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Post by livinginmedellin on Sept 12, 2016 9:15:03 GMT -5
Chevrolet grew car sales in August by 27% in the country. Chevrolet brand cars ended August with a market share of 24.4% in Colombia, having sold 5,465 new vehicles in this month. "2016 has been a key Chevrolet year, not only because in August we celebrated 60 years of GM COLMOTORES, also because we continue contributing to the development of the auto industry," said Jaime Gil, Commercial Vice President and Aftersales GM COLMOTORES . The goal of the brand for this year is to finish with a market share of 25% and "we believe it is possible to the extent that we continue to strengthen our products and services to provide better customer experience," said Gil. For models, Spark represented the largest volume of sales with 1,431 units sold, in the eighth month. Small cars in this segment also gained 2.5% market share with their representatives Sail, Sonic and Onix, which collectively sold 1,916 units. In Antioquia, the brand gained 1.37 share points versus July, reaching 22.84%. See (in Spanish): www.elcolombiano.com/negocios/chevrolet-crecio-ventas-en-agosto-de-2016-BI4965355
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Post by entonces on Sept 12, 2016 9:56:00 GMT -5
I see quite a number of Chevrolet badges on trucks but I get the firm impression that they are re-branded Asian vehicles. I imagine that this type of joint venture is common but does that 27% increase include re-badged Japanese or other Asian vehicles?
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Post by livinginmedellin on Sept 12, 2016 10:01:40 GMT -5
GM Colmotores manufactures cars in Colombia. They manufacture cars in Colombia under license including a variety of General Motors, GM Daewoo, Isuzu, Qingling Motors, and Suzuki vehicles for the local market, all sold under the Chevrolet name. See: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GM_Colmotores
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Post by saltador on Sept 12, 2016 15:51:15 GMT -5
I've been looking for a newer used car and the Chevy Captiva looks reasonably priced. Anyone have any experience with one? Any other advice regarding buying a used car would be appreciated.
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Post by livinginmedellin on Sept 12, 2016 16:06:42 GMT -5
I've been looking for a newer used car and the Chevy Captiva looks reasonably priced. Anyone have any experience with one? Any other advice regarding buying a used car would be appreciated. A friend bought a used car recently he found on www.tucarro.com.co/. Here's a list of Chevy Captivas available in Antioquia (Medellín): carros.tucarro.com.co/chevrolet/captiva/antioquia/. Make sure any used cars are inspected by a reputable mechanic. I talked to one expat last year looking to buy a used car and he had it inspected only to find it has been completely repainted plus it had a rebuilt chassis underneath, which was covered up --- and this was a car he said only had about 15,000 km.
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Post by sedelen on Sept 14, 2016 20:37:02 GMT -5
Cars manufactured here don't have to pay the 35% import tax of cars made outside Colombia I've been told. So, you see the most popular brands in use, made here, Chevy and Renault. Easily more affordable. Probably not as reliable as a Mazda, Toyota, or some of the other names, but they represent more value to people who don't want to spend an arm and a leg on other cars similarly equipped. The following website is fairly comprehensive. It covers everything on how to buy a new, used car, to insurance, licenses, and I even believe there is shipping information. It can in handy during my purchase of a car. www.angloinfo.com/colombia/how-to/page/colombia-transport-vehicle-ownership-buying-a-used-carJust make sure it has all the required inspections, within the window of the purchase. They are very thorough here and anything found wrong will have to be repaired I believe in 15 days, or you have to pay for a new inspection. Along with that, makes sure all the taxes have been paid, or you could or will end up paying back taxes. Cars here for the most part are driven hard. Small engines and heavy loads trying to get up the mountain take a toll, along with all the speed bumps and rough roads. Was once in a small Hyundai taxi with 7 others going up the mountain is San Diego, had to do it in first gear, he, he.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 14, 2016 22:40:01 GMT -5
I've been looking for a newer used car and the Chevy Captiva looks reasonably priced. Anyone have any experience with one? Any other advice regarding buying a used car would be appreciated. The Captivas sold in Colombia are assembled in Mexico and therefore benefit from reduced import taxes. But never drove it, so can't say much more.
