www.CostaRicaTicas.com

For those of you Gents living in Costa Rica, what kind of vehicle do you have? I'm more interested in particular kind of high-end brand like BMW, Mercedes, Lexus, Infiniti, and sports cars.
I've seen Porsche, numerous BMW and Mercedes, nice modern-age 4x4's, Toyota Supra Turbo, and my cousin once told me he saw a Ferrari on the highway leading to Santa Ana.
Anyway, the point is how have you dealt with the attention driving an uncommon car around town? Do you know the risks and such? Considering the crime rate and all. I ask because sometime in the future I plan to ship over a Supra or a Lexus SC300. If it's too bad, then I'll just settle with something more subtle. So, fill me in. Thanks.

The following is a mixture of opinion and fact, somewhat like Fox 'news' only I didn't just make up the facts:

Traffic and road conditions down here are horrible. Drivers are aggressive and careless. There are virtually no street signs and most streets don't even have names. To buy any car here, new or used, expect to pay significantly more for it due to taxes and such. Insurance can only be purchased through the government monopoly, and has a very high deductible, I believe it's 10%. On a car worth 50k, you can do the math.

Ok, if you don't care about bad drivers and road hazards dinging up your new BMW, and if the big deductible doesn't bother you, there's one more thing to consider. Being a rich gringo and flaunting it can be hazardous to your safety.

See the following: https://costaricaticas.com/phpBB2/vi ... hp?t=25009
and: https://costaricaticas.com/phpBB2/vi ... hp?t=25042

My method of transportation are my feet, taxis and buses. If you want to live in a gated community with good security (there must be some, somewhere) then maybe having a car won't have the security issues. If the economic issues don't bother you.... can you give me some money, please?

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"The only normal people are those you don't know very well." Joe Ancis

I'll take odds you get popped in less than 3 months with a high profile car...

and deservedly so....

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I know nothing, nothing!

Fast, diesel, and stylish. Good service locally and it is still a Hyundai.
Not cheap, around 49k.

I agree on just buses and feet (screw taxi's man! Too expensive. Only if I'm out of a club at 2am). I've driven down there and had my very first accident with an idiotic bus driver who thinks he's king of the street with no yielding whatsoever. The asshole expects me to notice all of the sudden

I'd want to hear from people who actually had experience with their mid to high end vehicle. My common sense tells me that it depends on the area, and the time the roaches come out at night. I have heard cases of "bajonasos" where they block you up and with a pistol demand you to get out of the car. So I guess I would want to know where to stay out. I'd be taking something from '00-'05 or less. I will not drive it frequently (2 times a week max). I'm totally aware of the tax and the piece of crap insurance company INS down there. American companies need to get down there.

Those links are scary, but naturally I'd always want to take any necessary precaution as well, since the media has always informed me how shitty it could be to somebody ever since I was very young. No living in San Jose or bad cities, no apartment, and be armed. I don't wear flashy outfits either, I'm totally cheap normally unless I have to dress to go to a club or something. No jewelry. I'm half Costa Rican and brown skinned and speak the language just like them , so that's a big bonus.

Park in enclosed lot at night with watchman or park in locked garage with two locks.

Put Dutch boot on car's front wheel if unable to park in enclosed garage.

Keep doors locked at all times.

Keep small billy club in holster by seat.

Buy run flat tires..good for 100 miles.

Never stop at red lights in SJ after 12 midnight.

Always buy gas in mid-afternoon at busy station.

Tint windows the darker the better.

Put an "official" placard in car on dashboard and buy phony decal indicating you are attached to the policia, i.e. phony numbers with letters..it scares the bad guys.

Never stop to change a tire.

Pay someone to watch car by ripping Five dollar bill in half and giving other half when you leave.

Buy the best gas lock you can find.

Always drive with authority, never look lost or drive too slow.

When in doubt, hit the gas.

Be lucky.

In January 2007, I purchased a 2001 Mercedes ML 320 in Costa Rica from AutoStar - the local Mercedes dealer for $29,500. I could have purchased the same car in the US for $15,000, but it would have cost me $32,000 if I had done that and shipped it to CR; and this is just the taxes, aduana, inspection, marchamo and similar costs that I could identify. Bribes, replacing stolen parts, etc were not part of the $32K estimate. I sold the car in February 2008 for $23,000 and I felt very fortunate to do so.

If you choose this route, I can tell you the local Mercedes Repair shop in La Uruca does an excellent job and seems to be very trustworthy. In some cases, repairs are less than in the US due to a lower labor cost.

