Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020

Buying a Car/ Motorbike in Samoa

Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea / Samoa

Hi

I'm looking at staying in Samoa for about 6 months and will be looking to buy a cheap car. Can anyone tell me of any experiences in buying a car over there? What sort of money would I be looking at for an old but reliable car?

Any ideas where to start?

Thanks

Simon

There are no cheap cars in Samoa, due to hefty import costs (freight, tax, duties). A 5 year old Toyota sedan costs you around US$9,000; even with least expectations you will not find anything driveable under US$5,000. And forget about motorbikes - they are very uncommon and very dangerous because of road conditions and because of the fact that local drivers are not used to meet them on the road (you might have to hop off your bike when they pass you too closely). Take taxis and rent cars.

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