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[quote=”maryfrix”]Has anyone used an air charter company to fly into SJO or another relatively nearby regional airport in Costa Rica?
I ask because husband and I are wanting to rent a house for three months and would be bringing along two dogs, one of which is an English Bulldog (a breed that airlines have generally stopped transporting in cargo).
I have read that round-trip charters can be anywhere from $1700 – $13,000.
Driving is not an option. I have read about driving from the US to Costa Rica, but don’t want to deal with any issues that can arise from traveling with two dogs, any quarantines, etc. and no experience driving through Mexico to CR.
Thanks in advance.[/quote]
Mary,
Some friends of mine from Texas are flying down here in their large private plane later this month (Sept 23rd). When are you coming down? I could ask them if they are interested in someone sharing their costs. They are just coming for a few days so I don’t know how you would get back after your three months. They will be flying out of Austin. Where are you located?
Jerry[quote=”Scott”]This was posted in the wrong place and reposted here by Scott
costaricafinca
Posted Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 10:59 AM from 201.203.217.70
My condolences go out to you and your family, TicoRealtor
I was very sorry to read that TicRealorssister in law had died during childbirth due to the lack of a doctor to perform a Cesarean birth. I would presume the baby died also.Fortunately, the baby did not die. This young mother left other children as well. Please keep TicoRealtor and his extended family in your thoughts and prayers…
Jerry[quote=”PeteB”]There appears to be some confusion here, so I guess that I did not make the original post clear enough. There are two vehicles that I have made an “apples to apples” comparison on cars selling here and in Panama. A similar vehicle in Panama sells for about $10,000 – $15,000 less than Costa Rica. According to what I have been told, the vehicles coming from Panama are not subject to the same duties as those from the US. – All I want to know – [b]Is this correct and what is the duty structure? [/b]Unless you buy new in Costa Rica, you really don’t know what you are getting – And, I can verify that one.
Thanks[/quote]This is not correct. When you purchase a vehicle and bring it in to Costa Rica and register it, you must pay taxes. The taxes range from 58% to 79% of the Valor Importacion plus about 4% of the Valor Hacienda. While the calculation tool is a little difficult to use and understand, you can find these values here: http://www.hacienda.go.cr/autohacienda/autovalor.aspx
I have imported four vehicles from the US and in three of the four cases, the taxes here were more than I paid for the vehicles in the US. To my knowledge there is no special deal for a vehicle orginating in Panama or anywhere else for that matter.
If you are doing an Apples to Apples comparison, you should include these taxes in your calculation. So, your $10K to $15K in perceived savings may be offset by the fact that the vehicle you are pricing in Costa Rica already has the taxes paid and the one in Panama doesn’t.
What Year, Make, and Model of vehicle are you looking at? Good luck to you with your purchase.
Jerry
[quote=”yvette
Anyone who kills a living thing is mentally ill in my book. Interesting though that he has refused psyche testing. Just sayin…..[/quote]Does “living thing” include plants, insects, fish, etc.? By your definition, it would seem, that everyone is crazy. So, who among us is not mentally ill?
TicoRealtor,
I am interested. Email me at jdtj777@yahoo.com or ask Scott for my phone number. Who is shipping this for you?
Thanks,Jerry Thompson
We have had a fantastic experience with Javier Zavaleta and his sister Mayanya of Residencyincostarica.com. Their prices are fair and their knowledge, service, and professionalism are way above par. Here is their contact info:
Javier Zavaleta
Residency in Costa Rica
P. O. Box 86352, Los Angeles, CA 90086
1125 East Broadway Suite 484
Glendale, CA 91205
Tel: 323.255.6116 – Fax 323.344.1620
On the Web at http://www.residencyincostarica.com
Tel in Costa Rica: 506.226.0755 (En espanol)
Pura Vida,
JerryKathy,
We have a friend in the San Jose area that does equine therapy. She is currently looking for a new place to keep her horses and do her therapy. If you have any interest in being in the San Jose area, I could introduce you to her. She is one of the most wonderful, caring, and talented people that we have met in Costa Rica. She also speaks English very well. Her husband is a Veterinarian. She might be a good resource for you. Email me at jdtj777@yahoo.com if you want an introduction. Also, we have seen a very large house with stables for sale in the Santa Ana area. Maybe there is a business opportunity here… Good Luck, JerryYes. Many of the banks offer leasing and traditional financing to finance the purchase of a new vehicle. Having said that, the structure of the lease is not like in the USA. Most of the leases that I have seen are structured exactly like a loan except they are on a lease contract which gives the Costa Rican tax payer a tax deduction. The largest “residual value” that I have seen on a lease of an auto in Costa Rica was 20% at the end of 36, 48, or 60 months. So one of the biggest benefits of leasing, a much lower payment and a shorter term, is side stepped by the structure.
I have been involved in the leasing industry in the US for many years. I hope to start a leasing company in Costa Rica in a couple of years and offer all of the benefits of a properly structured lease to Citizens and Residents alike. I might even have a program for perpetual tourists. As you may know, vehicles hold their value exceptionally well in Costa Rica so a conservative residual value could generate a much lower payment than is currently offered in the market.
