Bring or buy or lease a car?

I wrote a few months back about my family relocating to SBH for a few years- and it now looks like it is happening!!! This forum was a great resource!

One of the few outstanding items is a car. Friends down there from the US say it's easier to lease a car having a US license, but they (hertz) wants $900 per month for a duster! I am more than happy to buy one in the states and ship over if that is the smartest approach...or buying something used on SBH. Being form NYC, my license doesn't transfer so I will to do a French driving test in a year (which should be an adventure unto itself)

anyway- looking for any advice

if you ship a car/truck from Miami on tropical shipping, the cost is around 3000 dollars, plus you will pay duty when it arrives in sbh around 5 percent of the cost of the car plus 5 percent of the 3000 dollar shipping costs.

I have shipped before, but now the inspections are very strict on everything, even down to the mud flaps on a truck. Just because you get a car here, does not always mean it will pass inspection, if it does not pass inspection, you cannot register it here nor get insurance here.

Its better to buy here in my opinion, the last car I bought was from Gumbs rental car company.

the inspection was done before I purchased the car by the car rental company. all of the rental car companies on the island sell cars that they have had in their fleet for a few years.

For some reason, I thought there was a limit on the number of license plates issued to maintain control on the number of vehicles on the island? Can people bring in vehicles, pay the shipping and taxes, pass inspection, secure insurance and voila?

stbartshopper said:

For some reason, I thought there was a limit on the number of license plates issued to maintain control on the number of vehicles on the island? Can people bring in vehicles, pay the shipping and taxes, pass inspection, secure insurance and voila?

Click to expand...

yep, perhaps they may have a limit if someone wanted to bring in a fleet of cars, but a personal car brought in from another country is allowed. that being said, the car still has to pass the strict inspection here before the car can be driven on the road, also has to be insured here.

Friends who own villas here from the U. S. for quite a few years just recently looked into purchasing a Moke on the island and were told the vehicle has to be titled to a citizen of the island. Otherwise insurance can not be obtained nor plates etc.

Hopper could be right, laws have changed in the past few years on owning a car in st. barths. however leasing should not be a problem, you should be able to use your american drivers license, the same as if you were renting a car by the week.

I would be coming on a resident visa so would be able to buy a car. There seems to be a large premium for the lease...

Let us know how you do as a resident. If the ownership of the car is essential, work it out before you make the commitment to come and stay. My forecast is you won’t be able to title the vehicle in your name and therefore not obtain insurance. But wish you success.