Boom boom

[Cali vet]

Well to be selfish I wonder what this will mean to those of us who have trips planned to Colombia. I already have two planned myself. Hijacking a national flight and kidnapping a senator on the eve of the latest deadline certainly shows that the FARC want nothing to do with peace and in fact want to accelerate the war. They seem to honestly beleive they can take power by force. They are very well financed with three hundred million dollars a year from the drug trade and additional millions annualy, I forget the number, from kidnapping. They did actually "flirt" with the political route in the late 1980s when they established the Patriotic Union party or UP. However 3000 UP members including their 1990 presidential candidate, Bernardo Jaramillo Ossa were murdered by death squads linked to drug traffickers and government security forces. Those events seem to have ended permanently the FARC's interest in political solutions. The Colombian military is said to be far more effective today than just a few years ago thanks in large part to funding and training by the US. Lets hope that makes a real difference. The short term picture looks nasty. For those of us who plan travel lets cross our fingers that they militerize the airports now.

[Throw]

... in response to Boom boom, posted by Cali vet on Feb 21, 2002

Calivet,  Always enjoy your insight.  A couple things.  The plane they took over was a small commuter type on a lesser known airlines.  So they probably didn't have the steel door installed.  Easily overtaken.

On another subject.  I am thinking of buying a car here in Miami and shipping down to Cali.  Any thoghts and this process.  Taxes, problems etc.  Any first hand experience.  I apreicate your response...throw!

[Cali vet]

... in response to Re: Boom boom, posted by Throw on Feb 21, 2002

Hey Throw, Yeah the airline was Aires, national flights only. On the car question I can't help. I did meet a New York resident once in the Dominican Republic who was shipping his seven year old Nissen to Santo Domingo because he thought he'd make a killing selling it there. I also met a guy from Surinam who came all the way to Miami to buy two wrecked cars and ship them back. He said he could repair them there so cheap and sell them at such a profit it paid for the shipping, his round trip and left a bundle in his pocket. Who'd a thunk it?! The obvious question is why not buy the car in Cali unless you too plan to sell an American car at a profit. Some brand new cars there that aren't available here are quite cheap. For example there's a four cylinder Mitsubishi Montero 4x4 that sells for about $15,000 when the exchange rate is good. What's the cheapest new Montero here, about double? For really cheap there's Renault and Dacia. Anyway I have no experience. You'll have to do some digging on the shipping question. You might start with the lonelyplanet thorntree site and poorbuthappy. Good Luck

[Throw]

... in response to Re: Re: Boom boom, posted by Cali vet on Feb 21, 2002

Thanks so much...throw!

[Pete E]

... in response to Re: Boom boom, posted by Throw on Feb 21, 2002

I used to be in the car business here so I was intrieged by the high prices in Cali.I was working with a Colombian on it 2 years ago.He did some checking.The car has to be no more than one year old,so basically you are competing with new car dealers.There is duty,I'm not sure how much.New cars are maybe 10-20% more expensive there.Used cars are alot more expensive because they depreciate and are alot cheaper here.Also most people can't afford a car there and most of the ones who can can only afford a used car,so there is buyer  competition on the low end there.Just the opposite of here where if a car is old enough people will just give it to charity and some running cars that the charities sell only bring $100.In Cali any old car is worth $2000-$3000,most alot more.As I remember it was about $1200 for a container that would hold 2 cars to ship out of the west coast to Bonaventura.It should be cheaper out of Florida to Barranquilla.
In San Andreas its differrent,even though still Colombia.The taxi drivers drive older chevy impalas.Our driver would point out the cars he had owned and sold as he drove down the street.Some of these older cars were apparently recent imports.
Alot of the duty situations and rules not only bring in money to the government they create a monopoly for people who control the imports.Its also interestig in Cali,you see alot of Korean cars,which I can understand,but of the Japanese cars they are mostly Mazdas.Not alot of Hondas and Toyotas like here.Does Mazda or someone who has a franchise have an in?
If anybody has any other imformation I am interested.I'm not sure how good mine is.
I have always been intreiged by price differences in different places.I started my car business on a geographical idea,shipping European cars out of Texas when they were cheap and then out of Florida and the Northeast to California.I used to buy them $6000 under our low blue book,but I usually had to sell them below book also.The recession of 92 ended that little idea.I couldn't sell them for as much and foriegn buyers were paying more.

Pete

[Cali vet]

... in response to Re: Re: Boom boom, posted by Pete E on Feb 21, 2002

Actualy there is a big fabricater there named Sofasa. I think they produce Mazdas, Toyotas and Renaults. There are some others too. Another company makes Willys Jeeps in Pereira. When you look at car prices in a magazine you'll often see two prices, one for the domesticly produced version and another for the import.

[Cali vet]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Boom boom, posted by Cali vet on Feb 21, 2002

Correction: Compania Colombiana Automotriz S.A.-Mazda makes Mazda and Mitsubishi Montero in Colombia.

