How to buy a motorcycle in Argentina if you’re not Argentine...

My advice… Don’t. Consider the option of going home to your country of origin, buying the motorcycle there, getting all the paper work sorted out, and shipping the bike down here. But if you’re stubborn like I am, here’s a run down of the logistical maneuvering that I performed in my epic motorcycle search.

Choosing the Bike:

You may know a little about motorcycles. You may already know how to ride. You may know a touch about motorcycle mechanics. You may even know which bike you want to buy. If you do, you’re leagues ahead of me.

What I learned is that when choosing the bike, the criteria is completely dependent on YOU and your needs. No one can really tell you what motorcycle you should buy… Different styles, brands, models, accessories exist because people will want to use their motorcycle for different purposes. If planning to use the motorcycle within a city, perhaps a scooter or a 125cc is sufficient. If planning a long distance trip, you’ll need a comfortable, sturdy bike with a relatively powerful engine. If planning on jumping over dirt paths and performing tricks, a lightweight easily maneuverable bike is your choice. Price will depend on engine size and brand. Japanese brands will cost more than Chinese brands, but will be better quality and much easier to find spare parts. En fin, there are many things to consider…

Wandering through the motorcycle shops in Neuquen, I was confronted with an overwhelming number motorcycle options and opinions. Everyone had something contradictory to say. None of their opinions was wrong, but that’s just the thing, they were opinions. And especially here in Argentina, everyone has an opinion.

It took a while, but I finally decided on a motorcycle. A chopper (comfortable for a long trip, low riding for stability, and definitely badass looking), 250cc (a big enough motor to defend itself on long open roads, but small and manageable enough for a beginner motoquera), Mondial (not a pricey high-end Japanese bike, but a decent brand. Mixed reviews tho, of which I’m super weary. Hard to find spare parts, especially up north. But if I arm myself with a little motorcycle maintenance knowledge… I can perhaps prevent all but the most unpredictable problems.) So, after weeks maybe months of searching, I had found it: my motorcycle. The Mondial HD 254.

The Logistics:

My first mistake was to go about everything as legally as possible… And expect it to be easy.

When you buy the motorcycle you have to go through the process of patentamiento. Which I’m not sure I totally understand. But once you pay your money for the bike, it’s not technically yours… Yet. You have to take the 01 form along with the receipt of the motorcycle, the certificado de fabricacion o importacion, and the verificacion policial to a non-descript building on Ruiz Moreno Street.

There, you will take a number and, once you are attended to, they will tell you that you need a CDI, a CUIL for foreigners. Basically like a social security number. Ok. They tell you go to ANSES on J. O'Connor, half a block from the Hospital. You wait in line. There, you are told to go to AFIP, at V.O’Connor (not to be confused with the first O'Connor) and Onelli, because at ANSES they only deal with CUIL and CUIT. Ok. Down to AFIP. You need a photocopy of your passport and to fill out a F. 663 form.

If you chat it up with the guy at the desk and wow him with your travel stories, you can get it extradited. Your CDI will be ready in a day and a half. Free of charge.

Great. You go back to the non-descript building on Ruiz Moreno. I still have no idea what this office is. But I think it’s the place to change a vehicle title among other things. Oh no. They tell you this time, that even if the vehicle is in your name, you can’t take it across the border. You can only use it within Argentina. But… go talk to the Aduana, above AFIP on O’Connor, and see what they say.

Back to AFIP. Third floor to the Aduana. There, a hard-faced woman who listens to your questions will shove a bunch of “no’s” down your ear until you almost break down in tears. Then, she’ll soften up a bit and pull some strings to help you out. Her advice: get your DNI.

Next stop, the Oficina de Migraciones. The super unfriendly guy gives you two options for acquiring your DNI: get someone to hire you (he didn’t have an answer when I told him that most businesses will ask for you to have a DNI in order to offer you work) or marry an Argentine.

Chan. At this point, you go back home depressed, seriously consider getting married for the residency papers, and eat half a dozen empanadas.

I digress into the actual process of BUYING the motorcycle. After searching the internet, phoning numerous places, and walking around town… My motorcycle would cost me AR$13.000 in Bariloche. The same bike would cost AR$10.000 in Buenos Aires. Three thousand pesos is quite a difference. So I could buy the bike in Buenos Aires and ship it out to Bariloche. After calling a few places, the best deal was AR$500 for transporting the bike.

So, it was settled, I’d buy the bike from an agency in Buenos Aires and then ship it here to be patentado. If I put it on my credit card, I’d be charged various fees and I would surely max out my credit limit. So, I’d have to deposit the monetary quantity into their account. That would mean that I’d probably have to open up my own bank account in Bariloche, which now having my CDI, I could do. But talking to some ex-pat friends, the fees and complications in the Argentine banking system is something I don’t really want to touch with a 2-meter-compost-stirring stick. And then I’d have to figure out how much my bank in the States would charge to transfer money. If I went through all that quilombo, then I’d have to be sure that the motorcycle agency in Buenos Aires is reliable… because, well, if I transfer all that money… I’d have to be sure that they’d send me the motorcycle. Sigh.

Let’s now move on to the DRIVERS LICENSE! For this, you have to go to another practically un-marked building, this one is past the train tracks, but before the bus terminal, down a gravel road. No line this time! Friendly guy at the desk explains that to get the registro de conducir you need: 1. Libre de deuda of your vehicle and of yourself (which you get on the first floor of the bus terminal and is valid for 5 days), 2. Your DNI (oh crap, not this again… but it’s ok, says the guy, all you need is a passport and a certificado de domicilio, which you get at the comisaria at Km 5), 3. Two photos (done!), 4. Three medical exams (medico clinico, medico oftamologico, and medico otorrinolaringologo… good luck pronouncing that one!), 5. Pass a written test, 6. Pass the driving test, 7. Pay AR$45.

Oh, but wait. Because you are in Argentina on a tourist visa, the drivers license is only valid for the period of three months. Every three months you have to renew it. He looks at you and asks: Why don’t you just get your DNI and residency…?

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

All of this is best summed up by Randy: “the Argentine government will leave you alone for the most part… unless you want something from it.”

So after this excruciatingly frustrating ordeal, I have a few options.

1. Buy the motorcycle in Argentina anyway. I’ve gotten this far. The only problem would be that I wouldn’t be able to leave the country. And for those who have had to do the 3-month boarder run ritual, part of the purpose of buying a motorcycle would make that chore a little easier, cheaper, and more fun. I would also not be able to cross over to Chile, Brazil, Paraguay, or Uruguay. Un bajon.

2. I could go to Chile and buy the motorcycle there. The motorcycle itself will be cheaper. But I’m unfamiliar with the Chilean ways. I’m guessing they will have their own bureaucracy, although perhaps not as chaotic. They might treat me differently because of my psudo-Argentine accent.

Also, another thing to consider is that with a Chilean motorcycle I might have a hard time finding spare parts in Argentina (as was the case with some Austrailian friends whose car is still in Comodoro Rivadavia after almost a year waiting for a spare part).

Also, I think the Chilean government obliges me to return the motorcycle to Chile every three months, which is okay because I need to renew my visa anyway, but what happens when I head towards Brazil or Uruguay?

3. Go back to the States. The motorcycle might be cheaper there. I could get the drivers license taken care of without too much hassle. I wouldn’t get the “you’re not from here” stares and comments, which are starting to wear me down.

But then I’d have to figure out how to get it back down here without paying absurd import taxes… Or perhaps pick another country, in which case I’d have to say goodbye to Argentina. And I’m not sure I’m ready to do that yet.

Sigh.