What’s the cost of a car in costa rica

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  • #159903
    vanderlinden
    Member

    if we buy a car in costa rica new onne . ok so whats the cost of taxes on the car and insurance. en the numberplates.
    how all go . and wats the total cost on the yearfor a car .thanks stef

    #159904
    costaricafinca
    Participant

    You will need to provide the make, etc before anyone can help with the details you want.

    #159905
    maravilla
    Member

    new cars are really really expensive here and you will pay about 80% of the car’s value in added taxes. everything else depends on the kind of car you buy, etc.

    #159906
    Andrew
    Keymaster

    Please look in the Download Library and you’ll find the:

    The 32 page ‘Autos 2012’ full colour supplement published in the La Nacion newspaper (18th November 2011) shows a wide variety of 2012 cars and their prices. This a .pdf file.

    [ https://www.welovecostarica.com/members/programs/fileinfo.cfm?id=122&action=display ]

    Hope that helps …

    Scott Oliver
    Founder – WeLoveCostaRica.com

    #159907
    vanderlinden
    Member

    ok fine.than its bether to by an second hand.
    and can you gif good insurance companies.

    #159908
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    Buying second hand, either from an individual or from a used car dealer, is an iffy proposition. You never know what you’re getting.

    Used cars, like new cars, carry heavy import duties. Those duties are passed along from one owner to another, so there’s no way to avoid them.

    If I had the opportunity, I’d import a two- or three-year old car from the U.S. Such a vehicle would have taken the greatest part of its depreciation already and it would be taxed at the lowest duty rate. What’s more, with a U.S.-source vehicle, you can find out its history. Once it’s in Costa Rica, tracing it becomes much more difficult.

    #159909
    jreeves
    Member

    After 5 years of driving a crappy used car we bought in Costa Rica from a “reputable” agency, I’m finally doing what I originally wanted to do & what David above has suggested – shipping a Land Rover from the US.

    Jessica

    #159910
    smekuly
    Member

    David

    great advice..

    I would have to agree

    cars here are very expensive.. going from gas to parts maintence due to the terrible roads here.

    I would liken a car here is like buying a car from jerome avenue from the bronx .. actually worse since the rads here are such poor conditions.

    now
    if you had some moxy the best strategy would be to buy an older mercedes.. or similiar quality. like an 86 etc

    rebuild the motor and tranny like its new..

    then ship that car here..

    the marchamo would be less than a $100 bucks per year.. and in essence you have a new vehicle.

    #159911
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    Sr. smekuly (did I spell it right??), what you suggest makes a lot of sense. The import duty rate on vehicles over six years old is very high but, of course, the actual value of the Mercedes you’re thinking about would be minimal, so the net cost would be pretty small. The costs of freight, insurance, inspections, etc, however, would be the same as for any other vehicle.

    On the other hand, I’ve heard rumors about the government clamping down on the importation of older vehicles. Since vehicles last so long here, the thirty year-old vehicle you’re talking about might be on the roads for another thirty years. In general, vehicles that old would be likely to be the very smokers that Costa Rica already has in rich abundance. And, in fact, I know someone who did a similar thing and is now slogging through trying to get it to run cleanly enough to pass Riteve.

    The other concern I have would be the availability of parts and service. An engine and transmission overhaul would provide a lot of security on those fronts, but matters of suspension, brakes, and secondary systems like lights and windshield wipers might provide a lifetime of headaches.

    #159912
    smekuly
    Member

    Hi david

    good points.. and you did spell it right :D:D:D:D

    my friend did this last year. he picked a mercedes.. although you could probably do this with a toyota land cruiser something that is already in abundance here.

    he bought a 1990 mercedes 190 diesel manual transmission

    he bought the car for $1500 bucks.. invested another $3500 to $4000 in completely rebuilt motor, parts, and clutch, tires, etc.. he rebuilt the cars main points.

    shipped it here and paid $1500 taxes and shipping.

    once he got it here he invested another $1000 which he did NOT have to since the car looked pretty good but he had it painted.. and got really nice covers.

    but point is he has $6000 $7000 into this car which now is basically a new.. mercedes 190.

    he drives around ina new mercedes and knows exactly what went into it. he did this in the states since parts are alot cheaper.

    came out beautiful. beautiful

    his marchamo is $100 bucks a year. :D:D:D:D

    it takes some time and patience.

    but this would be a great plan

    because costa rica does not take into affect the shape the car is in

    only their book value.. so you would pay taxes on the car whether it looked like a dump or brand new.

    the roads here are so bad that it probably ages a car double on wear and tear.

    just mis dos centavos

    #159913
    maravilla
    Member

    i wish i could import my 1986 Volvo station wagon that is just sitting at my house in colorado. i love that car, but i don’t want to pay some extortionary price to get it in country.

    #159914
    kshaler
    Participant

    [quote=”smekuly”]Hi david

    good points.. and you did spell it right :D:D:D:D

    my friend did this last year. he picked a mercedes.. although you could probably do this with a toyota land cruiser something that is already in abundance here.

    he bought a 1990 mercedes 190 diesel manual transmission

    he bought the car for $1500 bucks.. invested another $3500 to $4000 in completely rebuilt motor, parts, and clutch, tires, etc.. he rebuilt the cars main points.

    shipped it here and paid $1500 taxes and shipping.

    once he got it here he invested another $1000 which he did NOT have to since the car looked pretty good but he had it painted.. and got really nice covers.

    but point is he has $6000 $7000 into this car which now is basically a new.. mercedes 190.

    he drives around ina new mercedes and knows exactly what went into it. he did this in the states since parts are alot cheaper.

    came out beautiful. beautiful

    his marchamo is $100 bucks a year. :D:D:D:D

    it takes some time and patience.

    but this would be a great plan

    because costa rica does not take into affect the shape the car is in

    only their book value.. so you would pay taxes on the car whether it looked like a dump or brand new.

    the roads here are so bad that it probably ages a car double on wear and tear.

    just mis dos centavos

    [/quote]i really like this idea, we have an old mercedes for the kids that we were just thinking about getting rid of. now you’ve got me thinking we should rebuild it let the kids keep driving it til we get to make our permanent move to cr, and bring it with us. thanks!

    #159915
    DavidCMurray
    Participant

    [quote=”maravilla”]i wish i could import my 1986 Volvo station wagon that is just sitting at my house in colorado. i love that car, but i don’t want to pay some extortionary price to get it in country.[/quote]

    Maravilla, wouldn’t it be cheaper to ship the Volvo, the value of which is virtually zero, than to buy almost any other car here?

    #159916
    camby
    Member

    [quote=”maravilla”]i wish i could import my 1986 Volvo station wagon that is just sitting at my house in colorado. i love that car, but i don’t want to pay some extortionary price to get it in country.[/quote]

    My priest a few yrs back got one of those, he knew a guy that spiffed it up a lot and di some improvements……looks good, even new paint job.
    Driving it in might be option, that would entail multi-hours and driving across Mexico, Guatamala,etc…no thanks….

    maybe besides realtors, Scott might want to add a new section on reputable car dealers :lol::D

    #159917
    camby
    Member

    [quote=”maravilla”]i wish i could import my 1986 Volvo station wagon that is just sitting at my house in colorado. i love that car, but i don’t want to pay some extortionary price to get it in country.[/quote]

    how do you get around CR now? rent? bus?

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