[Pete E]

... in response to Re: Boom boom, posted by Throw on Feb 21, 2002

I used to be in the car business here so I was intrieged by the high prices in Cali.I was working with a Colombian on it 2 years ago.He did some checking.The car has to be no more than one year old,so basically you are competing with new car dealers.There is duty,I'm not sure how much.New cars are maybe 10-20% more expensive there.Used cars are alot more expensive because they depreciate and are alot cheaper here.Also most people can't afford a car there and most of the ones who can can only afford a used car,so there is buyer  competition on the low end there.Just the opposite of here where if a car is old enough people will just give it to charity and some running cars that the charities sell only bring $100.In Cali any old car is worth $2000-$3000,most alot more.As I remember it was about $1200 for a container that would hold 2 cars to ship out of the west coast to Bonaventura.It should be cheaper out of Florida to Barranquilla.
In San Andreas its differrent,even though still Colombia.The taxi drivers drive older chevy impalas.Our driver would point out the cars he had owned and sold as he drove down the street.Some of these older cars were apparently recent imports.
Alot of the duty situations and rules not only bring in money to the government they create a monopoly for people who control the imports.Its also interestig in Cali,you see alot of Korean cars,which I can understand,but of the Japanese cars they are mostly Mazdas.Not alot of Hondas and Toyotas like here.Does Mazda or someone who has a franchise have an in?
If anybody has any other imformation I am interested.I'm not sure how good mine is.
I have always been intreiged by price differences in different places.I started my car business on a geographical idea,shipping European cars out of Texas when they were cheap and then out of Florida and the Northeast to California.I used to buy them $6000 under our low blue book,but I usually had to sell them below book also.The recession of 92 ended that little idea.I couldn't sell them for as much and foriegn buyers were paying more.

Pete

[Throw]

... in response to Re: Re: Boom boom, posted by Pete E on Feb 21, 2002

So basically this idea is out.  Too expensive between shipping and tariffs insurance etc.  But someone is getting cars in there inexpensive.  I mean you see too many Korean types running around.  I do see a fair amount of toyota truck's but not the Camry types.  

It seems unbelievale to me that you can't buy a couple of 5 year old Camry's here in Miami put them in a container, ship them to the coast, pay a fee $500 or so tariff, drive them to Cali, paint them and make them a Taxi or something and have a nice little business.  It sounds feasible but may not practical is what I am sensing.  Any other thoughts...throw!

[Pete E]

... in response to Boom boom, posted by Cali vet on Feb 21, 2002

I would argue that air travel in the US is safer than before 9/11.Maybe Colombia will get seriuos and do something similar.How did this hijacking take place?Looks like someone went to sleep.Maybe they waited for Cerveza time to strike.

Pete

[Cali vet]

... in response to Re: Boom boom, posted by Pete E on Feb 21, 2002

You got me. Last time I took a national flight everything went through the x-ray. I have to say though it has occured to me more than once when staying at the airport hotel in Cali that the place seems awfully vulnerable. I mean it's got one little office with a few police inside and it's way out in the country. What's to stop a couple of truckloads of heavily armed FARC from pulling up and taking over. I sure hope there's some armed manpower there that just goes unseen.

[Pete E]

... in response to Re: Re: Boom boom, posted by Cali vet on Feb 21, 2002

If you thought of it ,they thought of it.(the rebels re; airport  security in Cali.)Your right,It does seem vulnerable.Of course there are alot of troops in Cali and they would be at the airport in a few miniutes,but it could be taken before that.Then a hostage stand off or hijacking?Evem though travel here is safer it probably has risk right now in Colombia.Worth keeping an eye on for anybody heading south.And if the rebels can't win a conventional fight there may be more terrorism to come as they get there butt kicked elsewhere.
I was surfing a Colombian site yesterday.They have a day by day list of everything that has happened.Apparently there was a shooting in a bar in Cali where several people got killed,the rebels were blammed.I heard nothing about it here.It happened a week or so ago I believe.

Pete

[Zorro]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Boom boom, posted by Pete E on Feb 21, 2002

Please give us the URL of that Colombian site that lists what's happened recently. I, for one, want to take a look.

[Cali vet]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Re: Boom boom, posted by Zorro on Feb 21, 2002

I don't know what Pete's sources are but a couple of sites that give up to the minute reports are: www.colombia.com/noticias/  also www.caracol.com.co  also El Tiempo (Bogota) and El Pais (Cali) newspapers. Check also the links at www.colombiaupdate.com and www.poorbuthappy.com

[Cali vet]

... in response to Re: Re: Re: Boom boom, posted by Pete E on Feb 21, 2002

Didn't see that report but I'm not surprised. In the pueblos a new face is recognized instantly so rebels can't come in and hang around sureptitiously but the cities are a different story. Much easier to infiltrate. Lets hope the police and army can stay on top of it.