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Post by livinginmedellin on Sept 14, 2016 22:55:53 GMT -5
Cars manufactured here don't have to pay the 35% import tax of cars made outside Colombia I've been told. So, you see the most popular brands in use, made here, Chevy and Renault. Easily more affordable. Probably not as reliable as a Mazda, Toyota, or some of the other names, but they represent more value to people who don't want to spend an arm and a leg on other cars similarly equipped. The following website is fairly comprehensive. It covers everything on how to buy a new, used car, to insurance, licenses, and I even believe there is shipping information. It can in handy during my purchase of a car. www.angloinfo.com/colombia/how-to/page/colombia-transport-vehicle-ownership-buying-a-used-carJust make sure it has all the required inspections, within the window of the purchase. They are very thorough here and anything found wrong will have to be repaired I believe in 15 days, or you have to pay for a new inspection. Along with that, makes sure all the taxes have been paid, or you could or will end up paying back taxes. Cars here for the most part are driven hard. Small engines and heavy loads trying to get up the mountain take a toll, along with all the speed bumps and rough roads. Was once in a small Hyundai taxi with 7 others going up the mountain is San Diego, had to do it in first gear, he, he. That angloino website has some inaccuracies. For example, under "exchanging licenses" it says "Foreign driving licenses (licencias extranjeras) can be used in Colombia as long as they are still valid in the country they were issued in. This means that unless there are very specific reasons for doing so, it is not necessary to convert a foreign driving license to a Colombian license" This is not 100% true. You can only use a foreign drivers license in Colombia if you are a tourist - according to Mintransporte in Colombia. The National Traffic Code in Article 25 provides: The driving licenses, issued in another country, which are in force and are used by tourists or in transit through the national territory, shall be valid and allowed to drive in Colombia during the authorized stay of the owner, in accordance with international provisions on the subject. See (in Spanish): www.mintransporte.gov.co/loader.php?lServicio=FAQ&lFuncion=viewPreguntas&id=58If you have a cedula/visa you are supposed to get a Colombian drivers license.
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Post by jabberwocky on Sept 15, 2016 6:34:34 GMT -5
that applies to moto licenses also - found out the hard way on that at one of those traffic stops that nets the motos that pass by.
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Post by saltador on Sept 15, 2016 16:18:22 GMT -5
All, What about transferring the money over from a US bank to pay for the car? Are there special forms that must be filled out? This is starting to sound like a minefield...
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Post by entonces on Sept 15, 2016 18:28:49 GMT -5
I walked smack into a minefield with a wire transfer from the States. The person at my (very large and well known) bank gave me incorrect information and I signed a time sensitive agreement here in Medellin. There wasn't any difficulty with Bancolombia. The problem was on the American side. The hassle temporarily affected my health and I nearly forfeited serious money. Phew! Try to avoid time deadlines and pay a visit to the Colombian bank to obtain routing # and one other # that I can't remember the name of.
