Life in Costa Rica

We went to San Jose for one night and came home four days later with a 2005 Toyota 4Runner, a story I’m still telling people, and a better understanding of how the car buying process works in this country. Buckle up literally.

The Plan vs. The Reality

The plan was to drive down, look at a few cars, spend the night, and drive home. What actually happened was days of dealerships, a couple of mechanic shops, and a couple of we bought a car from at their kitchen table, and a lawyer’s office in Grecia on a Sunday.

Why We Even Bought the Car in Lee’s Name

Quick bit of context before the story: we bought the 4Runner in Lee’s name specifically. Once we finalize our business LLC here in Costa Rica, we’ll transfer ownership of the car into the company (which helps towards the $150,000 investment requirement for Lee’s investor visa). This wasn’t just about “we needed a car”, it was also part of a much bigger, longer process.

The Search: Facebook Marketplace and a Lot of Offended Mechanics

Before we ever left Monteverde, we spent hours scouring Facebook Marketplace – sending listings back and forth to each other, narrowing things down, and ruling cars out before we ever saw them in person. Lee is a mechanic, which turned out to be the single most helpful resource we had for this whole process. He could tell within minutes what was actually wrong with a jeep versus what a seller was hoping we wouldn’t notice.

At more than one mechanic shop, the mechanics there felt genuinely offended that Lee could spot issues as quickly as they could. Not actually upset, but surprised to find that the gringo standing in their shop knew exactly what he was looking at. We looked at so many jeeps between dealerships and independent mechanic shops that they all started to blur together.

Yes, the Gringo Tax Is Real Here Too

We look like foreigners in this country and car shopping is one of those areas where that’s most obvious. Prices had a way of adjusting depending on who was asking and we felt it more than once in this search. It’s not always the case or the default, but it was enough that Lee’s mechanical eye also acted as a way to spot inflated asking prices.

Sunday: Three Cars, One Winner

By Sunday we had narrowed it down to three cars to go see: the 4Runner, a Toyota Tacoma that was way outside our budget, and another jeep. I drove the 4Runner and was all in, I loved it. We told the sellers we still had two other cars to look at that day and would let them know. After a couple more hours of sitting at their house talking through everything, Lee just looked at me and said, “just buy it”. So we did.

$18,000 cash for a 2005 4Runner. This tells you something about how expensive cars are here, but this particular car earned it. New leather seats, new steering wheel, low mileage for its age, and a fun fact that it originally came from the United States before landing here.

The Lawyer’s Office, On a Sunday

The couple we bought it from had their own attorney on hand and he handled the entire transaction that same day (on a Sunday, which honestly surprised us). In Costa Rica, a car sale is not legally valid without a notary/attorney involved. Their job is to draft the official bill of sale, find on the national registry that the car has no debts, fines, or liens attached, then file the transfer (called the traspaso) with the National Registry. The buyer typically covers this cost, which is usually a few hundred dollars plus a transfer fee based on the car’s registered value (not necessarily what you paid for it).

A couple of hours in that office in Grecia, just outside San Jose, and we walked out with the keys to our new-to-us car.

The Part I Didn’t See Coming

The sweet couple we bought the car from was planning on Ubering back to their place (around 25 minutes away) and it didn’t feel right to just drive off so we had Lee take them home in our rental car. Which means I drove the 4Runner back towards San Jose, alone, at night, with Slade, without Lee being in the car with me. I’m not sure if I was scared, but after it was all over, I will admit I’m still not totally confident on the roads in San Jose and the interstate.

The Detour We Were Not Expecting

On the way to the lawyer’s office in Grecia, we stumbled into a road that was lined, back to back, with used car dealerships. Something that never once showed up in any of our online searches. If you’re an expat without a mechanical background who doesn’t feel confident navigating through Facebook Marketplace or private sales on your own, that’s a move as well. Used car dealer rows like that exist, though are often not easy to find online. Having a lot of options side by side to compare and test-drive in one afternoon is worth a lot when you don’t have Lee checking engines for you.

What I’d Want Other Expats Know

No financing as a tourist. If you don’t have residency yet, you pay cash.

The attorney isn’t optional. Every legal car sale in Costa Rica goes through a notary/attorney (whether you buy from a dealership or a private seller). They verify that the car has no debts/liens, draft any sale documents, and file the ownership transfer with the National Registry.

Insurance has two parts. Every car in Costa Rica carries the Marchamo, an annual tax which includes mandated basic liability insurance, but that only covers injuries to other people (not your own car). To get coverage for your vehicle (theft, damage, vandalism) you need to add voluntary insurance on top of that through a provider like INS or a private insurer.

Have a mechanic with you if you possibly can. We got lucky that Lee knew what he was looking at. If you don’t have it built in, lean on a dealership route or the help of someone who does – used cars here take a beating on these roads and it shows.

Where We Landed

We’re happy with the 4Runner, and actually glad it worked out the way it did for the young couple as well (they needed the money for home renovations) and it felt good knowing this car was going towards something that mattered to both ends of the deal. One slightly chaotic Sunday, one lawyer’s office in Grecia, and one very long drive home later, we now have our own to get us up and down this mountain.