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Has anyone ever heard of driving to Costa Rica? (from USA)
Would this be a possibility of getting a car to CR and regisering it after entering the country?Lots of people have done it, and some have regretted it.
The dangers have really increased.
You can register your vehicle but still have to pay stiff duties, have it inspected, etc. [u]unless you intend to return with it[/u], to the USA after three monthsI worked with a guy who drove to Costa Rica from the U.S. back in the 1980s and thought it was a great adventure. I’ve also known at least one party who tried it and turned back in frustration.
It’s not clear just why someone would wish to do this. If, indeed, it’s for the adventure, then more power to them. But if it’s to save time, money or headaches, you’re barking up the wrong tree. Ship the car and fly.
I have a military retired friend who drove from Pennsylvania to Costa Rica (yea, I thought they were nuts too.) Some of the issues they relayed were: Never, never, never drive at night. Delays at the borders. Outdated maps(take a GPS device.) Dollars were not taken in some countries rural gas stations. They took along, extra oil, water, power steering fluid and brake fluid. One thing they also did not do, was to let anyone know that they were americans, except police and border officials. When in the presence of locals, they spoke german. They reported no criminal acts, accept the few corrupt police pay-offs. All in all, they enjoyed the long. long, long, long drive.
Of the several people that I have known that have made the trip, the one thing they all have in common was when I asked them if they would do it again, they all replied “No.”
First you need to look into the pros and cons of bringing a vehicle into Costa Rica. It is not an inexpensive thing to do. You will NOT save money over buying a car in-country.
The second thing is that this is not a sightseeing trip. Much of Mexico is run by violent drug dealers and their minions, NOT the government. Where there are police they are generally NOT to be trusted. Taking side trips is NOT recommended. For safety you stay on the highway, stop in the truck/travel stops and just keep moving.
As you travel South the situation gets worse until you are in Costa Rica. You can be happily be playing tourista one moment and be the victim of a road crime the next.
Friends of mine that recently made the trip had no problems until they reached one traffic check point in Nicaragua (I think). They had just been stopped at one traffic stop then there was another less than a mile down the road. Words became heated and the young female police officer had her hand on her gun. . . This was probably a robbery going bad as asking for payoffs for no reason is common. I think my friend was upset that this was twice in less than 10 minutes. Suddenly the situation changed and my friends were waived through but they do not know why or what was really going wrong. They speak Spanish very well and have lived in Costa Rica for over a decade. But this situation almost got out of hand.
There is a LOT of anti-American sentiment in these countries, and with good reason due to our meddling throughout the 70’s and 80’s. AND anyone from the U.S. is a “Rich Gringo” (Even in CR). You can afford making payoffs OR your relatives can. . .
Once in Costa Rica you are pretty safe. However, getting anything of value through customs is a serious issue and the system is not cut and dried. They can take weeks determining a value and there is no logical reason for the values or fees set. You just wait, and pay.
It could be a great adventure. I have not completely ruled it out myself. But you need to know what can go wrong.
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