Most popular make of car in Costa Rica?

You probably see more Suzukis around than any other small-size and affordable SUVs. They must either be (1)cheap to buy, (2)cheap to repair, (3)reliable, or (4)parts must be readily available. Import duties and the annual marchamo are based on the value of the vehicle in the Black Book.

I just heard that CR will soon be unveiling a super efficient automobile — yes, that’s right, CR is going to start making cars. They claim it will get 100 kms PER liter of gas. I don’t know much more than this, although I have been in touch with someone who has put me on the “roll-out party” invitation list. Should be interesting! It’s gotta be a little Tata or Smartcar, although when I asked the guy if it was, he said no it would be totally different. How many wheels does it have is what I want to know?

That’s funny! No I didn’t misunderstand anything. They claim it’s a car; it’s all very hush-hush right now, but the roll-out party willl happen soon and supposedly I am on the guest list. We’ll see. If not a caballo, maybe it’s a bicycle!

I paid $823 in December.

The detail here would indicate a payment of around $1500!

SEGURO OBLIGATORIO DE AUTOMOVILES 13,475.00
RECARGOS DEL SEGURO OBLIGATORIO 3,234.00
APORTE AL CONSEJO DE SEGURIDAD VIAL 4,447.00
RECARGO DEL APORTE DE SEGURIDAD VIAL 1,067.00
IMPUESTO A LA PROPIEDAD DE VEHICULOS 405,590.00
RECARGO IMPUESTO DE LA PROPIEDAD 320,724.00
IMPUESTO A FAVOR DE LAS MUNICIPALIDADES 200.00
TIMBRE FAUNA SILVESTRE 104.00
LEY 7088 Y REF. 1,238.00
IMPUESTO DE VENTAS (13%) 1,752.00

While we are not even remotely thinking of changing cars here in Costa Rica, TX, I have considered what I would do if I were.

My most recent notion is to buy a three year-old car in the U.S. which has been turned in to a leasing company. These cars are, I believe, usually well kept and have low mileage. What’s more, a three year-old car has taken the bulk of its depreciation (which means that it would be reasonably cheap to purchase from the leasing company), and with that depreciation it would be taxed less than a newer vehicle. And since Costa Rica’s vehicle import schedule taxes one to three year-old cars at the lowest rate, you’d benefit there, too.

Any reaction?

I agree with you, David. A three year old U.S. vehicle is the best buy generally speaking. The duty on a 2005 model is the same as that on a new vehicle, but because it has depreciated for 3 years you are paying the lowest percentage on the least value. Most cars of this age have current safety and convenience equipment, so there is little if any sacrifice.

Lease vehicles can be wonderful, but there is one downside. If a person (or company) leases a car and has a major accident in that car, they are not penalized for the negative impact the accident had on its value as long as it is repaired. While most individual owners and car dealers will discount the vehicle accordingly, a lease company may attempt a retail sale because they own it at the residual.

Unless you know cars very well, have your car inspected by a professional like Lemon Busters. Negative information in a CarFax report is pretty reliable, but not all negative information gets reported to them for a variety of reasons. In other words, trust them if they say it’s bad and verify if they don’t.

Leasing companies aren’t really any more likely to sell a vehicle any cheaper than any other type of dealer. They typically take the bulk of their inventory to dealer-only auctions to turn it fast, but some have very well run retail outlets for their steady flow of prime returns. They are going to try to get as much as they can for those vehicles just as would a dealer or an individual owner. There are only three ways that you can buy a vehicle for much less than it’s worth. 1. The seller is stupid/doesn’t know the value of his possession (possible, but hard to find), 2. The seller is desperate (Those people usually drive straight to CarMax for a check on the spot), or 3. The vehicle has problems (Almost always readily available).

One thing is for sure, though… Your odds of getting a good used vehicle in Costa Rica are far below the risk threshold of most Gringos. Still I see lots of people who learn the hard way after being tempted by a savings of $2500 which ended up costing them $7000, or made them hate getting in their car.

I am a hobbiyist. I have a car from the 70’s that I paid $3500 for here in the US.Would the car be allowed in the country as a collectors item? What would taxes be on that?