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I would stay away from shipping a Dodge Caravan here. Parts and mechanics will be hard to come by and/or expensive.
From what I have seen most of the new car dealers do not put prices on their web site. You can compare prices of used cars and check out what models are being imported from the US on our site http://www.wheelscr.com
That would be a good starting point to determine what model you might buy either here or there.
If you get a loan on a car in the U.S. can you ship the car out of the country? If I was lending money that seems like a big loophole. 🙂
It depends on the make, model and origin of the car, but in some models as many as 1 in 3 cars are automatic. These are in particular the large SUVs and 4 door sedans coming from the U.S.
In the “good old days” it was very unusual to see cars with automatic transmission, and difficult to have it repaired. The fact is that in Costa Rica’s terrain the automatic will not be as economical as a standard transmission. However, nowadays, it is not such a big deal to find vehicles with automatic transmissions and there are several good shops that repair them throughout the Central Valley at least.
Here are some answers to the specific questions, for the curious:
Is it reasonable to request that a vehicle be taken to a shop to have a mechanical inspection before the purchase?
This is reasonable, but it probably has to be a mechanic near to where you test drive the car. In the case of a dealer the car might not have tags, and in the case of a private owner the owner won’t have time to go with you and probably won’t want you to take it on your own.Is it reasonable to pay the vendor a deposit to hold the vehicle prior to advancing all of the funds for the purchase, and if so, how much is reasonable? $200 can hold a car for 15 days at most used car dealers. A private party would want more earnest money and a shorter time frame.
How is the transfer tax calculated, how is it handled, and where and when is it paid?
3.5% of the fiscal value of the car, this includes the lawyer’s fees. You pay it when you sign the documents.Is it expected that the price of the vehicle will be negotiated?
Not too much room for negotiation, when you are buying a popular make and model. In the case of a dealer, they know the exact market value of the car and have inventory that moves quickly. If you don’t buy it today, someone else will buy it tomorrow or in few days. They are more likely to throw in an extra like a luggage rack or new battery than to drop the price. Often you can ask them to include the transfer fees in their price.In the case of a private owner, they have probably figured on dropping the price a little, since most people will ask for something off. But we are talking about 50,000 colones or so in most cases. Although this can change if the car needs specific work done. You can normally find out what the part or work will cost and get that amount reduced from the price – if it’s reasonable.
How does one go about checking for vehicle liens or encumbrances?
http://www.registronacional.go.cr/ (Click on the “consultas” button, then look for bienes inmuebles)Where does a person obtain insurance?
The agent will come to you, either at the dealer or your residence. Most dealers have agents with offices close by if you don’t already have your own agent.How long does it typically take to purchase a vehicle, have the vehicle transferred, and obtain insurance? Can this be done in a couple of days?
When the car has a permanent plate already you can drive it away from the lawyer’s office. So it is possible to go out looking in the morning and have your car before lunch, if you are organized.
When the car is coming to Costa Rica for the first time, you can do it in 2 days in most cases. You find the car and pay for it the first day, then the dealer takes it through the RTV inspection and gets the temporary tags for you. So you normally pick it up the next day, although during the week sometimes you can pay for the car in the morning and pick it up in the afternoon.While there were many valid points in this article, I would disagree strongly with the conclusion that “…the rarest of situations when you will want to buy a car here. But these times are so rare that you can safely presume that that situation is not likely to apply to you.”
Our web site WheelsCR.com is geared towards helping local dealers show their inventory on the Internet and we do have an associated business of assisting expats purchase a suitable vehicle in Costa Rica. However, I have often advised people that in certain cases it is advisable to ship their own vehicle to Costa Rica:
– When it is a car they have had a long time and parts are readily available here.
– When it is a unique vehicle that will serve them well here in Costa Rica and cannot be purchased readily here.But, the point David makes about parts is very good. And there were several other cases that I thought of immediately where someone would do well to buy a car here:
– What if you don’t have a suitable vehicle currently (style or model)?
If you currently drive a sedan and you are planning to live where roads are rough or travel around to see Costa Rica’s sights, then you probably want an SUV with real 4 wheel drive. Buying a used car back home will entail the same risk as buying a used car here, and you won’t have any guarantee you can enforce.– What if your car doesn’t have mechanics that can work on it here?
