Why would you want to ship a car to Costa Rica?

Cost, Condition and Convenience were our major considerations in deciding to
ship our car to Costa Rica.

COST. There are no cars manufactured in Costa Rica, they are all imported and the import tax is fairly heafty. This is also reflected in the cost of used cars. For example, a car like ours, 1995 Geo Tracker, 2x4, used, will cost you in the neighborhood of $5,000 USD locally. It is also expensive to ship a vehicle and you must still pay import duties on it when it gets here. So, depending upon the vehicle, the cost may come out very close.

CONDITION. Cars must undergo a strict inspection each year (Retivie). Because of this (and, of course, the initial investment), Ticos do take very good care of their cars. However, if you are buying a used car you are not always certain of the origin and history of that vehicle. For me, it was very eye-opening to see all the smashed cars at the port in Florida waiting to be shipped overseas. Hmmm.

CONVENIENCE. Depending upon where you live in the country, just getting around to see various cars for sale can be a problem. Most people live in the Central Valley - San Jose area. Most car ads, new or used, seem to also originate from that area. If you live in a rural area, like us, and you don't already have a car, going to see an advertised one could be an all day trip. And, there's the language barrier. Although my Spanish continues to improve, I am far from being comfortable making a major purchase in Spanish.

Tomorrow I will post the details and contact information for our actual shipment. I had difficulty finding some of this information and hope that in posting it here it may help someone else who is interested in shipping their vehicle to Costa Rica.

The photo shows our little red Geo at home in Arizona the day before we left in
January. And yes, that is snow on the mountains in the background.