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A very interesting thread Chi_trekker!
This could be a problem in the future!

I just had the manager at my INS office review the registration of the car. He said it is 100% okay. He said that the VIN plaques could have been removed for any reason, including a paint job. He also saw that the truck was financed by the company that works with Purdy Motors. He said to go ahead and buy it and he'll insure it.

Welcome to the wild west!!!!

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Insure against what perils? My INS coverage, which is complete coverage, is for liability and comprehensive coverage. I could be mistaken but I do not believe I am insured against fraudulent documentation.

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Pura Vida
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Alex Levine

The first warning is that if every last VIN plate was removed for paint, then the vehicle has obviously had a lot of body work done on it. That is a red flag by itself.

Second....INS says they will insure the vehicle....but what vehicle are they insuring? I have dealt with countless insurance problems in the USA, and the first thing they all do is try to find a way to not have to pay on a claim.

How do you prove that the vehicle you insured is the same vehicle that just rolled down the side of the mountain - if there are no ID numbers tie the physical unit to the titlework? You could smash any 4 Runner, remove the VIN plates, and then claim that the smashed 4 Runner is the one you insured, but you have no proof.

Ask youself why the seller was acting weird too....

This still smells bad.

Hehe... you are not. In fact, my current car certainly has been tampered with upon entering CR. The odometer was switched back by about 30K miles. Who knows???? The VIN plaques could all be false and it could easily be stolen. This is essentially what I've learned. You would have to go through the entire car and make sure that all VIN plaques tie to the original title of the car back in the USA or whatever country it was originally sold to... which is friggin' impossible!!!!

The other thing I find weird... I was curious and have been snooping around parking lots on the way to shopping and such. I can guarantee everyone that 1 in 3 cars is missing the VIN plaque on the dashboard. There is space for it, but no VIN. I bet a good chunk of these also have the same problem under the hood. This is not just junkers. I'm talking about Japanese, German, US, you name it. Its really common in CR. The INS guys is telling me that sometimes when they import cars, they take them off, because they are meaningless in a foreign country. I guess that would make sense if you bought a car, made in China, and the plaque was in Chinese script, but I still don't phucking get it.

My abogado is going to review all the registration, riteve and you name it. If he says its clean, then I can't refuse the deal. This guys is selling it practically at a US price. In the Nacion, the same car is 2-4K more dolares.

It is possible that in 5 years, if we are all still alive, that I will dig up this thread and begin bitching, ranting and crying about how I got ripped off.

As far as the documents go, they look as real as they come. I compared them to mine and could not see a difference. The watermarks and everything are the same.

Phuck me if I'm wrong. But, I've done due diligence. I promise you that if you buy a car from a dealer in CR, the Odometer is turned back, and you will have the same problems with the car history. Hopefully, it doesn't turn up to be a Katrina car or a total lemon.

_________________
http://TipsCostaRica.com for pratical advice on living in Costa Rica.
In order to write about life, first you must live it! - E. Hemingway.

You are right!!!! But, my current car fits 4 people. It gets 25 MPG. However, when I have 4 people and air conditioning running, we all say prayer before climbing a steep hill.

I've been stuck at 8 MPH, with the gas absolutely pinned to the ground. Sometimes, I wonder if I'm moving forward, standing still, or falling backwards ont the steep climbs. Just kidding... but you get my point. The GEO Tracker is a great car for CR. Look at how many of them are on the streets... It just needs a few more horses under the hood.

_________________
http://TipsCostaRica.com for pratical advice on living in Costa Rica.
In order to write about life, first you must live it! - E. Hemingway.

Where was this car imported from to begin with? If it was from the US or Canada, then the 17 digit vin plate should be on the dash just at the edge of the driver side of the windshield.

There is NO good reason to remove this vin plate. I would pay 2000 more for a car with all the vins matching . You will get it back at resale or at least make a resale possible.

Here's the thing. It was imported from Japan. Purdy Motors indicated this is why it is missing the dash plaque (according to the owners). Doesn't really make sense to me, but according to the Nacional Registro, this car is okay.

_________________
http://TipsCostaRica.com for pratical advice on living in Costa Rica.
In order to write about life, first you must live it! - E. Hemingway.

I am curious to know if you purchased that 4-Runner.

All Toyotas were manufactured with a visible VIN. It doesn’t matter if it was manufactured in Japan or the U.S., it will still have a clearly visible VIN plate.

If you are seated in the front seat, looking over the dash toward the outside, the VIN plate is located on your left. It is affixed to the “A” pillar which is post or pillar holding up the roof and it is visible through the glass. If it isn’t there the car is stolen.

The VIN of my 2000, 4-Runner starts with JT. The “J” is the country of manufacture (Japan) and the “T” is the manufacturer (Toyota).

The sellers gave you some numbers including VZN-185. That is the chassis number and it simply says that the vehicle is a V-6, four wheel drive. But the number 3L5FG45A340FA02A A51 which they gave you should be the most disconcerting.

The “3” in the VIN they gave you means the vehicle was manufactured in Mexico. But I think you already know that. Toyota does not make cars in Mexico. They make pick-up truck beds for Toyota but not vehicles.

The “L” in the number means the manufacturer’s name starts with an “L” such as Lincoln, Lexus, and Land Rover.

About eight or nine years ago, many of Costa Rica’s most influential citizens were driving around in beautiful new expensive cars like 4-Runners which was really popular back then. They were all stolen in the U.S. and transported to Costa Rica. It is very likely that the one you were looking at was one of those cars.

All vehicles also have hidden VINS. If Costa Rican law suddenly changes, as it does so often, and the government decides to be vigilant in checking VINS, you will be out a car.

I’ll bet the people who invested heavily in Casinos here in CR never thought that the government would change the law by fiat and order that casino hours would be severely restricted to eight hours a day.

Just walk away. All vehicles have VIN regardless of where they were manufactured or shipped to. It is too shady and not worth the risk. They also etch the VIN number on the windshield now a days atleast on the Toyotas.