Latest News

Location Menu

:: Baja (NEW)

:: Costa Rica FREE SECTION

:: Mexico FREE SECTION

-----Panama to Columbia [PAY]

Administrator

Loco Classifieds

Leaving Sept 8th ( / Find A Travel Partner) 2010-08-30
Apple Iphone 4G,Nokia N8 ( / Business For Sale) 2010-08-30

$12.00 eBook
Download + EnjoyToday!

Polls

What is Your Favorite Country?

	Mexico
	Guatemala
	Nicaragua
	Honduras
	Costa Rica
	El Salvador
	Panama
	Belize

Sell Your Car In Costa Rica

By Dave Butler & Loco Gringo, on 06-12-2009 06:36

Favoured : None

Published in : The News, Latest News

While it is possible for you to sell your car after driving to Costa Rica, possibly even make some profit, it is certainly not without its difficulties. The average customs tax on cars in C.R. is close to 55% of what an American would consider to be the value. For example, if the car you drive here is worth $10,000 in the U.S.A., expect the customs tax to be at least $5,500.00. Also, Costa Rica has their own government “blue book” that is not at all similar to the Kelley’s in the U.S.A. If you have leather seats, air conditioning, automatic transmission, anything that Costa Rica considers a luxury the cost is even more. Also, the inspection process has become tedious: tires cannot be wider by even an inch then the side of the car, a chip in the windshield has to be fixed, and the exhaust is carefully analyzed. This being said, it is entirely possible to sell the car without ever paying any of these taxes or going through this inspection process at all. We have in place a network which can advertise and sell your car, given it is of a style that is even somewhat acceptable here (please contact us for advice on what kind of cars we suggest). We do advise that you give us as much time as possible to begin the process by doing the following well before your arrival so as to expedite the sale as much as possible:

sending us photos or the vehicle
your approximate selling price
the year
the motor size
transmission type
the date you expect to have the car in Costa Rica
and the mileage on the vehicle
copy of the title

It is also possible for you to leave the car in one of our representative’s possession when you return to the states for us to sell for you should you not wish to wait for the sale to take place.

Driving your vehicle to Costa Rica does have distinct advantages over shipping it. Any car that that is brought in by a tourist by driving, is given a 90 day grace period (similar to that of your personal passport) to leave the country or become registered in Costa Rica. Should you choose to ship your vehicle, something we can help with as well, you can expect to pay customs tax immediately upon arrival or risk the government putting the vehicle into storage and charging a daily charge against the value of the vehicle. Once the daily charge exceeds the value of the vehicle, the government auctions the car at a ridiculously low price and you are just out.

The cost for driving your vehicle across the border into Costa Rica is very inexpensive. You are required to purchase liability insurance from the government, at a cost of about $35 dollars for your 90 day stay. There is the traditional, “oh no, it has a bug on the grill” spraying charge of a few dollars, but the rest of the procedure is relatively painless. Should you wish to keep your vehicle in Costa Rica after the 90 days, we strongly advise that you hire a company like ours to assist you in the import duty process as a personal representation with customs can save you a lot of money.

Last update : 06-12-2009 06:36

Users' Comments

Average user rating

(0 vote)

Add your comment

[+] Show form

[-] Hide form

Only registered users can comment an article. Please login or register.

No comment posted

mXcomment 1.0.8 © 2007-2010 - visualclinic.fr
License Creative Commons - Some rights reserved

< Prev		Next >

[ Back ]

Tab One

Mexican Car Insurance

Mexico has traffic laws very similar to the United States. The application of their laws is what accounts for the differences, and the reasons for needing Mexican insurance. DriveMeLoco has partnered with Mexican Online Insurance to provide you with the best Mexican Insurance available and is backed by four of Mexico's largest and most respected insurers, GNP, ABA/GMAC, ACE Seguros, and HDI Seguros.

Insurance is not available in some of the other countries, see the Guide for more information.

Tab Two

Guide Update

If you are traveling and find something missing or incorrect in the Gringos Guide we'd love to hear about it. Please drop us an email and we’ll make sure your updates get into the next edition of the Guide and also onto the website.

We look forward to hearing from you.

DriveMeLoco

Tab Three

Pod Cast Mayan Ruins

A-Pod-Calypto: Mayan Ruins Tours

This is a four part series presented by Lonely Planet, it is a good intro to the Mayan Ruins. You can listen here or download to your computer.

What documents do I need?

Countries have different travel documents requirements for entry. Some only require Proof of citizenship and birth certificate while others require both a passport and a visa. For more information on the document you might need please see our partner link here .

What is the Darrian Gap?

The Darrian Gap is a big stretch of jungle that prevents any overland travel from South to Central America, thus you got to ship your vehicle around the trees by sea. Sign-up to get the complete information about the Darrian Gap.

Should I take my gun?

Bringing guns or drugs into Mexico is not recommended. You may go to prison even if you were not aware of the Mexican law. Having said that, I have done one or the other over the years or been with others . . . more