While on the same subject regarding taxis, it can be quite chaotic; there are no controlled taxi stands (and no hack commission) at Simon Bolivar and cutthroat competition is rampant for tourist dollars. Taxis are clearly marked "TAXI" or "LIBRE." Make sure you negotiate the fare in advance with the driver before getting in, especially if you don't see a meter. (There are a few cabs with meters, but 'gypsy cabs' are rampant.)

Not surprisingly, the US automakers send their excess inventory of last-year's models to other countries and are sometimes sold under a different nameplate ("Conquistador" is much easier to remember in Spanish than "LTD Crown Victoria"). Remember the debacle with the Chevy Nova in Puerto Rico? Nobody bought it; GM's marketeers failed to notice that "No Va" means "it doesn't run" in Spanish! So, it was hastily renamed the Chevy 'Caribe.' Later introductions of the Nova kept the nameplate intact. There are local assembly plants for the Big 3 automakers but they manufacture cars to Venezuelan specifications. Likewise, the older-model tooling and jigs are sometimes sent overseas.




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AlphaSigOU
Causa latet vis est notissima - the cause is hidden, the results are well-known.