Cost of Autos in CR

You can calculate vehicle costs on this site - hacienda.go.cr/msib21/Templates/HomeContentTemplate.aspx?NRMODE=Published&NRORIGINALURL=%2fmsib21&NRNODEGUID=%7b6B81D945-6ADA-4221-8D1D-C25BCDCEEAD5%7d&NRCACHEHINT=Guest]but be forewarned, it is in Spanish.  There is also some good information here - /wheelscr.com/.  It will cost approximately 10% of what you pay for a vehicle to get all the paperwork, taxes, etc done.

This fellow can help you out: Mike Rappaport - 506-2573-8767 or on Skype rappmike1, or e-mail [email protected]  Give him the VIN and he can look up the duty and he can give you a good estimate on what it will cost to ship the car here.

The duty on a car brought in will be a lower percentage for a newer car, higher percentage as you go back in time, but usually the market price drops faster than the percentage, so you save some. If you realize that cars here cost about 2 to 3 times what they would in the States, then that gives you an idea what you're up against (else everyone here would import their cars).

Diesel is about $5.50/gal, gas about $6/gal. Parts are the same or higher than in the States, but a good mechanic is quite inexpensive. Despite lower maintenance costs per repair you have to take into account that outside San José many of the roads are awful and will wear out your car faster.

Casey
adullroar.blogspot.com -A Dull Roar - Moving to, Retiring in, Living with Costa Rica

Well, this is great news.  On another forum, a guy who claims to have lived there for over a decade said you cannot even bring in a used car.  He also said that importing a new car brings a tax of 45%.  Is this crazy talk?

Well, of course you can bring in a used car. It's just that with shipping and duty it might not be worth it. The schedule for the amount of tax to pay is incredibly detailed. They basically take the VIN and can figure out engine size, all options, etc. and look it up. You also have to pay the yearly Marchamo, which is essentially a property tax and includes basic insurance. It's tied to the value of the car (what they say it's worth). The car will also have to pass a safety inspection yearly. We call that RTV. It's right now about 20 bucks the first visit, $10 the next (except for gases) if you have to come back. They are talking about raising that rate significantly, but most Ticos despise RTV, so I doubt they'd get it through.

What if we drive a car down from North America? WE would just have to pay the duty on the value of the car and get a safety check?

Hi,

My husdand and I drove down from the US twice. Once from Chicago and then from Florida. Whether you drive the car down or ship it, you will be allowed to have a temporary permit for 90 days. After the 90 days, you will have two options, you either take the car out of the country or you will have to import it and pay the taxes.

Whether bringing a car down is a good idea, depends on how much you paid for the car. You paid 50% of the market value of the car in the US, then it will be worth it. Otherwise, it would be better just to buy one here.

I think that if you want to optimize importing a car to Costa Rica, the best way is to get a car that's at least 10 years old and make sure it's in very good mechanical condition. That way you'll pay the lowest duty and still have a great car. That would work even if you pay 100% of the market value in the U.S. as any comparable car here (even if older) is going to be at minimum twice the cost as in the U.S.

A Dull Roar

That was our theory too when we bought a 1997 Toyota 4 Runner. the other thing to consider is the availability of parts for any car you bring in as well as the knowledge of CR mechanics to work on the car.  I really wanted a Jeep but getting parts is cost prohibitive whereas Toyota has dealers in CR and there are already lots of them in-country. I've been told that cars in CR may not have the same safety features as those in the U.S.  All things to explore.

Can someone please clarify the taxes on importing a car?  The above posts say that it's a lower tax rate the older the car is.  However, I found a site on CR laws that says the tax rate gets HIGHER the older the car is. 
http://www.costaricalaw.com/Customs-and … taxes.html

Yes, the tax rate rises as the car gets older, but overall it diminishes. There is a database you can access online that will tell you the exact amount. Maybe someone else has the URL?

crenvy wrote:

Yes, the tax rate rises as the car gets older, but overall it diminishes.

OK, so the only reason that the tax diminishes is just that the car is cheaper?  So a car worth $4,000 would pay lower taxes than a car worth $14,000.  I can understand that.  But if the tax rate on the $4,000 car is higher, then the better value is to bring in the newer car.  That's how I would see it.  I'm just trying to be sure I understand.  Overall, it seems best to buy a car in CR and not mess with it, despite the fact that cars are more expensive there.