10,233 new car sales monthly.

10,233 NEW CAR SALES MONTHLY. New car sales in Puerto Rico last year totaled 122,794, an average of 10,233 per month, according to ecologist/columnist Maximo Cerame Vivas (San Juan Star, Jan. 25, 2004). Based on an average price of US$16,000, he estimates that Puerto Ricans spent US$1.964 billion on cars last year, which includes US$500 million in motor vehicle taxes. "Puerto Ricans," he concludes, "adore--nay, worship--the motor vehicle." He adds: "We are masochists. We love tapones (traffic jams). We have learned to accept them as part of our lives."