Purchasing an Automobile

Because of high taxes, purchasing a new vehicle in CostaRica is more expensive than in the majority of other countries. In the past, people have chosen to buy new cars in the U.S. where prices are much lower. Now prices of new cars in Costa Rica are more affordable than before and more people are choosing to purchase locally rather than dealing with the paperwork of importing a vehicle and high taxes.

Another reason to buy locally is to ensure your vehicle will be under warranty in case anything goes wrong. Most local dealers offer two to three-year warrenties on new cars.

Because the price of new cars can be very high, used cars are plentiful in Costa Rica. Most of these second hand cars are priced higher than they would be in the U.S. or Canada, so Costa Ricans tend to keep them longer and take better care of them. This makes resale value high.

The majority of automobiles in Costa Rica are made in Japan. So, most replacement parts are for Japanese automobiles. Spare parts for U.S. cars have to be imported, are expensive and sometimes hard to come by. Therefore, you should think twice about bringing an American car to Costa Rica. If you do decide to bring a car from the U.S. or Canada it is best to bring a Toyota, Nissan, Honda or some other Japanese import for the reasons just mentioned. If you plan to drive mostly in the country’s larger cities, smaller new or used model cars will help reduce fuel consumption and are easier to maneuver on crowded streets. Prices for new small cars are extremely affordable and range between $9,000 to $14,000,while new mid-sized cost between $13,000 to $20,000. Those of you who, plan to drive outside of the city and off road should consider a Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), pick-up or jeep. Many of the counties roads are unpaved and filled with potholes and a solidly bult vehicle is absolutely necessary especially during the rainy season. Prices of new SUV’s run between $20,000-$75,000 depending on the model and size of the vehicle. Used cars are priced substantially lower.

Since new cars are so expensive in Costa Rica, buyers have the option to lease or finance. The dealer can usually arrange financing.If not many Costa Rican banks offer financing for cars. Interest rates are generally in dollars instead of colones, and vary according to market rates.

If you decide to bring a car to Costa Rica there are two ways to do it—by sea or by land. If you ship your car to Costa Rica by boat, contact a shipping company near to where you have your car in the U.S. or one of the companies mentioned in the next section. This method of transportation is relatively safe since your car can be insured against all possible types of damage.

If you have all of your paperwork in order, your vehicle should not take more than a month at the most to reach Costa Rica depending on your port of embarkation. If you send your car from Miami it only takes one week to reach Puerto Limón on the East coast of Costa Rica and costs about $800. From the West coast or New York, you can expect to pay over $1000 and some other fees to process your paperwork.

To import your vehicle you will have to make sure your shipping company sends the following documents or neither you or a customs agency can get your car out of customs: a driver’s licenses for all potential drivers, title or pink slip (título de propiedad), registration, copy of passport, original bill of lading (conocimiento de embarque) if the vehicle has been shipped and the name of the shipping company. Also make sure your car has Canadian or U.S. plates or the whole process may be delayed.

Note: ALL VEHICLES, since June 7, 2001, now require an Emissions Control Certificate certified by the Department of Motor Vehicles from your country of origin or by the vehicles manufacturer if new, dated no later than 60 days prior to the shipping date. The certificate must also be translated into Spanish by an official translator and authenticated by the Consulate of Costa Rica nearest to the Emissions Inspection Station that issued your certificate.This even applies to used vehicles, and any car without it will not be able to be registered in the country. This change in fact caused many vehicles to be stuck in customs for a time, as the law passed in December 1999, but was never enforced until the middle of 2001.

If your name does not appear on the original title of the vehicle, you must provide a document from an attorney certifying that the owners allow you to drive their car. Said document must be notarized and approved by the nearest Costa Rican Consulate in your country of origin. Cars that are being financed ibn the U.S. and are not fully paid off fall into this category.