Hello, friends. Today I come to talk to you about a subject that, just reading the title is enough to intuit what my opinion is. The topic I bring you is the sale of cars in Cuba. And yes, I assure you that I am neither exaggerating nor joking. Perhaps, whoever reads my post and is not Cuban will think that I am joking or that I am an exaggerator when it comes to prices.
Only in 2011 did the government allow Cubans to buy cars. Previously, cars could not be bought, not even from one person to another. There were no stores that sold cars, and if you left the country, most of the time, you lost it. But now these stores exist, now the problem is different. Who can acquire it? It should also be noted that these stores can only be found in Havana, the capital of the country.
To give you an idea of what I am telling you, I am going to give you a table of prices where you can compare them by taking a country as a reference. But there is something I have not said, these cars are second hand. Therefore, the comparison I will make will be with their similar, since many of these models are not currently manufactured. Something that makes it difficult for me to compare with their new selling price. Also keep in mind that these prices can be a little variable as it is determined by the condition, route and place of origin of the car.
| Model | Year | Price in Cuba | Average price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kia Cerato | 2015 | 45000 USD | 10000 USD - 13000 USD (colombia) |
| Nisan qashqai | 2012 | 82000 USD | 11870 USD - 14550 USD (Colombia) |
| Nissan xtrail | 2013 | 76000 USD | 10800 USD - 14500 USD (México) |
| Honda crv | 2012 | 83000 | 13100 USD - 15650 USD (México) |
| Hyundai i10 | 2014 | 44000 | 6500 USD - 8500 UDS (Argentina) |
| Hyunday tucson | 2015 | 84000 | 15000 USD - 18000 USD (Argentina) |
| Kia rio | 2014 | 37000 | 6400€ - 6990€ (España) |
In addition to being used cars as I said before, there is no payment facility. But that is not all. To buy these cars you must have foreign currency. So you have to go with all the currency previously deposited in a Cuban bank and pay with a credit card 100% of the price of the car. There is no other form of payment, since they do not accept Cuban pesos.
Those Cuban pesos, which the government pays to each of its workers. Although, what for? if the average salary does not even reach 20 dollars a month, a subject of which I have already spoken about before. It is neither robbery nor swindle, for me, it is a mockery. This is shameful everywhere I look.
But that's not all, as many of these cars spent their glory days as rental cars before being offered for sale at these prices. A scam? No, this is the deal of the century, the government's exploitation of Cubans. And then they go on television lying and saying that it is for the benefit of the people.
Anyway, this is the reality where car prices seem like a bad joke and where the average salary leaves us with the water up to our necks. But well, there is no other way. A car in Cuba is more than a luxury or a necessity, it is a privilege for the lucky few.
Reference:
📷 Xiaomi Redmi 9A | 💻 Asus Celeron N4020
Original text in Spanish: Translated and formatted with Hive Translator by 
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