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Post by sedelen on Sept 16, 2016 10:10:44 GMT -5
Cars manufactured here don't have to pay the 35% import tax of cars made outside Colombia I've been told. So, you see the most popular brands in use, made here, Chevy and Renault. Easily more affordable. Probably not as reliable as a Mazda, Toyota, or some of the other names, but they represent more value to people who don't want to spend an arm and a leg on other cars similarly equipped. The following website is fairly comprehensive. It covers everything on how to buy a new, used car, to insurance, licenses, and I even believe there is shipping information. It can in handy during my purchase of a car. www.angloinfo.com/colombia/how-to/page/colombia-transport-vehicle-ownership-buying-a-used-carJust make sure it has all the required inspections, within the window of the purchase. They are very thorough here and anything found wrong will have to be repaired I believe in 15 days, or you have to pay for a new inspection. Along with that, makes sure all the taxes have been paid, or you could or will end up paying back taxes. Cars here for the most part are driven hard. Small engines and heavy loads trying to get up the mountain take a toll, along with all the speed bumps and rough roads. Was once in a small Hyundai taxi with 7 others going up the mountain is San Diego, had to do it in first gear, he, he. That angloino website has some inaccuracies. For example, under "exchanging licenses" it says "Foreign driving licenses (licencias extranjeras) can be used in Colombia as long as they are still valid in the country they were issued in. This means that unless there are very specific reasons for doing so, it is not necessary to convert a foreign driving license to a Colombian license" This is not 100% true. You can only use a foreign drivers license in Colombia if you are a tourist - according to Mintransporte in Colombia. The National Traffic Code in Article 25 provides: The driving licenses, issued in another country, which are in force and are used by tourists or in transit through the national territory, shall be valid and allowed to drive in Colombia during the authorized stay of the owner, in accordance with international provisions on the subject. See (in Spanish): www.mintransporte.gov.co/loader.php?lServicio=FAQ&lFuncion=viewPreguntas&id=58If you have a cedula/visa you are supposed to get a Colombian drivers license. Thanks for pointing that out. I'm not sure how long ago that link was published. Changes are constant, but the sites providing the information don't get updated, if that was the case. Where it helped me was on the purchase of a used car. I found it to be a good site for "general" knowledge, a starting point per se.
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Post by sedelen on Sept 16, 2016 10:22:31 GMT -5
All, What about transferring the money over from a US bank to pay for the car? Are there special forms that must be filled out? This is starting to sound like a minefield... With all the hassle of transferring money, and amounts over 10K get reported, or smaller amounts totaling over 10K fairly close together get reported also, and I even read somewhere that transferring money here counts as income for tax purposes which I'm not sure about, I decided to play it safe and just hit the ATM until I had enough money. Needless to say it took awhile. Now I have a car, the insurance, the license, and all that is required. What I don't have is the nerve to drive it much here, unless I'm going outside Medellin. In the smaller towns and on the auto pistas I feel comfortable, but inside the city, forget it! It's not worth the stress.
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Post by coolcoil on Sept 16, 2016 11:27:28 GMT -5
Now I have a car, the insurance, the license, and all that is required. What I don't have is the nerve to drive it much here, unless I'm going outside Medellin. In the smaller towns and on the auto pistas I feel comfortable, but inside the city, forget it! It's not worth the stress. I suspect most would agree with you that driving in the country and smaller towns is easier. However, I find that my stress levels are lower in the city than in small towns. In the city, I find that drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists follow a much more predictable pattern of behavior and as long as you don't get wound up by slow traffic, the driving is not difficult. In the pueblitos, people act like they are the only people using the road and pay no attention to those around them. Drivers just stop in the middle of the street to talk to a pedestrian, people walk in the middle of the street, bicyclists ride three across, blocking the whole lane - I could go on and on. I find that I have to be on my toes much more out here than in the city. I didn't list moto drivers in the previous paragraph, as they are equally obnoxious no matter where you are.
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Post by livinginmedellin on Sept 16, 2016 12:24:21 GMT -5
Has anyone followed these steps documented on this site to exchange your foreign drivers license for a Colombian drivers license? www.angloinfo.com/colombia/how-to/page/colombia-transport-driving-licenses-exchanging-a-licence"The following documents must then be presented at the district transit authorities or at an authorized driving school. In Bogotá, driving licenses are dealt with at SIM offices: SIM stands for the Integrated Mobility System (Sistema integrado de movilidad). - A signed application form which is provided by the authorities (hoja de datos licencia de conducción)
- A 3x4cm color photo, with the applicant's identity number written on the back
- Copy of blood type certificate
- Medical certificate
- A photocopy of the national ID card (cédula) or foreigner's ID card (cédula de extranjería)
- Photocopy of the valid foreign driving license
- An official translation of the foreign driving license, issued either by the diplomatic representatives of the foreign country and apostilled or by the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores)
- Receipt of payment for the service, which varies depending on the type of vehicle the license is for
The license should be obtained in person and the process can be completed in a matter of hours. Fingerprints must also be provided by applicants with a foreign ID card (cédula). Driving licenses are valid for ten years. To get a Colombian driving license, it is also necessary to sign up for the National Transport Registry, the Registro Único Nacional de Tránsito (RUNT)." That list doesn't include any tests...
