Hi all, after finishing Uni (In the Netherlands) i want to
travel to central America. To do this as economicly (time
and moneywise) i think of buying a used car in California,
use it for about FOUR months and sell it in Costa Rica.
However i have some general questions about the feasibility
of this idea?
- Legal. CAN i do this legally and can i get insurance on it
- Financial. Is this economicly a good idea, will i not
loose too much money on this? Is gas cheap there?
- Safety. Will a car with a US license plate be attacked
easily by streetkids?
- Bureaucracy, Hassles at border crossings
- Road conditions, direction signs, road maps?
- Will i be able too share rides by travelling with other
backpackers
Thanks in advance for your thoughts
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First..you must check with a Costa Rican consulate as to the
legality. When you enter the country, usual policy in latin
america is to stamp in your passport that you came with a
car. If at the end you don't have a car you better have legal
proof of sale or you'll find yourself paying buko bucks. A
California car is going to have an emission system that needs
unleaded gas. Anything else screws up the engine. It can be
converted but costs. Its not the street kids to worry about.
Gringo plates show as dollar signs in the eyes of cops. Road
signs are merely a nice idea. You can buy insurance in every
country. Some of the big Mexican agencies..available at the
border of the US/Mex...sell policies for Central America.
As to the economics of the thing...given all the risks..I
wouldn't do it and I've been going down there since '76.
Buses are cheap and if they don't go somewhere you aren't
getting there in a car. Go to have fun and not drive a pile
of worries. Not worth it for the few bucks you will make. You
could end up losing a bundle if something goes wrong. If you
do decide to risk it try taking a pickup. Handles the roads
better. Probably easier to sell off the books in the
countryside. Yeh there are ways to do it illegally...own set
of risks.
To obtain license plates and register your car in Costa
Rica there is a heavy tax depending on the year of the
vehicle. maybe 30% of its value. Personally I do not think
it is a good idea. To get through the red tape you also may
have to hire organizations to help you or a lawyer.
just a bit of advice... from my own experience.
i bought a car in california, when i entered mexico i had to
sign a form where i promise to bring the car out of mexico
in 6 months (and they took my credit card number).
the car died in durango (mexico) and it took me 3 days and
all my italian/spanish to clear the situation. at the end i
had to donate the car to the local mexican tax office,
otherwise i would have to pay up to 4000 $!!!
for the rest it is good fun.
good luck
max
so..
my general conclusion is that i can better write off this
idea and do the trip by local transport. Like busses and
maybe a few trains. Thanks for the advice, Bob, Mick and
Max. I was just asking because it's common practice in more
expensive regions in the world, like Europe, Australia and
Northern America, where it pays off in the end.