The fact is that a large majority of mechanics are self-taught, or learned their trade on the job. Many brands, models and versions that are common in other countries are not popular here, therefore your car would be on the job training for the mechanic you take it to. This may not be an ideal situation, for you 🙂– What if you want to buy a new car?
If you buy a new car from a dealer here it comes with a service plan and warranty, if you buy a new car and bring it here you won’t have any warranty.The second implication I have to disagree with in this article is that all the used car dealers here are bringing in junk cars and fixing them up for sale. This is absolutely not true. Many of the dealers travel to the U.S., Japan, and Korea to bring in cars that they have personally selected. Or they have partners who buy the cars for them. Some of our dealers take pictures of the cars they buy to import in order to prove that they were purchased in good condition.
In summary, a very clear case in point is the Hyundai Galloper. This car was never sold in the U.S., although there are some in England (right hand drive!) and Australia. Many of our clients end up going with this car, since it is really the best value for your money. You get a solid vehicle for $7000 to $14000 depending on the year and features. It runs on diesel which gives you better fuel economy, and the price per liter is cheaper here. The 2500cc base motor is the same that Hyundai uses in the Grace, Starex and the Galloper. The Grace is the little minivan that you see everywhere with the “turismo” or “estudiantes” labels on them. This means that you can get parts anywhere and that any decent mechanic knows the motor inside and out. Plus the parts are inexpensive while being of good quality too.
As long as you find a reputable dealer, there is no way you can go wrong with this car. So clearly it is a very solid alternative to buying a car back home and shipping it here.
The technician came on Sunday and switched me from DirecTV to Sky. They do have the NFL Network. And they confirmed that they will offer the “Sunday Ticket” package where you can see any game you want.
Also they have 60 or so additional channels, particularly Deutsche Welle and BBC World are now included in the “Universe” package, which is pretty much the same price I was paying before.
The process was pretty painless, they only switch the box and redirect the dish. But have your magnifying glass handy, because there were a lot of papers to fill out with very small letters ! And you need a copy of your passport or residency card, so you might as well do it now.
I’m sorry, I thought that this was a complaint:
“… But the repairs dragged on –and on –and on for two full months. It was always “manyana.”
But I am glad that we both agree that the dealer has done his part.“The only complaint I have with the dealer is that he took two months to do what should have been done in less than a week.”
I’m not sure how anyone can think an engine overhaul should be ready in a week. The fact of the matter is that the car was ready in about 1 month. After a few weeks Kattia was concerned and asked the dealer why it was taking so long. He said that a big part of the delay was that several parts had to be sent to other shops (like the Matamoros precision machinists). The dealer was actually on the way to deliver the car to David at his hotel, but he heard a noise he didn’t like. So he decided it was better to not deliver the car in that condition and returned it to the shop.
But David’s main point is that even though we performed the service offered on our website and that he was fully satisfied with that service, we basically ran for cover when the car broke down. I strongly disagree, but I believe that this is just a misunderstanding because there were other people involved in the communication and obviously David was not aware of what we were doing to monitor the situation.
I apologize for this and in hindsight it is obvious that I should have emailed David at every contact with his partner or the dealer in order to keep him informed. Carl told us that he was David’s partner in Costa Rica and that he was going to handle the matter and we assumed that David would be aware of what we were doing.
For example, David mentions that he called Scott to complain. Scott emailed me immediately, however I did not pick up email that day until the afternoon. Upon receiving Scott’s email I called the dealer to see what was going on. I emailed Scott back that the dealer “I did reach Herbert and it appears that he met David today around 2 pm. He said that after they talked David was pretty understanding and was willing to have a little more patience, hopefully the car is ready on
Wednesday. Stay tuned for details…”Now I did not copy David on this email, I guess thinking that since he was at the meeting he did not need to be informed of the meeting.
