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Would be interesting to hear your comments/opinions on most popular make of automobiles—specifically small to midsize 4×4 suv’s–
Your experiences regarding reliability, durability, operating, repair and parts costs, marchado costs, import duty, etc would be informative.
Gracias,
edYou 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 bought a brand new Toyota RAV in 1999 and have been thrilled with it…
We’ve had the shock absorbers and the tires changed but apart from that, it’s in terrific condition and the perfect car for me about town and also when I travel into the muddy mountains which I do regularly where 4×4 is required big time …
You can see the marchamo payment that is due on your car by typing in the number plate at:
[ http://portal.ins-cr.com/csoa/csoaportal.aspx ]
Last year the marchamo for my 2000 model Toyota RAV was 173,682.00 colones… (which at the time was about $350)
Those payments are comprised of:
SEGURO OBLIGATORIO DE AUTOMOVILES 13,475.00
RECARGOS DEL SEGURO OBLIGATORIO 2,830.00
APORTE AL CONSEJO DE SEGURIDAD VIAL 4,447.00
RECARGO DEL APORTE DE SEGURIDAD VIAL 934.00
IMPUESTO A LA PROPIEDAD DE VEHICULOS 83,890.00
RECARGO IMPUESTO DE LA PROPIEDAD 64,812.00
IMPUESTO A FAVOR DE LAS MUNICIPALIDADES 200.00
TIMBRE FAUNA SILVESTRE 104.00
LEY 7088 Y REF. 1,238.00
IMPUESTO DE VENTAS (13%) 1,752.00Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comI 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?
You must have misunderstood Maravilla
It’s not got wheels, it’s got legs – it’s “horse power.”
No es un carro – es un caballo! It’s not a ‘car, it’s horse… 🙂
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comThat’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!
Suzuki’s and Toyota’s appear to be the most popular—–
If given the choice, would you buy a vehicle in CR or import one from the US, maybe something 3 to 5 years old, with 40,000 to 60,000 miles? I understand there will be shipping and customs expenses associated with importing, thinking this may run $4,000 to $6,000 USD total.
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%) 1,752.00There is no question that Hyundai is the number one selling make of car in Costa Rica. Suzuki is indeed strong here, but they are not number two. Peugeot has made incredible headway here, and there are lots of them in the city. Mitsubishi, Nissan, Toyota, Honda, Chevrolet, Kia, Mazda and Fiat are all strong sellers here.
As for quality, you’ll want to investigate the individual models for reliability, but overall the Asian vehicles (Hyundai included) have the best reputations. The Peugeot service department appears to be more active than any other I have seen. That does not inspire confidence. Fiat’s record is less than inspiring, too. I spent 30+ years in the car business in Texas, so I probably have a better take on this than some others.
I’m a very strong believer in buying (or bringing) only fresh imports from the USA. The safety standards there are much, much better than that which is standard or even optional here. I did some shopping, for example, trying to buy one of the little econoboxes that you see around here. There was no option for an airbag even for the driver. In an era when even Hyundai Accents sold in the USA have 6 airbags standard, I find it totally unacceptable to drive a car with no side impact standards to meet, no front and rear bumper standards to live up to and no air bags to deploy. All of this while driving on some of the world’s most dangerous roads and you have a recipe for disaster.
There are some good articles on this site which were written by Arden Brink. They will explain the advantages to US version vehicles. You’ll also find excellent information at http://www.bestcostaricacars.com. That’s a site where they sell some cars, but also give some good, sound advice no matter where you end up buying.
Be careful and… Pura Vida!
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?
As a test I looked up the marchamo payment due last year for three “luxury cars” I saw on the street to see what they pay:
Porsche Cayenne 2005 – 1,711,197 colones or about US$3,134 for the year
Porsche Cayenne 2008 – 3,140,434 colones or about US$5,751 for the year
Range Rover 2008 – 2,925,464 colones or about US$5,357 for the yearScott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comI 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.
“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.”
Ouch! Will be sure to run all the numbers before final decision. Thanks for the valuable insights.
ed f
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