www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Cars so expensive in CR? Am I reading this wrong, or are cars going for 3 to 4x their value over in CR? I was just kinda browings Craigslist, and theres an 8 yr old Suburban w/ 90k on the clock, and they want 39 grand!

http://costarica.en.craigslist.org/cto/849230762.html

What! Are they kidding? Tell me its in colones or something, cuz I'm about to have a heart attack w/ those prices.

no you are not imagining that. cars are very expensive in CR

All cars are imported here and the import tax is very high. My understanding is that the tax is 45% to 90% of the value of the vehicle depending on the size, gas milage, and pollution factor.

Automotive (and bus) pollution is a really big problem in the San Jose metro area; and as any of you that have ever been here know, the streets are not designed to handle the number of cars on the streets. My understanding is the tax was designed to help with these problems and is also a major source of income for the government.

Each day, Monday thru Friday, 1/5 of cars are barred from most of the down town area based on the license plate number.

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

Bang, do you own a car there in CR? Or do you just ride buses, taxis, and of course CHICAS Are the gas prices just ridiculous these days?

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In honor of Jimmy V week, "Don't give up, don't ever give up!"

Here in Panama, the cars are really expensive as well. We don't have the extra tax that it seems they have in CR. The base prices are just really high.

Also what you have to look out for here, and probably CR as well, is the cars that are declared total losses in the US and then shipped here and repaired cheaply.

I've bought two cars here in Panama and had to go new both times because I didn't trust the used cars and I just had a problem paying that much for a used car.

Nope, I do not own a car here. Have very seldom found a need to have one because, yes I do ride the buses and if out very late at night (after 11pm), taxis. I have also made several trips to Panama and Nicaragua by bus and unlike some others, have enjoyed the trip every time.

Since I do not buy gas, I am not totally sure on the price of gas right now, but I think it is just a little over $5 a gal. And considering that the average income is about $300 per month, and with the high cost of vehicles, and the low cost of riding buses, I find it amassing that there are sooooo many cars on the streets here.

AND WHO, ME? "RIDE CHICAS
"NEVER" I am an 'old fart'--I let them do the riding !!! jejeje

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

Check out:

www.crautos.com

They usually have 5,000-6,000 cars listed.

That would be one of my hugest deterrents on moving to CR. I have never driven 10 feet in CR and I don't see how I could without grabbing a tico out of his car and giving him a beat down after he cutt me off.

People say I would get used to it blah, blah, but I would just be a taxi riding mother phucker I guess. Too much stress for that shit..


Cujo

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"Pain is the fuel that fans the flames of my pyre. A battle plan is only as good as the general carrying it out on the field. This is my war son, and I have the biggest bombs and the smallest conscience"...

The good news is that you can buy brands in CR that pulled out of the U. S. market decades ago (French brands, FIAT) or were never there (Skoda, Chinese brands). An excellent example is the Renault 206, a nice small car. See the British car magazines like "Car" or "Top Gear" for reviews. I concur with everything else the Brothers said.
Oh, and unsaid here but equally true is the tax will be imposed on your personal importation--don't see a lot of expats driving the Corvettes and Lexuses they had Stateside.

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"A man accustomed to hear only the echo of his own sentiments, soon bars all the common avenues of delight, and has no part in the general gratification of mankind"--Dr. Johnson
"Amen, brother"-ED

Very true; I thought about bring a 2001 ford SUV down when I moved here till I found out that the import tax on it would be $5500 ( had a blue book value of $6600 at the time). thanks but no thinks!!!

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Old and retired but still bang, and bang, and bang!!!

I drive about 35,000 miles a year and I think i would miss getting behind the wheel after a while. But I have never driven in SJO because my trips never last over 5 or 6 days.

WITHOUT PUTAS THERE IS NO PARADISE

Cars are expensive, but not 3-4x. in general, they're 1.5-2x as expensive. It's mostly the import tax, but also newer cars are typically imported, so there is costs associated with that and they have to make a profit..

Yup....it's the import tax AND the importers and car dealers are even slime-ier than anything you see see in the states. For the tax you pay, you should be driving on a wide smooth road and a trip to Jaco should only take about 55 minutes. You should not blow 2 tires on one chuck hole as I did in August. Where does the money go? Can you say socialism? But take heart....in the US... the annointed one is on his way.

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My life is not a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out and loudly proclaiming...." MAN....WHAT A RIDE!!!!"