $40. But I also doubted that he would pay $960. There must be some work-around for those on the inside. Anyway I told him that the official price, as quoted to me by the customs broker was $4058. I said I thought the car wasn't worth that much, maybe $3000. Since I wanted a quick deal, I would take $2000, and pay the $960 myself. Sahat countered that he would give me $1000 and pay the customs fee himself. I said, it is less than I wanted, but if we agreed right then it was a deal. He said yes and we shook on it.
Our guess is that his total cost will be under $1500 and he'll sell it for $3000-$3500. If he makes some repairs that are needed he might put $100-$300 more into the car. An hour later we'd been back to the hotel room to get the car papers, come again to Star Motors, and signed the deal. We walked away with $1000 cash in our pockets. Our happiness over having $1000 rather than $0 was tempered by having given him my passport so that he could do the paperwork. Would he do it or would I find that he'd maneuvered to make us pay the $960? Today we got the answer. I got my passport back and it has in it the words "can leave Panama without the car." Goodbye Escort.
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