However, the cost of the vehicle is only half the story. Half assed insurance coverage; max $80k liability; 20% deductible for theft or total loss and the reputation is that INS pays off in approximately 2 years for a total loss. Annual premium for insurance was $2,600. Plus in December each year, you have to pay the Marchamo (insurance for those who don't buy insurance). When I purchased the ML 320, the Marchamo was $250 but it was arbitraily raised in December 2007 to $850.

Based upon what I paid to have a car in CR, I could have hired a stretch limo and armed driver to take me and/or my lady everywhere we wanted to go and to be sitting at my house 24 hours per day just waiting for me to walk outside. I sold the car because it makes absolutely no financial sense to own a car in CR. Oh....and I've not even talked about the theft and robbery risk, the price of gasoline, the difficulty getting it washed, or the hassle factor of driving in traffic where drivers behave as if a NASCAR race just let out. This is just my point of view and YMMV.

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Slut Puppy in Training

Is low self esteem a prerequisite for being a good Ho or is it a result? ;-)

Other printed reports called this a car jacking! One question, why was a 31 year old Doctor on Amargura street to begin with?

What's the word they use for car jacking? Bolonazo???? Bozanolo???



This summary, reprinted from Costaricalibre is inaccurate. He did not escape. He died.

Scary stuff. It's making me re-consider. I'll probably just stick to something before '99 and Japanese. Hyundai's break a lot my uncle has gone through three. Two different year Excels and his friend's, don't remember the model.

BILKO I love your statement: “The following is a mixture of opinion and fact, somewhat like Fox 'news' only I didn't just make up the facts.” Very good! I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks that way about FOX News. In fact most of the news media. I have always referred to the news media as purveyors of historical fiction.

Responding to Willie7s inquiry:

I have a full size, new SUV powered by diesel engine. It is not economical to operate. Diesel is very expensive and a large SUV drinks diesel like an old wine-o goes after a fresh bottle of Night Train.

NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER NEVER let some fool in the gas station look under your hood. Don't even let them look. If you do they may touch and something is going to break. For maintenance and service, you have to take your new car to the dealer. They are the only ones who know how to maintain and repair a complicated newer machine. Their prices are much higher than the US.

All of the Japanese new car dealerships are owned by two companies so there is no competition for any of the primary Japanese car makers such as Toyota, Nissan or Mitsubishi. The same guy who owns the monopoly on Nissan controls Mitsubishi, Audi and several other band names. He also owns all the Burger Kings in CR.

The insurance will surprise you at how expensive it is. I pay more here than I did in southern California, which is supposedly one of the most expensive places in the US to buy car insurance. You will also get the honor of dealing with insurance people who may or may not return your call when you want to buy. INS, the insurance monopoly, makes no bones about the fact that people of means pay higher insurance which offsets the price of insurance for those who don’t have much money. In other words, you subsidize the insurance of the old pile of s*it car that just cut you off and then braked causing you to eat your steering wheel lest you plow into the back of the fool.

The marchamo or annual tax for my car is over $1000 a year. That is definitely a lot more than what I paid for a comparable car in California which again is supposedly one of the states with the highest car registration taxes.

Others have explained the dangerous driving, door dings, and the potential for being identified as a target for carjacking, etc. That is not made up stuff, but a real concern.

My 4x4 SUV is a necessity due to where I live and what I do. But if I lived in close to town and could take a bus and or taxi’s color me as a rider.

I would NEVER drive a flashy car down there, just asking for trouble. Yeah rich Ticos do it. Let them get wacked.

I know diesel is expensive but I saw one guy in a military HUMVEE sand colored on the way to Quepos. It wasn't the commercial Hs. I like them because they could get you out of dicey situation if needed. Just ram the god-damn car with pistol shooters car right over the mountain, it doubles a self-defense weapon no special permit required. Also since drivers so bad down there let them tailgate and try and sideswipe you in a 2" thick steel skinned Humvee!

Yee-haw!!!!!!

Sorry to hear of your uncles problem with Hyundai's. My experience has been just the opposite. I have a '92 elantra that has had very few problems.

An older nondescript Hyundai raises no flags as it is a typical Tico's car. Mechanics who are familiar with them are all over the country and parts are cheap and plentiful.

I would however advise that you make sure you get one that is imported from Korea and not the U.S. They do not have all the EPA mandated bs that increases the chances of going bad.

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Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

I checked the reliability ratings for Hyundai's and they have come a long way. If I remember correctly, the 2008 has a better reliability rating than a Toyota Corolla. I am considering getting one just for transportation in town.