I would also like to point out that David is not easy to reach. On many occasions Kattia tried to reach David on his cell phone and it was out of service or went unanswered. I know everyone may not believe this, but in *some* areas of Costa Rica cell phone coverage is spotty 😉 In that case Kattia would call Carl, who would generally answer. In any case Carl speaks fluent Spanish, so it is easier for Kattia to speak with him by telephone. In addition he was frequently out of the country.
Again, I realize that David is upset because the car he purchased was defective. And if we had abandoned him I would agree that he was not getting the service he deserved. I hope he will believe what I stated here, that we were in communication with Carl and the dealer continuously over the last 2 months. Kattia even spoke with Carl when we were at the amusement park for my 4 year old daughter’s birthday! I hope he will accept our apology for not emailing him each time we spoke with Carl or the dealer.
On the other hand, I believe that he should stop for a minute and be thankful that he did contract our services. A gasoline powered 1994 Montero at $8000 can be readily found on the Internet or in La Nacion. The Ticos don’t want them because of the high fuel costs. David was concerned about having a good car to show property to his clients in, not so much about expensive gasoline. If he had purchased this car from any individual he would be out of luck and out of pocket. If he had purchased this car from one of the disreputable used car dealers in Costa Rica they would never pay for his rental car and they would never overhaul the engine. He probably would have had the car back in a few days, but in what condition?
Kattia has made a good point to follow up on this. Every used car dealer is required to give a 30 day guarantee on the motor and transmission. Many dealers are very responsible about this and some are not. Normally clients find easily reparable problems, but sometimes the repairs are larger. In our experience we have had 2 PASS clients who had problems with the motor that required an overhaul, and in both cases the dealer has come through.
However, no other used car dealer (that I know of) would actually pay for a rental car. Very, very few would even offer a loaner car.
We have posted testimonials from satisfied clients and information about the service we offer here:
http://www.wheelscr.com/Hi all, I don’t post much here but we have handled a few clients from Scott’s site in the last year and with no complaints and good recommendations when people have asked about us. In my opinion, David is being unfair not only to the dealer but also to us. For example, he never mentioned that the dealer picked up the Montero from David’s hotel in the Sabana that same day and gave him $200 for a rental! David left the country and when he returned the dealer gave him a loaner for 3 days, at which time David left the country. When David returned the dealer gave him another loaner car that David did not like, so he exchanged it for another. Which was also rejected and so the dealer gave him another $500 for a rental car.
David states that “I called Catia Martin more than twenty times. I always reached a recording. SHE NEVER CALLED ME BACK. I WAS ON MY OWN.” I specifically remember only 1 message that David left, and Kattia returned that call and spoke with David. She remembers clearly because he screamed at her. He might also recall a later time that she called him at the Hotel Presidente to discuss the situation.
We have monitored the situation closely, and if we have been unable to reach David we have spoken with his partner Carl, possibly they have not communicated ? In our view the dealer has been transparent and has fixed the car. For those interested, here is my take:
– The dealer Herbert received the 1994 Montero as a trade-in, and he believed it to be very
well cared for and maintained, also mechanically sound.– David test drove the car and also believed it to be in excellent condition.
Kattia also thought it was a very nice vehicle, considering the age.– Unfortunately, the car overheated on the drive to Turrialba and required repair. Which the dealer is doing with no questions asked. As a result of overheating, the car required an engine overhaul, which is a time consuming repair.
– In the meantime the dealer has also provided David with a replacement vehicle.
In my humble opinion the dealer has more than complied with standing behind the vehicle and also with taking care of his customer. Clearly neither the dealer nor David can be happy with everything that has happened, but I am not sure what more David expects the dealer to do. Obviously he wants the use of the car he has purchased, but I
sincerely believe the dealer is doing everything he can to resolve this matter as quickly as possibly.On July 16th David met with the dealer, who explained what was going on with the car. The dealer told us that David seemed willing to have a little more patience. As I explained in my email today to David, Kattia was at the dealer on July 25th and the car was ready for pick up. She called Carl the same day, and he was going to go get it, but never showed.
I would be happy to go into further details, I would be happy to hear any suggestions as to what more we or the dealer might have done given the situation.
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NOTE FROM SCOTT OLIVER: This may be obvious to some but just in case, this posting is Russ Martin responding ….
