www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Testing the waters with a business idea and if this is not appropriate for the forum I apologize in advance. I am a used car dealer in the US. My first trip to CR was (among other things) to feel out the used car market in CR. From what I can tell there isn’t much more profit to be hard sending cars from the US to CR than just selling them in the US – especially once you consider the increase in hassle and risk of loss.

BUT – I have been toying with the idea of doing anyway if only for a good excuse to frequent CR for legitimate reasons. I am thinking about renting a house or condo with a secure 1-2 garage – I’d like to stay under $1,000/month total for rent and all expenses. I would be looking for a place probably near the SJO airport or possibly a little west. My market research says I would sell most of the cars in the Escazu area and Jaco. If all goes well I will be in CR in June for this very purpose.

The next phase of the plane would be to find help. I would advertise the car(s) on Craigslist, Tico Times, etc., but I need someone to help sell since like most of you I still have to live in the US most of the time. This is where this board come in. If I could line up a few guys who would be willing to pitch in, I could probably make this work. My ultimate goal would be to have a few different guys makes rotations – stay in the house for 4 weeks at a time rent free and be willing to take calls/show the car. I don’t think there would be much if any profit to actually pay a sales commission but I’m still working on that too.

Any input is appreciated.

CrookedCR

A USED CAR SALESMAN NICKNAMED CROOCKED

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But mama, that's where the fun is

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You're actually looking for legitimate help from THIS crowd to sell/show your cars while living rent free in SJO? Ok, I volunteer!- but do not be surprised to find all my sales are to HDR chicas (at least they have paying jobs) and I've put them on the weekly "Paco E-Z payment plan."
just kidding, good luck.

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Living well is the best revenge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwUtj_YnNoY

O,
It would be funnier if you didn't mispell "Crooked"

DAMN

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But mama, that's where the fun is

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Do a google search "supereconomicos.com" or "Autos Usados" or "crautos.com" and take a look at the hundreds (thousands?) of used cars for sale by owners and small dealers.

Use their search engine to compare your imported cost to the CR asking prices. Stay away from GM cars. Resale is terrible.

Most Popular:
Toyota
Nissan
Hyundai

Many of the sellers will bring the car to you to look over and test drive if you can convince them you are serious and not too far away.

Sell prices appear to be approx 10% below asking price.

I'm in the business myself and tried to think of a way to pull it off. I specialize in budget cars, made three trips last year but concluded, I didn't see how one could profit by shipping the vehicles down there. Perhaps you came to a different conclusion??

My first ideas were with budget cars - korean vehicles, and Geo/Chevy Tracker, etc.

The only way I see to make any profit is to import higher end but still cheap cars that the gringos want. One example is the Mercedes SLK - a less expensive model that still wears the MB badge. I think the SLK would be a a hit in CR. For those who don't know, the SLK is a 2-seater that that a hard top that folds down into the trunk with the touch of a button. It is a convertible that you can easily fold up into a secure hard-top, provided great security.

There are a few other models I think would work well - based on research I have done and conversations I've had with dealers in CR but they are all higher end. And of course the risk of loss is much higher and the marketing time is expected to be much longer...

Thanks for the input

CrookedCR

You need to know that most buyers here avoid the cars that came from the US. They buy the ones imported direct from Korea or Japan. The reason is the parts are cheaper and easier to get if the car came from the Far East and not the US.
LVSteve

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Just an old horney, fat gambler.

Also in the business here with 95% of sales financed.Don't have a clue about CR auto finance laws but would assume the way to go would be finance.One big word would be GPS if available , the ones I use here cover mainland U.S. ,Canada and Mexico.

Good luck

Do not know anything about the financing laws of CR but you might be interested in the finance rates. This article was in this mornings Inside Costa Rica.

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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 noticed I see mostly stick shifts out in CR? Is it because they are cheaper?

That and because most of them come from Korea, not the US.
LVSteve

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Just an old horney, fat gambler.

I noticed the same. Korean cars ect, cheaper importing them directly from korea. They are also not up to US standards. Same with the Japanese import.