Should I be afraid to drive a nice car in Puerto Rico ?

I'd be more afraid of salty air and intense sun ruining your car's paint, as well as the many idiots on the road who will smash into you.

Forgot to mention the potholes that will wreck your suspension.

The carjacking situation is not an exaggeration. It's been my experience that the more conspicuous you are with your wealth, the more of a target you become and the more likely you are to be a victim of a crime. These guys don't play. Take the threat and possibility of crime in PR very seriously. But honestly, you can't live in fear every second of your life. Just be more aware than you are used to and don't flaunt your wealth or even the possibility you might be wealthy.  It's also been my experience that it's almost automatically believed that Gringos are rich by a good portion of the population there. Others may dispute this. But like I said it's been MY experience.

Nomad Lawyer always brings up good points. The roads are terrible. They will wreak havoc on the best of cars. The bad drivers are legendary. People over there have no problem with hitting your parked car and just driving away, even if you are still in it. Go ahead and call the police, and then camp out and wait to see if they show up.

I would think it not wise to have a really nice car, lol.

Thank you all for getting back to me. Know I really feel part of the group 
I'm from Brasil and after 17 years in the US I'm moving to PR. Being from Brasil I really understand about not being flashy. It is just that hope that since PR is considered part of the US it would be more like the US than Brasil.

I understand that carjacking isn't as bad as it used to be but it still happens every now and then. A friend of mine has been driving a big shiny Beemer ( a new one every two years) for the last 25 years or so and never had a problem..

There are areas where you better not show up with a nice car but those areas can also be found in any city on the mainland. Like NomadLawyer says I'd be more concerned about potholes and other drivers.
I don't have any of those problems in my 21 y/o pickup truck

Gary: That truck you have is worth its weight in gold!

Only problem is finding parking in Europe would be a nightmare.

NomadLawyer wrote:

Gary: That truck you have is worth its weight in gold!

Only problem is finding parking in Europe would be a nightmare.

Not only parking, paying for gas would be a nightmare, too. (5.0 litre V8 engine.)

Haha! A lifetime's worth of fortune just for one road trip!

Not to mention the registration and so-called road taxes! (Which, to those who haven't lived in western Europe, are usually based on the size of the engine.)

I guess I'll stay here on the island.

I say it is an exaggeration. Even a fad. People don't really want your car. They just want to sit in it WITH you at 11pm, make you go to an ATM while they watch from your car listening to the satellite radio, then you get to sit tight again till midnight when you can get more money out of the ATM. Or joy ride it. Insurance will cover that sort of thing.

I drove a BMW and the only issue is finding a mechanic when I need one. Rare sometimes or over booked. No fear of getting my car scratched, getting it stolen, etc. And I'm a 20 something, 60 in tall, 95lb blonde who sticks out like a sore thumb.
Drive with confidence!

addicted.to.tights wrote:

I say it is an exaggeration. Even a fad. People don't really want your car.

Yes they do. Car jacking is still a problem, it's not as bad as it used to be but don't under estimate the problem. Just read this http://www.primerahora.com/tags/carjacking-985/ These reports are all from March 2015!

Gary wrote:

addicted.to.tights wrote:

I say it is an exaggeration. Even a fad. People don't really want your car.

Yes they do. Car jacking is still a problem, it's not as bad as it used to be but don't under estimate the problem. Just read this http://www.primerahora.com/tags/carjacking-985/ These reports are all from March 2015!

Yes, this is one thing that has me somewhat concerned.  We live in Bayamón and there are several streets that we travel on a daily that have reported carjackings on a regular basis.  I keep my doors locked and pay very close attention when I am stopped at red lights.  I see many people just go through the red lights if they're the first in line.

trekrider520 wrote:

I keep my doors locked and pay very close attention when I am stopped at red lights.  I see many people just go through the red lights if they're the first in line.

A smart thing to do at traffic lights would be to keep a couple of yards between your car and the one in front so you can try to get away when needed.

Great advice Gary, many thanks! 
As a military family, we are allowed to keep our Alaska registry (and residency, which has numerous benefits) while here in PR, but I am a little concerned that a vehicle with Alaska tags sticks out like a sore thumb here.
Regardless, we don't let it disrupt our normal lives - we just take precautions and be extra vigilant at night.

I understand you can treat the red lights as stop signs after midnight. (This isn't legal advice.) But, things are sketchy well before midnight.

And Gary is right to warn to leave extra space between your car and the one in front. When I served in the Army in Latin America, we were briefed to do that and always have an escape route in mind (as well as not to create patterns in our movements - this doesn't apply to PR).

The downside is that if the guy decides to shoot at you, the bullets will arrive before you can speed away to safety. Probably better to try to drive away anyway than risk getting kidnapped so they can drain your bank account from ATMs (like addicted.to.tights said). They often kill their victims after they've gotten as much money as they can from the ATM. I don't know how many times I've read newspaper stories where things ended that way, stupidly and needlessly even from the criminals' points of view.

@trekrider: I think the Alaska plates help you deter would-be criminals. Usually, they'd rather not have to deal with the level of attention and vigilance of investigation from the authorities that attacking a car with military personnel or their dependents would bring.

NomadLawyer wrote:

@trekrider: I think the Alaska plates help you deter would-be criminals. Usually, they'd rather not have to deal with the level of attention and vigilance of investigation from the authorities that attacking a car with military personnel or their dependents would bring.

NomadLawyer:  I'm hoping you're right!  I'm particularly vigilant at stop lights, and many times the car behind me is taking pictures of our plate with their cell phone (I've had this in the northeast US as well), and I can see them pointing at the plates for their kids.  I imagine that AK plates are a rare thing in PR!

@trekrider: Indeed! What a contrast that plate in PR represents. I've been told Alaska is an amazing place - you would know.

The Coast Guard has by far the best base locations in the military. My father-in-law just retired from the base in Old San Juan, or as I tease/compliment him, the "resort".

[Btw, the Army comes dead-last in that respect.]

NomadLawyer wrote:

I understand you can treat the red lights as stop signs after midnight.

That's what I I heard, too. Something between midnight and 6 AM.

trekrider520 wrote:

Great advice Gary, many thanks! 
As a military family, we are allowed to keep our Alaska registry (and residency, which has numerous benefits) while here in PR, but I am a little concerned that a vehicle with Alaska tags sticks out like a sore thumb here.
Regardless, we don't let it disrupt our normal lives - we just take precautions and be extra vigilant at night.

I had this issue. I brought my jeep from kodiak to pr and living in OSJ some kids were scratching my car! I was like wtf and they started cussing me griga this gringa that and i was like IM ONE OF YOU YOU STUPID %^&*(.

From my experience, in San Juan you have more Nuyoricans so the behavior is different form Puerto Ricans who have not returned to the Island angry from mainland prejudices. The further you move away from the capital the less of the "gringo/gringa" angst you encounter. I have only heard the "gringo"word twice in 13 years here on the South Coast. Most Puerto Ricans refer to anyone, including Puerto Ricans who have lived on the mainland, and us Americans as "Americanos". I am sure a lot of Puerto Ricans have been called names other than Puerto Ricanos when they lived on the mainland. A nice car may cause some envy. Not everyone is as fortunate and I guess there is a another price for that.