Have you checked into qualifying for the financing of a vehicle in Costa Rica? Most of the programs that I reviewed required you to have a costa rica credit file and/or a large down payment. They are designed for citizens and have some provisions for residents.
My suggestion would be to go to the next “auto expo” where all the cars and banks are on display. At the auto expo, there is lots of information on leasing and financing and it is much easier to compare vehicle prices since all of the vehicles are in one place. Maybe someone else can comment on when the next Expo is scheduled. Good Luck, Jerry
If you gift them a Blackberry you must also gift them the receipt from the purchase as they will have to show the receipt in order to establish service. If they already have service, their is a good chance that they can unlock the Blackberry and then swap simm cards. When I travel to Costa Rica, I swap out my ATT simm card for my ICE simm card when I land in CR and have no problems. Having said that, I do not have a data plan with ICE; I just have regular phone service. Good luck, Jerry
I used Barry Wilson of http://www.shipcostarica.com (US Phone (843) 278-5573) to handle everything. I am a car dealer in the US and really appreciated the value of Barry’s service. He will pick the vehicle up in the US, handle the shipping, inspection, registration, and transportation, to your door in Costa Rica. He does it quickly and efficiently and has done is for many years. The small fee he charged was well worth the savings in time and hassle.
He will tell you up front how much it will cost and his estimate is very accurate. Good Luck! Jerry
Soldier,
That is a great vehicle for Costa Rica. The reason I didn’t buy a V-8 was resale value. If you are going to drive it forever, it doesn’t matter. I agree with Dave, you should bring all the parts you need for your next major service or two and a few oil filters depending on how often you get back to the States. You won’t have any problem finding mechanics to do the work. Good luck. Jerry
Soldier,
If I could only have one vehicle in Costa Rica it would be my 1996 LandCruiser. I believe the FZJ80 model which is my favorite, went from 1995 to 1997. You can buy one here in the US from 5-10K and, depending on the year, you will pay 6-9K to ship it and pay everything to have it registered. If you buy a nice one and service it well before you leave, you will have a tank that can handle almost any terrain, carry 8 passengers, and clean up for a date on Friday night. And, the folks down there don’t have any problem working on that big six cylinder and you can get parts if needed. For the money you can’t beat it. If I brought something that was one-three years old, I would definately bring a 4×4 4Runner or a Toyota Quad Cab 4×4 pickup. The LandCruiser is recognized down there and is easy to sell and get your money back. Since Toyota only makes a gas version for the CR and US markets, virtually no new 4Runners are sold in Costa Rica so the new ones are a little less popular and harder to sell. I lost several thousand dollars when I sold my 2007. Toyota replaced the Diesel 4Runner that they were selling in Costa Rica with the, lower cost, Costa Rica spec, “Fortuner” in, I believe, the year 2007. If you want to discuss my moving and importing experiences don’t hesitate to call me at 512-686-0800. Jerry
Soldier,
I brought our 2007 4Runner, 1996 LandCruiser, and 1998 Subaru to Costa Rica a couple of years ago and, as others have said, the import taxes and registration were expensive. I used Barry Wilson of http://www.shipcostarica.com (US Phone (843) 278-5573) to handle everything. I am a car dealer in the US and really appreciated the value of Barry’s service. He will pick the vehicle up in the US, handle the shipping, inspection, registration, and transportation, to your door in Costa Rica. He does it quickly and efficiently and has done is for many years. The small fee he charged was well worth the savings in time and hassle. He will tell you up front how much it will cost and his estimate is very accurate. To give you an idea of the service, on one occasion, I flew down to CR and he was waiting with my newly imported vehicle at the airport for me with all the documents and paper temp tags. He also shipped two containers for us to Costa Rica and two containers for us from Costa Rica to Texas. The one time we had an issue, which was our first shipment, he stepped up and took responsibility and paid to rectify the situation. I completely TRUST him and that is the most important part of a transaction like this. Good Luck to you and Pura Vida!
Jerry ThompsonWe moved to Costa Rica in Dec of 2007. We found our mover through the site: Barry Wilson of ShipCostaRica.com. We obtained our residency eleven months later with the incredibly professional assistance of Javier Zavaleta and his sister Mayanye of residencyincostarica.com. We formed our corporations and received accounting assistance from Randall Zamora Hidalgo of Costaricaabc.com. Along the way we received an incredible wealth of information about all things small and large that we should consider in the move and in living in Costa Rica. There is no way to quantify the value of the referrals, the confidence in the information, the professionalism/hard work/availability of Scott, and the input of the Forum members. Not to mention the friendships that we have formed with the service providers. Scott, while I appreciate the discount you are offering, in my opinion this is the best $97 per year we could spend in this process. Thanks, Jerry
I have a quick comment. Once you file for residency you do not have to leave every 90 days until they make a decision on your application. From my experience the fastest that this will get done on a Rentista application is 9 months and that is with excellent documentation and professionals helping. Typical time is over a year. So, compare the costs of following the rules, filing for temporary residency, and waiting for a response to driving/flying out of the country every 90 days and the associated costs. Good luck. Jerry
Edited on Sep 04, 2009 04:58
