Vehicle Repairs

Hello Ondami,

The first thing I would suggest is to travel around via Uber (if possible) and get a feel for the area.  The best vehicles (in my opinion) are the ones you see most common.  Of course it also depends upon your needs and preferences.  4 wheel drive, SUV, car etc.

To name a few that are very common here and are relatively easy for parts:  Hyundai (Tucson), Nissan (Xtrail ) (I have both of these and both are easily repaired), Toyota, Nissan and Honda are brands that have been popular in this country for a long time.  Suzuki, not as common but also a good choice.  Try to stay away from the "rare" vehicles.  Drive past a couple of repair shops, body shops, look at what is sitting there day after day, month after month and nothing changes.  Watch the ones that are in and out...talk to the people there.

But don't rush, there is good public transportation and Uber that are both inexpensive and reliable.

Espaillat Motors on the Autovia between PC airport and Jumbo is a good place to look for a new or used car.  In my experience I was very pleased with their service, my purchase and follow-up.

Good luck.

That is one of the reason Cruffman is excellent he always takes repairs into account!

making a list of cars that are easily repaired is easy...

making a list of cars which break less often is more useful, in my opinion.

let us take the Hyundai Tucson...it comes equipped with three different engines. 

1..the DOCH

2..the GDI

3..The older versions also came with a 2.7 liter 6cyl.

buy the GDI and you have thrown your money down a hole. nobody who knows Kias and Hyundais wants them...

the DOCH is a tough motor which will not have you in the shop every week

the V6 motor is also a beast.

it is like buying a Ford Escape. buy the 1.6 liter Ecoboost and your mechanic will love you.

the engine to buy if you want to stay out ot the shop is the old 2.5 liter normally aspirated.

so, it took me all these words to say...it is more than just the brand.

Thank you all for your input.

We definitely plan on getting in touch with cruffman when we get to DR.

@cruffman

You give a perfect example of your knowledge. I already dropped you an email sometime ago but will not bother you until my serious search starts.

One example of some ”mechanics” solution to make things worse I witnessed yesterday looking at an overheating engine of my neighbours: appearently it has a failing headgasket because the ”mechanics” solution was to replace coolant with engineoil so coolant would not mix with engineoil! Oil cools worse also so this engine will blow soon anyway.

Also heard stories about good parts taken from your car and replaced by worn parts so they can sell yours as new.

Bottom line is try to do most of the maintenance yourself.

Mike,

I did not see your email for had I, I would most certainly have replied. 

Thanks for the pointers on performing one's own maintenance on one's own vehicle.

I have you in my WhatsApp rolodex.

Have a good one! And if it is really good, have two!

Happy  Holidays to you, sir...blessings

@cruffman so which brands would you recommend?

it depends on your budget...if you can afford 25k, and you want a small SUV, the absolute cream of the crop is the Mazda CX5..better than RAV4, better than CRV.  if you are working with 10-11 grand the Renault Duster is the best.  beyond that, a Honda or Toyota is best.  if you are prepared to baby sit a car, Nissans are wallet friendly, but need pampering..

I own a Mazda CX-5 and I love it!

It looks nice on you..

@cruffman míl gracías amigo!

Felíiz Navídad!

does anyone have experience with Check Point Auto Repair in Punta Cana? If so, how did it go?

Merry Christmas...Happy New Year