Costa rica is a vibrant and beautiful country, with 2 main ports for shipments, puerto limon and puerto caldera. The problem comes later on because the car is taxed based on its original price, not its value, not its condition, not its blue book value. We work with the best car rental companies in costa rica, bringing you discount car rental rates and a wide variety of car rental classes including economy, compact, midsize, fullsize, convertible, van, luxury, full size and suv rentals. Note that for those driving into costa rica, the cost of freight is calculated as 7% of the vehicle s market value. The current plates and registration are held by the owner in costa rica. Rental cars cannot be taken across the international borders to panama or nicaragua. Both of these ports are capable of receiving individual car imports, so it depends on the origination and destination of your vehicle to determine which port will work best. Each car has been hand selected by andy ehlers and is ready for you to purchase and enjoy. If you choose to rent a car in the manuel antonio area, you should have no problem as there are several companies with offices there, including some of the big names like hertz while some people like having a car, i personally would say that for 3 days in the manuel antonio area you really dont need one. Costa rica cars are expensive but importing one has its own challenges. In fact, you could pay close to the value of the car in import duties and fees.
Rent of vehicles in an excellent condition and competitive price. Buying a car living in nosara, costa rica nosara living. Very rarely do we recommend or suggest that our clients handle their own driving, and if we do, the travelers have asked us about the practicality of renting a car for their trip. Save with economy costa rica rent a car and guarantee your reservation. Should i bring my car to costa rica when i move or should i just buy one there. Ec rent a car is our authorized nextcar affiliate in san jose. Buying a car in costa rica by sara ford march 1, 2018. Blue book cars is located at 4114 s orlando drive, sanford, fl. Used cars for sale in costa rica auto moto costa rica. Our top rated tour company is owned by an american costa rican citizen with 20 years of experience in the industry. Anyone living in costa rica will tell you that the roads are rough and your car will take a toll. Cars values are not based on the kelly blue book system, rather values are determined and stored by the costa rican.
The onus is on the client to establish the value, which should be based on market value in costa rica, of course. Despite these guides, the costa rican government often has the final say over car. Simply click on the blue book tab at the top of the page, then click ingresar access. The values of the cars here are usually between 50% and 75% higher than the exact same car in north america. Regardless of the value you find in the blue book, you should be. Nextcar offers pickup service outside of the main exit of international flights arrriving at san juan santamaria airport sjo. Costa rica car rental bookings at the best prices in the market.
Costa rica values a car on what is called the black book, and it is not based on kellys blue book or value of a u. Driving in costa rica is a topic that is often discussed in the planning stages of a costa rica escapes itinerary. When bringing a car to costa rica by any means, driving, shipping it, etc. Transportation specialist in costa rica blue water adventures.
Mar 18, 2012 you see costa rica has rather extreme impuestas import duties on imported vehicles. Before you go off into the deep rainforest, it is good to educate yourself a little bit on wildlife behavior. You can get off the beaten path and have the freedom to do what you want. Renting a sedan or compact car versus an suv can save a ton of money, especially for a solo traveler or couple. When you ship a car to costa rica, the government taxes it a whopping 5080% of the retail value. May 26, 2011 in costa rica, where competition in insurance is quite recent, there is no official blue book to establish the values of vehicles for insurance purposes. Adobe rent a car is a company with the best value in costa rica. Give a good description and add pictures where you can, but be honest. During the wet season, you are more likely to encounter snakes in costa rica.
Do you think travel with 2 big dogs will be a problem. The main benefit of renting a car in costa rica is the freedom it. Cover the paths along the vast vegetation till you hit a magnificent waterfall, expand your knowledge on flora diversity via visiting a botanical garden, and experience an unforgettable stroll inside the butterflies garden. Cars in costa rica face very rough conditions so a thorough inspection is important. Apr 08, 2019 bringing your car to costa rica is actually very easy. Centering yourself on a surfboard or yoga mat, descending into batfilled caves or ascending misty volcanic peaks, hiking, biking or ziplining your only limit is your return date. San jose is the transportation center for the country, though there is no central terminal. No blue book in costa rica the tico times costa rica.