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2016 13:23:27 GMT -5
Safety elements you HAVE to have in your car (308,000 pesos ticket if not): - hydraulic jack - crosshead - 2 warning triangles - first aid kit - fire extinguisher - 2 props that can be put against the rear wheel (is there a name for that?) - toolbox with: plier, screwdrivers, monkey wrench, set of spanners - spare tire - flashlight
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Post by sedelen on Sept 16, 2016 14:32:01 GMT -5
Has anyone followed these steps documented on this site to exchange your foreign drivers license for a Colombian drivers license? www.angloinfo.com/colombia/how-to/page/colombia-transport-driving-licenses-exchanging-a-licence"The following documents must then be presented at the district transit authorities or at an authorized driving school. In Bogotá, driving licenses are dealt with at SIM offices: SIM stands for the Integrated Mobility System (Sistema integrado de movilidad). - A signed application form which is provided by the authorities (hoja de datos licencia de conducción)
- A 3x4cm color photo, with the applicant's identity number written on the back
- Copy of blood type certificate
- Medical certificate
- A photocopy of the national ID card (cédula) or foreigner's ID card (cédula de extranjería)
- Photocopy of the valid foreign driving license
- An official translation of the foreign driving license, issued either by the diplomatic representatives of the foreign country and apostilled or by the Colombian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores)
- Receipt of payment for the service, which varies depending on the type of vehicle the license is for
The license should be obtained in person and the process can be completed in a matter of hours. Fingerprints must also be provided by applicants with a foreign ID card (cédula). Driving licenses are valid for ten years. To get a Colombian driving license, it is also necessary to sign up for the National Transport Registry, the Registro Único Nacional de Tránsito (RUNT)." That list doesn't include any tests... I wanted to keep my stateside license, so I only focused on getting a Colombian drivers license, which I did manage to get, fun stuff!
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Post by sedelen on Sept 16, 2016 14:34:48 GMT -5
Safety elements you HAVE to have in your car (308,000 pesos ticket if not): - hydraulic jack - crosshead - 2 warning triangles - first aid kit - fire extinguisher - 2 props that can be put against the rear wheel (is there a name for that?) - toolbox with: plier, screwdrivers, monkey wrench, set of spanners - spare tire - flashlight Chocks, used to use them on aircraft in the Air Force, two brightly colored yellow with a tying them together.
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Post by sedelen on Sept 16, 2016 14:42:16 GMT -5
Safety elements you HAVE to have in your car (308,000 pesos ticket if not): - hydraulic jack - crosshead - 2 warning triangles - first aid kit - fire extinguisher - 2 props that can be put against the rear wheel (is there a name for that?) - toolbox with: plier, screwdrivers, monkey wrench, set of spanners - spare tire - flashlight I know I don't have all that, such as the tool box with spanners and stuff, everything else though. And I think I know where all the stuff is. And the fire extinguisher, at least mine needs periodic inspections, and possibly servicing, if the pressure drops below a certain amount. Make sure you got all your paperwork also, like the SOAT document, your license, your Cedula! If you feel yourself getting squeezed by the authorities, just tell them, No Entiendo! and hope that works!
