Buying a car

Basically:
-  go to a Public Notary for the deed that costs around 400 USD for tax, fees and plaque with numbers... cant remember the word.  The amount depends on the car, the more luxury it is it will probably a bit more expensive.
-  for insurance contact one of several insurers: Mapfre, Seguridad, Real, La Consolidada, Itau Seguros, Aseguradora del Este for a quote and then pick one.  there are options for third party damage only (10 USD / month), total damage (when the car is 80% lost due to accidents, weather, fire etc or stolen about 20 USD / month) and then for everything even covering accidents about 150 USD / month.  Price are referencial only.  IF you ask Mapfre it would cost a lot more... if your car is top end luxury one too etc ONLY REFERENCIAL PRICE

The answer that capleo has given is correct. I would like to add some observations as a foreigner with regard to buying a car. The process is totally different from that in uk for example and it would be easy to misunderstand the process and pay for a vehicle without receiving the correct documentation and the title of the vehicle.

In a private sale it is necessary for the owner of the vehicle to give their title document, the escitura publica to an escribana for inspection. The escribana will check the authenticity of the document and ensure that the vendor has clear title and has the right to sell the vehicle.

When clear title has been ascertained the escribana will make an appointment for the buyer and seller to sign a contract and it is at this point and not before that the vehicle is paid for. Formal id such as cedula or passport is required for the transaction and is documented in the contract and registration documents. Buyer and seller will be expected to pay half each of the transfer fees.

The new owner will receive a receipt from the escribana, the cedula verde of the vehicle which is part of the registration document, habilitacion which is tax. These must be carried at all times in the car. until a new cedula verde in the new owner's names issued and this is then carried.

It takes about 4-6 weeks for new documents to be issued.

When you have purchased the vehicle you then commence insurance, you can get quotes before, but the insurer will want to see the purchase receipt. They will also expect you to take the vehicle to their offices so that they can take photographs of the vehicle.

The previous postings by ingatia and capelo capture the process very well.  There is one point that I did not see in their posts though that we experienced when we bought a used vehicle from a dealer. 

We had to take the vehicle to an inspection station, which is done by municipality prior to completing the registration process.  The one we went to at Municpalidad Asuncion was very thorough and inspected the exhaust, suspension and brake systems of the car all on a high tech test stand with computerized equipment.  Based on this inspection, we had to get some repairs done in order to pass the inspection, and in the process discoverd some hidden problems with the car.  At that point a little bargaining was accomplished with the dealer in order to not feel too taken advantage of.

We were told later that if you go to the inspection stations in outlying districts or municipalities, like Luque or San Lorenzo the inspections are very superficial or "asi no mas".  So you will not find any hidden problems obviously.  These inspections are required each year to re-register the car too by the way.

One last thing.  For the insurance, if you get the full coverage, you may need to have an alarm system installed on the car as we did.  Total price for the alarm system was around $200.  The insurance company we went with was "Seggesa" as it was one of the big companies with a decent reputation and the cost was little less than others we checked with.  It runs around $100 month.  They send a representative to check the vehicle out every year prior to renewing the coverage.

I want to travel to Brazil for a few months in a car with Paraguayan plates, I understood that you need a carta verde. It seems that some insurances companies have this already included in some of their "polizas". I find it really hard to find out quotes for this (for a small car) just searching online, what would the cost per month be for a insurance that has the carta verde included?

Also, could I just get a basic insurance here in Paraguay and when I decide to leave for Brazil buy this Carta Verde just for the time I'm going to be in Brazil?



Another thing I have a question about is the ITV:
http://www.abc.com.py/nota/como-sera-la … cular-itv/


http://www.abc.com.py/nota/automovilist … vehicular/

Playas de venta de vehículos

La normativa afectará a las playas de venta de autos, debido a que ningún vendedor particular podrá vender un rodado que no cuente con su respectiva inspección técnica vehicular.

This whole ITV thing is new, so I wonder how it works in the real world. The website of the company that does these inspections seems to be offline: http://www.ivesurparaguay.com/

So if I want to buy a car now I have to make sure it already has this ITV done? Do you get some sort of certificate or sticker?

One thing you must make sure is to use an "Escribana" for the documentation process, they also do the diligences for obtaining "Cédula Verde" in case you donŽt have one.

Are there onerous taxes to pay when buying a used car in Paraguay?

Mapfre delivers the carta verde right away..

I think the green card that the insurance companies provide is different. This is a card that shows you have insurance cover for driving abroad.

The cedula verde that jfinestra is referring to is part of the car registration document. This can take up to one month to arrive.

You also have to be careful to be sure that the car your buying is registered properly and has that cedula verde.  Becuase if it isn't registered or has the right documentation, then you won't be able to register it either.  We know a few people who have ended up with cars that they've paid for and they have possession of but they can't register.