Purchasing a vehicle in CR ????

jose1954 wrote:

When I think of the cost of purchasing a vehicle in CR has anyone just cabbed it for the first 6 months or so then decided if purchasing made sense?
I plan on looking for a rental in the Santa Ana, Escazu area and will do most of my day to day in these areas. Assume 5-10 cab's per week round trip to restaurants, groceries, bank, etc etc. per week.
When you consider price of purchasing a car, insurance, gas, repairs, parking,,,,,,,
May be cheaper to cab it for a while, has anybody gone this route for a while?

Hi Jose, we did not use cabs, but I can see how in some cases it would be better. Even if you live a ways out of town it can be cheaper to take a cab if you consider the marchamo, RTV, gas prices, repair prices, tire prices, insurance prices, and the high price of the car to begin with.

We live out in the boonies and the only reason we went with the CAR instead of using a taxi is the convenience of it.

I am the sole driver of an older 4wd car. I pay about $55/month for full coverage insurance (but it's not as good as "full coverage" in the USA, not at all. Gas is I think around 50% more than in the USA. The first 6 months after buying our used car we had like $600 or more worth of repairs to do. (YMMV)

When we went to RTV yearly inspection we had to drive back a 2nd time after fixing some stuff so that was costly in terms of money and time. 

When we were in the USA we had a later model car in beautiful working condition that I never had to worry about; and for the money I sold it for there, ($8k), here we got an old beat 4wd that has broken down a few times and does not give me confidence when I go anywhere.  So consider also the idea of an old used car possibly breaking down and leaving you to have it towed and then repaired!

What I am saying is one should look very closely at whether one needs a car or not and if not, don't get one! If we lived anywhere near a bus line and closer to town we would use the bus and taxis instead.

Based on where you plan to live taking taxis might well be a cheaper alternative. Ask around for cab prices and base it on that plus the expenses of insurance, gas, rtv etc.

Thank you, appreciate your insights. The more we think about it our plans are not to buy a car in the first six months, make sure CR is where we want to finally retire, then look at car, furniture, and possibly buying.
We plan on visiting different areas/ cities in the country and will get a rental for trips outside the San Jose area.
Finding a nice, safe, 2-3 bedroom furnished apartment in the Escazu /Santa Rosa area first and see what area in CR we want to settle in. Do you see any downside to this approach?

I would use uber, while deciding if you want to live here permanently or not. Buying a car is an expensive proposition, but you will get most of your money back upon selling it.
I bought a 4x4 pickup, a 2008 turbodiesel. It cost $22,000, and I have never had any problems with it.
It gets great gas mileage, and I can go anywhere in the country worry free. I've had several people ask me to sell it to them, so when it is time to sell, I'm sure I'll get most, if not all, my money back. The extra freedom to explore the country, when and where you want, is worth a lot to me.
However, if you are going to stay in one area, just uber it. Good luck!

Thanks, I think that is the plan, uber for a while.. When we want to explore other parts of CR we will rent a vehicle for a couple of days.
Have been to Manuel Antonio, Tamarindo, Jaco, and Arenal. So far Escazu and surrounding areas, seem to minimize "adjustment" from state side conveniences,both my wife and I speak fluent Spanish. Appreciate your comments.

When my wife and I moved to CR, we wanted to slow down and get away from the crime and traffic, something San Jose has a great abundance of.   To each his own!

I like the idea of low crime, minimal traffic, that is attractive as well, if I may ask what area are you living in?