Our premium fleet in costa rica includes top brand rental cars from manufacturers such as mercedesbenz, bmw, mitsubishi and suzuki. Refine your search select order most recent first oldest first cheapest first expensive first 15 per page 20 per page 50 per page. Important tips for renting a car in costa rica mytanfeet. The estimate is drawn from a database of vehicles used in costa rica. Note that for those driving into costa rica, the cost of freight is calculated as 7% of the vehicles market value. Automative vehicles for non lucrative aims embassy of costa rica. Costa rica retained the earlier blue white blue flag of central america until 1848 when, in response to revolutionary activity in europe, it was decided to incorporate the french colors into the national flag and a.
Taxes and import duties can be high because the fees are based on the cars market value in costa rica, not the blue book value in the u. Puntarenas costa rica hide this posting restore restore this posting. Suprisingly, driving in costa rica is easy and the rental car prices are cheap. The secret of nicoyas blue zone visit costa rica costa. Oct 22, 2014 the costa rican tax ministry bases its figures on the vehicles market value in costa rica, not on the kelley blue book value. Buying a car in costa rica two weeks in costa rica. When you regain consciousness try and keep in mind that the cars hold their value quite well when it comes time to sell there is always, well almost always, a silver lining. I am moving to costa rica and debating flying or drivingtaking my time and taking a few things from home. Sell your car in costa rica gringos guide to driving. Our staff will be at the main exit of the airport waiting for you.
Welcome to the right place for buying a car in costa rica. Numbers ending in 0 are checked in october and november checks cars 15. Central america costa rica the world factbook central. Ultimate guide to renting a car in costa rica two wandering. Take an inventory of the things you are taking and be prepared to give some creative fees to the police and. You can argue until you turn blue in the face and threaten to cancel and go. Our secret of success in the car rental business is a unique concept bringing together the diversity and opportunities for car rental service combined. They assess one market value for the purpose of registration and a separate market value for the purpose of importation. Needless to say, our 1day rental turned into more than 2 weeks.
If purchasing a car that is already here in costa rica or at a dealership one will pay more, obviously for sales agents commissions and mark ups, which is why people choose to import vehicles. Some agencies will allow you to drop one car off in costa rica, cross the border on foot and pick up a new car on the other side for a fee. If you didnt recently buy the car, there are several ways to go. I felt that it was worth it for full no fault insurance. You will find our sedans are excellent for city breaks and longer distances while our suvs are ideal if you require extra room or are using your car rental in costa rica on smaller, rural roads. Since used cars are more expensive in costa rica, this value is higher than the blue book or black book value. Used cars for sale in costa rica we found 4194 matching ads, displaying 1 to 15 ads. Exporting a vehicle from costa rica costa rica lonely. Car rental in manuel antonio costa rica forum tripadvisor. Best deal rent a car costa rica, san ramon costa rica. The largest local car rental company in costa rica with best value, since 1990. 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.
Costa rica sometimes runs out of rental cars totally, everywhere, every agency in high season. We will get you from point a to b safely and on time. Our 14year old chevy tracker has had an especially difficult past several months. The company focuses in delivering a complete service at a reasonable price, with no hidden fees and total protection, zero deductible insurance available. Extra costs of renting a car in costa rica costa rica guide.
Crossing international borders is forbidden when you rent a car in costa rica. Hopefully the singer keeps the volume down when you are having dinner. Its charged on the extremely high price you would pay for it new in costa rica black book value. Were sharing everything you need to know about renting a car in costa rica. Then check your itinerary to see if you really need a 4. In costa rica, where competition in insurance is quite recent, there is no official blue book to establish the values of vehicles for insurance purposes. How to rent a car in costa rica costa rica guide maps. Aryana azari sure, youve heard the phrase pura vida thrown around in regards to costa rica, but you might not fully get ityet. The costa rican tax ministry bases its figures on the vehicles market value in costa rica, not on the kelley blue book value.
While the costa rican government determines vehicle values, your best bet for assessing the value of your car is to research online classified sites within the country. The good news about selling your car is that vehicles retain their value in costa rica. Get to the heart of costa rica with one of lonely planets indepth, awardwinning guidebooks. Well, it turns out renting a car in costa rica is very cheap, and driving in costa rica is actually quite easy, and dare i say fun. As covered in this article, bringing a car to costa rica, importing a car from the u. Costa rica used car specialists ehlers cars will help you locate the the right costa rica car for sale no matter what brand or make you have in mind. Importing a vehicle is expensive simply for the import duties. Boomer1 and twjthorton, thanks, you are both more on point. It is good to know there is no tax to bring the vehicle out of the country. So before going at it alone, it is a much better idea to go hiking with a licensed guide.