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Post by Deleted on Sept 16, 2016 17:57:35 GMT -5
Safety elements you HAVE to have in your car (308,000 pesos ticket if not): - hydraulic jack - crosshead - 2 warning triangles - first aid kit - fire extinguisher - 2 props that can be put against the rear wheel (is there a name for that?) - toolbox with: plier, screwdrivers, monkey wrench, set of spanners - spare tire - flashlight Chocks, used to use them on aircraft in the Air Force, two brightly colored yellow with a tying them together. I served in the French Airforce and I even gave these things a paintjob ;-)
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Post by sedelen on Sept 24, 2016 18:45:22 GMT -5
Now I have a car, the insurance, the license, and all that is required. What I don't have is the nerve to drive it much here, unless I'm going outside Medellin. In the smaller towns and on the auto pistas I feel comfortable, but inside the city, forget it! It's not worth the stress. I suspect most would agree with you that driving in the country and smaller towns is easier. However, I find that my stress levels are lower in the city than in small towns. In the city, I find that drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists follow a much more predictable pattern of behavior and as long as you don't get wound up by slow traffic, the driving is not difficult. In the pueblitos, people act like they are the only people using the road and pay no attention to those around them. Drivers just stop in the middle of the street to talk to a pedestrian, people walk in the middle of the street, bicyclists ride three across, blocking the whole lane - I could go on and on. I find that I have to be on my toes much more out here than in the city. I didn't list moto drivers in the previous paragraph, as they are equally obnoxious no matter where you are. Just curious, have you driven through El Centro in Medellin, El Pablado, or Envigado, on say, like a Friday afternoon? Just the thought of that gives me the "willys" I drove to and back from El Carmen today from Medellin, there's always something going on, accidents and such that lead to delays, some of those traffic circles in Rio Negro are hard to navigate when the cars are bumper to bumper.
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Post by buenopues on Sept 25, 2016 18:54:50 GMT -5
Ha ha, when I took my driving course in Cali years ago graduation was driving through El Centro. Already knew how to drive of course but license came automatically with course (then).
I was told by Chevrolet salesman that the very popular Spark is a Korean made Isuzu.
This week's SEMANA surprised me with news that the largest selling pickup is Nissan with 2188 units sold so far this year second is Renault's Oroch at 960 units. Amazing it's in second place since they only started selling it a short time ago. Third is Toyota, fourth Chevrolet and finally Ford. I just saw the Renault Alaska (rebadged Nissan Frontier) on display at a shopping mall the other day.
The Renault Duster (I have one) is interesting. It is packaged as a "Complete Knockdown Kit" at the Dacia factory in Miovene, Romania. That factory is reportedly the largest manufacturer of CKKs in the world. The kits are shipped to six different assembly plants around the world including of course Renault Sofasa in Envigado and the cars are sold as Renault or Dacia. The Duster 4x4 is really quite a bargain because as a result of the Renault Nissan association it comes with the "intelligent" four wheel drive system of the Nissan Pathfinder at a far far cheaper price. Mine has been great so far. The only vehicle that would tempt me to change, and that's if I had gobs and gobs of money would be the Audi SUV and that's because I'm told it has a special suspension system that really smooths out rough, unpaved roads which I deal with daily. But alas I don't...
Edit; actually I'm confused about the Spark. I thought with the huge volume it was assembled in Colombia by GM but according to wiki it looks like South Korea.
