| High taxes make the purchase of a new vehicle in Costa
Rica more expensive than in many other countries. In the past,
people chose to buy new cars in the United States, where prices
are much lower. Now, prices of new cars in Costa Rica are
more affordable than before, and more people are choosing
to purchase locally rather than deal with the paperwork of
importing a vehicle and high taxes. Currently a law is (probably)
being passed to prevent the importation of vehicles older
than five to seven years.
One more reason to buy locally is to ensure your vehicle
will be under warranty in case anything goes wrong. Most local
dealers offer two to three-year warranties on new cars.
Due to the high price of new cars, used cars are plentiful in Costa Rica. Most
of these second-hand cars are priced higher than they would
be in the United States or Canada, so Costa Ricans tend to
keep them longer and take better care of them. This makes
resale value high.
The majority of automobiles in Costa Rica are made in Japan, so most replacement
parts are for Japanese automobiles. Spare parts for U.S. cars
must be imported, are expensive and sometimes hard to come
by. Therefore, you should think twice about bringing an U.S.
car to Costa Rica. If you do decide to bring a car from the
United States or Canada, it is best to bring a Toyota, Nissan,
Honda or other Japanese import for the reasons just mentioned.
If you plan to drive mostly in the country's larger cities, smaller, new or used
cars will help reduce fuel consumption and are easier to maneuver
on crowded streets. Prices for new small cars are extremely
affordable and range between $9,000 and $14,000, while new
midsized vehicles cost between $13,000 and $20,000. Those
of you who plan to drive outside of the city and off-road
should consider a sport utility vehicle (SUV), pick-up or
jeep. Many of the country's roads are unpaved and filled with
potholes, and a solidly built vehicle is absolutely necessary
especially during the rainy season. Prices of new SUVs run
$20,000 to $75,000, depending on the model and size of the
vehicle. Used cars are priced substantially lower.
Here are sample prices of some used cars found in the The Tico Times'classified
ads. All prices are in U.S. dollars
95 Chevy Lumina ...................................................
$4,900
91 Isuzu Amigo ................................................................
$2,900
02 Chrysler Caravan.......................................................
$21,500
00 Mercedes S-500 .........................................................
$30,000
04 Mercedes E240 ..........................................................
$48,000
91 Isuzu Rodeo ................................................................
$5,500
4X4s 99 4-Runner ............................................................
$14,000
03 Pathfinder ..................................................................
$27,000
91 Land Cruiser .............................................................
$13,900
00 GMC Jimmy .............................................................
$18,500
01 Jeep Wrangler ............................................................
$22,500
80 Land Cruiser Diesel ...................................................
$13,900
87 4-Runner .....................................................................
$8,900
03 Dodge Dakota .............................................................
$25,00
95 Mitsubishi Montero ...................................................
$11,000
Since new cars are so expensive in Costa Rica, buyers have
the option to lease or finance. The dealer can usually arrange
financing. If not, many Costa Rican banks offer financing
for cars. Interest rates are generally in dollars instead
of colones and vary according to market rates.
If you decide to bring a car to Costa Rica, there are two
ways to do it: by sea or by land. If you ship your car to
Costa Rica by boat, contact a shipping company near to where
you have your car in the United States or one of the companies
mentioned in this chapter. This method of transportation is
relatively safe since your car can be insured against all
possible types of damage.
If you have all of your paperwork in order, your vehicle
should not take more than a month at most to reach Costa Rica,
depending on your port of departure. If you send your car
from Miami, it takes only one week to reach Puerto Limón
on the east coast of Costa Rica and costs about $800 plus
taxes. From the west coast or New York, you can expect to
pay more than $1,300 plus taxes and some other fees to process
your paperwork.
To import a new or used vehicle, you will have to make sure
your shipping company sends the following documents: a driver's
license for all potential drivers, the original clear title
or pink slip (título de propiedad), original
registration, copy of passport, original bill of lading (conocimiento
de embarque) if the vehicle has been shipped, and the
name of the shipping company. Also make sure your car has
Canadian or U.S. plates, or the whole process may be delayed.
Note: ALL VEHICLES, since June 7, 2001, now require an Emissions
Control Certificate certified by the Department of Motor Vehicles
from your country of origin or by the vehicle's manufacturer
if new, dated no later than 30 days prior to the shipping
date. The certificate must be translated into Spanish by an
official translator and authenticated by the Consulate of
Costa Rica nearest to the Emissions Inspection Station that
issued your certificate. This applies even to used vehicles,
and any car without it will not be able to be registered in
the country. This change, in fact, caused many vehicles to
be stuck in Customs for a time, as the law passed in December
1999, but was never enforced until the middle of 2001.
To be safe, call the nearest consulate to check what documents
are actually required. In many cases, they will ask for a
notary public to authenticate the gas emission test and then
have the State Department certify that the notary is registered.
If your name does not appear on the original title of the
vehicle, you must provide a document from an attorney certifying
that the owners allow you to drive their car. Said document
must be notarized and approved by the nearest Costa Rican
Consulate in your country of origin. Cars that are being financed
in the United States and are not fully paid off fall into
this category.
If you do not provide all of documents above, including the
gas emission certificate, you cannot import the vehicle to
Costa Rica.
Make sure that the VIN (vehicle identification number) and
all details of the car are correctly typed on all documents.
Any errors will void the documents and prevent you from importing
the car.
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