Or you can choose to have a customs broker, and figured another 45% on top. Blue book cars believes in great service, fair pricing, and treating our customers right. I am attempting to buy a costa rica plated car currently in costa rica to bring it back to canada. Since buying a car in costa rica about 10 months ago, we have gone through many of the motions of car ownership, including taxes, insurance, maintenance, and of course repairs. Located inside airport terminals with service at over 100 locations. Local buses are a cheap and reliable way of getting around costa rica.
Cars are expensive in costa rica period, so you might as well get over the sticker shock now. While the costa rican government determines vehicle values, your best bet for assessing the value of your car is to research online classified sites within. Visit costa rica, official website about costa rica. This is one of the most asked questions by people planning to move here, and the answer is it is whatever you want, but you need to know the rules first and of course, the costs involved.
The bill of sale or invoice for the vehicle plus the insurance and freight required to ship the vehicle to costa rica. Insurance is by far the biggest addon cost of renting a vehicle in costa rica but. Translated directly from spanish, it means pure life, but theres a lot more contained in these two little words than that. Temporary import you are allowed to take your personal vehicle for. You arrive in sunny costa rica ready to start your vacation in paradise and the first encounter you end up having is at a rental car counter where you are informed that you will actually have to pay several hundred dollars more than you originally expected. National car rental has several branches throughout costa rica, many of which are conveniently located within airports. Dec 20, 2019 secondly, rent a manual if you can drive manual. Contact us today for a refreshing car buying experience. Find costa ricas tropical jungles treasures on this incredible blue river tour. Jun 30, 2018 enjoyed our dinner at the blue monkey. That is not at all similar to the kelleys in the u.
Cars values are not based on the kelly blue book system, rather values are determined and stored by the costa rican governments import department. Also, costa rica has their own government blue book. I bought allianz insurance prior to travelling as was recommended on the internet. Every tico aka, costa rican youll meet will have a slightly different way of looking at it, but essentially pura vida. Our values help customers come back as satisfied repeat buyers. These prices are determined on the retail value of the vehicle as determined by the book price as set by costa rica customs. When buying a used car, its usually hard to know what a fair price is. Refine your search select order most recent first oldest first cheapest first expensive first 15. Dealership, but a value that the ministry of finance costa rica customs department puts on it. Ehlers cars is your place for buying a car in costa rica. If we dont have what you are looking for, we can help you find. Overland transport to the port will add to the price. Nextcar of san jose costa rica sjo nextcar car rental.
Bringing your car to costa rica is actually very easy. If you have leather seats, air conditioning, automatic transmission, anything that costa rica considers a luxury the cost is even more. Retail value is determined by the costa rican government and is usually much higher than the kelly blue book value. Here is what you should know about buying a vehicle in costa rica and the. Let our knowledgeable and friendly sales staff is ready to help you find the vehicle you deserve and priced for your budget. Should i buy a used car in costa rica then sell it costa rica forum. Expect to pay 55% on cars from 20042007 and 80% on cars older than 1998. The cost of owning a car in costa rica two weeks in.
Carcosta rent a car is a local, independently owned company established with the goal of providing affordable and reliable car rental services adhering to the highest standards in costa rica. Look up what a 2010 toyota four runner or nissan pathfinder goes for. This is the sum of the market value, freight and freight insurance. Just a short trip from the thrifty car rental costa rica offers an africa safari experience the whole family can enjoy about 21. You and your loved ones can easily spend hours at the park getting a chance to see giraffes, camels, zebras, and much more in open areas. However, some car rental companies will let you drop off your car in costa rica, cross the border on foot and pick up a new car on the other side of the border for a fee of around 29,585 svc 50 usd. You hit reserve and think youre getting an absolute steal for your rental car. Is the car appropriate for costa rican roads, which are often unpaved. Importing a car to costa rica is actually very easy. When moving to costa rica, many expats wonder whether they should bring their car from home or buy something when they get down there well it depends.
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