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Post by coolcoil on Sept 26, 2016 6:19:34 GMT -5
Just curious, have you driven through El Centro in Medellin, El Pablado, or Envigado, on say, like a Friday afternoon? Just the thought of that gives me the "willys" I drove to and back from El Carmen today from Medellin, there's always something going on, accidents and such that lead to delays, some of those traffic circles in Rio Negro are hard to navigate when the cars are bumper to bumper. I´ve spent a fair amount of time driving in the city, including rush hour. As long as I am not running late to an important appointment, heavy traffic does not bother me much. I spent a large part of my younger years driving large trucks in an around Philadelphia, so I learned to have a little bit of patience (though it is still not my strong suit). I find that in the city people drive like you would expect in most large cities and the rest of the population generally understand how to interact with motor vehicles. You don't have to constantly swivel your head to watch for developing dangerous situations. In the small towns and the country, you have to be constantly on your toes. One of the biggest problems is that the streets are narrow and houses are built right up to the corners. Most intersections are only two-way stops, so if you are on the street that has to stop, it's very hard to see oncoming traffic without nosing halfway into the intersection. The problem is exacerbated when somebody parks their car right at the corner so that you can't see up the street at all or their is a knot of people standing on the sidewalk blocking your view. Then, you cross your fingers, look for secondary clues as to whether a car is coming (are people crossing the street?), move out slowly and hope for the best. In the city, you don't run into as many blind intersections, and parking laws are enforced, so you're not constantly dealing with cars parked right up to the corner. At those same corners, you never know what pedestrians are going to do. Some will just cross in front of you as soon as they get to the street, no matter how it affects you. I have some sympathy for that, as it is their right, and more important, it's generally how I act when I'm on foot. The ones that get me are the ones that come to the corner and stop to wait for me. They look back up the street to make their own judgment of the oncoming traffic for me. Now, they are blocking my view of oncoming traffic, and I have no idea whether they will stay stopped or decide to step out just as I decide to go. Just walk behind me instead of waiting!!! It's what I do and it makes life easier for everybody. People parking where they damn well please causes lots of problems. As long as they can park in front of their destination, they don't give a crap how much congestion they cause. There is a heavily-traveled intersection right by my house. If the no-parking rules were followed, it would flow well enough. However, there is always somebody parked in a manner that reduces the street to one lane wide and opposing traffic has to wait, so everything gets backed up. What really makes my blood boil, is that as often as not, the blocking vehicle is a taxi left while the driver runs into a food shop. These guys probably go through that intersection twenty times a day and know very well that by parking there they are causing a back up, but they don't give a damn. Pedestrians and bikes are a constant worry. With the lousy sidewalks, people always walk in the street. That's fine, I do it myself. However, I always pay attention to my situation, and if the combination of where I'm walking and parked vehicles makes the passage tight, I move to the sidewalk. Many people here just stay in the street and expect you to squeeze past them. People on bikes generally stay to the side of the road, but if you get to a stretch where the road narrows too much to pass them, you get to drive at the bike's pace until it widens again. What is really bad though, is that it is common for two or three bicyclists to ride side-by-side. They think they're doing nothing wrong, if they leave you a two-inch margin to pass them, and you are left with the choice of squeezing by with a high risk of an accident or going at their pace. As I said, I'm a pedestrian myself and also a bike rider, so I have some empathy, but I really get frosted when they act in an oblivious and selfish manor. Don't get me stared about speed bumps. I know they are necessary out here in the wild Oriente where the Transito's only function is to run the occasional moto paperwork roadblock, but they get tiring. I take my kids to school, and in the 7 km, 15-minute round trip, I cross a speed bump 18 times. It's pretty much like that for any local trip. Every speed bump is a set of decisions and actions, and while a couple is no big deal, it adds up quickly and adds to the stress. Have you ever lived in an apartment complex that has speed bumps every 20 meters? It's really annoying. Imagine having to drive like that all day long. This post is already way too long, though I have a bunch of other stuff that I could list. As I said, I wouldn't be surprised that most people find city driving more stressful, but it's not that way for me. I also understand that all of the stuff I listed here exists in the city too, but I find that it's occasional, not constant. Finally, I don't want to give the impression that I am a big ball of stress on the road. I've come to accept how things are (I have no choice, of course). It's just that I feel more relaxed driving in the city than out here. I will mention that as far as small towns go, Carmen is a bit of an exception, as it has a lot of fairly wide streets and, in my perception anyway, a lot fewer people walking about. The thing that stresses me about going there, though, is knowing that I will inevitably have to go down an unpaved, muddy stretch of road, so that I'll have to wash my car when I get home.
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Post by tubes on Sept 26, 2016 6:46:55 GMT -5
The best-selling 'Chevrolet' Spark, assembled in Colombia is indeed a Korean project, industrialised in the UK offices of Daewoo. The original design was an Italian (Giugaro) replacement project for the Fiat 500 from way back in the early 1990s. The original Spark (with the large oval rear lamps) was very advanced for its time and still looks good 25 years later, but it dates back to an age before safety and crash testing. The later Spark GT is the second generation Daewoo Matiz, dating back to the early 2000s, slightly stronger but still dated.
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Post by sedelen on Sept 26, 2016 17:28:24 GMT -5
Just curious, have you driven through El Centro in Medellin, El Pablado, or Envigado, on say, like a Friday afternoon? Just the thought of that gives me the "willys" I drove to and back from El Carmen today from Medellin, there's always something going on, accidents and such that lead to delays, some of those traffic circles in Rio Negro are hard to navigate when the cars are bumper to bumper. I´ve spent a fair amount of time driving in the city, including rush hour. As long as I am not running late to an important appointment, heavy traffic does not bother me much. I spent a large part of my younger years driving large trucks in an around Philadelphia, so I learned to have a little bit of patience (though it is still not my strong suit). I find that in the city people drive like you would expect in most large cities and the rest of the population generally understand how to interact with motor vehicles. You don't have to constantly swivel your head to watch for developing dangerous situations. In the small towns and the country, you have to be constantly on your toes. One of the biggest problems is that the streets are narrow and houses are built right up to the corners. Most intersections are only two-way stops, so if you are on the street that has to stop, it's very hard to see oncoming traffic without nosing halfway into the intersection. The problem is exacerbated when somebody parks their car right at the corner so that you can't see up the street at all or their is a knot of people standing on the sidewalk blocking your view. Then, you cross your fingers, look for secondary clues as to whether a car is coming (are people crossing the street?), move out slowly and hope for the best. In the city, you don't run into as many blind intersections, and parking laws are enforced, so you're not constantly dealing with cars parked right up to the corner. At those same corners, you never know what pedestrians are going to do. Some will just cross in front of you as soon as they get to the street, no matter how it affects you. I have some sympathy for that, as it is their right, and more important, it's generally how I act when I'm on foot. The ones that get me are the ones that come to the corner and stop to wait for me. They look back up the street to make their own judgment of the oncoming traffic for me. Now, they are blocking my view of oncoming traffic, and I have no idea whether they will stay stopped or decide to step out just as I decide to go. Just walk behind me instead of waiting!!! It's what I do and it makes life easier for everybody. People parking where they damn well please causes lots of problems. As long as they can park in front of their destination, they don't give a crap how much congestion they cause. There is a heavily-traveled intersection right by my house. If the no-parking rules were followed, it would flow well enough. However, there is always somebody parked in a manner that reduces the street to one lane wide and opposing traffic has to wait, so everything gets backed up. What really makes my blood boil, is that as often as not, the blocking vehicle is a taxi left while the driver runs into a food shop. These guys probably go through that intersection twenty times a day and know very well that by parking there they are causing a back up, but they don't give a damn. Pedestrians and bikes are a constant worry. With the lousy sidewalks, people always walk in the street. That's fine, I do it myself. However, I always pay attention to my situation, and if the combination of where I'm walking and parked vehicles makes the passage tight, I move to the sidewalk. Many people here just stay in the street and expect you to squeeze past them. People on bikes generally stay to the side of the road, but if you get to a stretch where the road narrows too much to pass them, you get to drive at the bike's pace until it widens again. What is really bad though, is that it is common for two or three bicyclists to ride side-by-side. They think they're doing nothing wrong, if they leave you a two-inch margin to pass them, and you are left with the choice of squeezing by with a high risk of an accident or going at their pace. As I said, I'm a pedestrian myself and also a bike rider, so I have some empathy, but I really get frosted when they act in an oblivious and selfish manor. Don't get me stared about speed bumps. I know they are necessary out here in the wild Oriente where the Transito's only function is to run the occasional moto paperwork roadblock, but they get tiring. I take my kids to school, and in the 7 km, 15-minute round trip, I cross a speed bump 18 times. It's pretty much like that for any local trip. Every speed bump is a set of decisions and actions, and while a couple is no big deal, it adds up quickly and adds to the stress. Have you ever lived in an apartment complex that has speed bumps every 20 meters? It's really annoying. Imagine having to drive like that all day long. This post is already way too long, though I have a bunch of other stuff that I could list. As I said, I wouldn't be surprised that most people find city driving more stressful, but it's not that way for me. I also understand that all of the stuff I listed here exists in the city too, but I find that it's occasional, not constant. Finally, I don't want to give the impression that I am a big ball of stress on the road. I've come to accept how things are (I have no choice, of course). It's just that I feel more relaxed driving in the city than out here. I will mention that as far as small towns go, Carmen is a bit of an exception, as it has a lot of fairly wide streets and, in my perception anyway, a lot fewer people walking about. The thing that stresses me about going there, though, is knowing that I will inevitably have to go down an unpaved, muddy stretch of road, so that I'll have to wash my car when I get home. Thanks for the response! I would say you're pretty seasoned. I definitely can relate to the bicycles riding 3 abreast, same goes with the pedestrians. Las Palmas had hundreds of bicycles on the road last Saturday morning, as many as 8 abreast, not paying any attention to whatever traffic was behind them. As far as the speed bumps go, you have to learn which ones you almost have to stop for and which ones you can go over without having to almost stop. One thing I recently learned, which after it happened stopped my wanting to drive here dead in my tracks, was coming up to several intersections that were full of traffic and I had no idea who had the right of way. There were no lights, no signs, and no pare painted on any of the four intersecting roads. A Colombian friend was giving me a ride to downtown El Centro and we came up to one of those intersections, and I asked him. He said basically the road identified as a Carrera had the right of way, and the road identified as Calle didn't.
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Post by tubes on Sept 27, 2016 7:40:48 GMT -5
According to El Tiempo's Motor magazine, so far this year cars were involved in 87,516 accidents, motorcycles in 64,631, light trucks in 25,471, buses in 12,794, and trucks in 11,198. There are 1,669 fatalities, 59,581 injuries and 74,982 accidents with only material damage. The cities with the most accidents were Medellin 31,872, Bogota 24,287, Cali 11,156, and Cartagena 5,501.
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Post by jabberwocky on Sept 27, 2016 8:11:19 GMT -5
Wonder how many cars there are in Medellin vs Bogota, obviously Bogota has a much bigger population but. Maybe a lower percentage of car ownership
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Post by wildstubby on Sept 27, 2016 8:38:09 GMT -5
jabberwocky said:
I don't know. But as a casual observer, I would say that Bogota has more access to public transportation. Medellin does have the Metro but I see buses, both big/tandem and small in Bogota. I will put this disclaimer out, other than the tour bus I took, which encompassed a full day of sightseeing in Medellin, my exposure was limited to a small diameter in El Poblado near the Centro Comercial de Santa Fe.
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Post by tubes on Sept 27, 2016 10:19:20 GMT -5
It would appear that Bogota has 2,100,000 private cars and Medellin has 1,350,000
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Post by gallito on Sept 27, 2016 12:34:30 GMT -5
According to El Tiempo's Motor magazine, so far this year cars were involved in 87,516 accidents, motorcycles in 64,631, light trucks in 25,471, buses in 12,794, and trucks in 11,198. There are 1,669 fatalities, 59,581 injuries and 74,982 accidents with only material damage. The cities with the most accidents were Medellin 31,872, Bogota 24,287, Cali 11,156, and Cartagena 5,501. That's a whole heap of accidents! Medellin had more accidents, almost double that of Bogota, with half as many cars;giddyup Paias.
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