induna

Encuentra 24 Is filled with dealer ads, many of which post low-ball prices. Many of the dealer cars are US imports that have been damaged or have salvage titles. My free advice, for what it's worth, is to by a car that was originally sold new in CR, and have a good, trusted mechanic look it over thoroughly. A car sold new here will have a complete record and guaranteed dealer support, especially if it is a Toyota. Parts should always be available locally. Ironically, many Costa Ricans think it is better to buy a US car because the roads are better. I think that many don't know about road salt. In any case, take your time, know what you want/need, and have a good mechanic check it out. I also recommend using your own notario for the transfer, since they are responsible for verifying the car's data, legal status, fines, liens, etc. The seller's notario may not be working in your interest. This is probably not necessary, but I grew up in the North East and I never trust a car salesperson.

There is no sales tax on cars. You do have to pay a transfer fee when the ownership is changed in the registro nacional -- the amount is a fixed percentage based on the Hacienda value of the vehicle, not the sales price. You also have to pay the notario. You can determine whether or not a car was imported quite easily from the license plate number -- if the number is high and the vehicle is old, it is imported -- or from the Registro nacional's website. You can also pull up information on the owner and see when they bought the vehicle. On the Cosevi website you can lookup the accident and infraction history of the car in Costa Rica.

I haven't given up, Eleanor, I've just been really busy lately. I'm more than happy to discuss/share about the issues of the day here. Let's give it a go in another thread or two. I think what Carlos et al have been trying to do is really interesting, and important. Oh and I could give a rat's culo where to eat in Chepe, but that's just me.

It's not lack of interest, just lack of time and energy at the moment. And yes, this forum probably needs to evolve a bit, but I think there may be a more fundamental problem. It seems to me that there are many N Americans that really don't want to know anything about Costa Rica other than how to get by. These folks mostly just want to talk to other folks like themselves. These conversations often turn into semi paranoid complaint fests that are beyond tedious, and generally end up violating the rules of the forums. The other large group are the generally well asimilated who speak Spanish, have Tico friends, and who don't care much any more about other gringos per se and their self inflicted problems. And then we have the newbies who come here for information, and some for "like minds", who can jump into either group, or give up and go back. The first group is tedious, at best. The second are all busy living their lives. So, only the newbies are generating any new posts, and these are often repetitive. The way forward is to get group 2 more active, but I'm not sure how you do that.

Congrats. La Migra in the States can be a real pain. I have never known anyone who has had a good experience, even when the outcome was good. Your patience has been rewarded. So now you all are a TicoGringo and a GringaTica.

Currently most of the electric companies in Costa Rica have three tiers of pricing. One up to 50kwhrs, another from 50-250kwhrs, and another above 250kwhrs. The more you use, the higher the rate. There is some variation on this scheme, and some areas have smart meters that allow for different prices at different times of the day. In many parts of the country heat and AC are unnecessary. In my smallish house, we have no AC, no heat, and no hot water other than electric showers. We have a newish, efficient fridge and washer, and we have and use an electric dryer. We use about 180kwhrs a month and pay about 13 mil or so. If you use AC, which you probably will at the beach, you will go way over 250kwhrs and will have a large electric bill. Above 250kwhrs, the rate is around 170 colones per kwhr, or nearly ¢30. This is certainly more than double what you pay in the States. This is why electric bills at the beach are high.

Maybe James should buy one of Newman's tuk-tuks and keep it as a backup?

And lawsuits here are decided by judges who determine damages based on technical information and not on emotion. Juries are much more likely to assign very high damages.

Yes, it is. I'm just saying that some people seem to be implying that having a car in an SA protects the driver from liability. It doesn't. Insurance is relatively cheap. I believe we pay a bit over 10 mil a month for 400 million in third party injury protection and 60 million in third party property damage. That is a lot of coverage here. I don't carry coverage for theft/collision. Where I live theft is not an issue, and since Costa Rica is a strict fault jurisdiction, I will only have to pay to repair my car if the accident is my fault, or the other driver is uninsured. My car isn't worth much, any?, more than the 6 million coverage that the marchamo provides. So even if the other driver has the minimum coverage I should get my money back. I'm willing to self insure for damage to my car that is my fault.

However, if you as the driver of the vehicle are found liable, your personal assets, including those held by SAs in which you own shares, can be attached to pay damages. Simply because a vehicle is owned by a Persona Jurídica doesn't absolve the driver of said vehicle of all criminal and civil responsibility. If you're drunk and run over a family you're going to jail. If you're on your phone, cross the center line and cause an accident, you will be liable.

There are many different kinds of Bonos de Vivienda available through many agencies and for many different types of needy populations. It is very unlikely that there is any significant amount of information on these in English. Why would there be? Many of these Bonos are administered through third parties and every town has agencies advertising these services. Maybe a place to start, but be wary. Or just go straight to the Municipalidad and ask a lot of questions. That's more legwork, but maybe a better approach. Or go to your local CenCenai or Pani and ask what they know...

Why not talk to the Municipalidad of Zarcero? They should have all the records from that time.

It was declared unconstitutional only for procedural errors in the way the law was promulgated. The tax itself presented no constitutional problems. Therefore once the procedural errors were corrected by the asemblea, the tax was reinstated. The asemblea took advantage of the fact that they had to revisit the law to make some sensible changes. La Nación and El Financiero are your friends

Do you currently, or have you ever, lived here?

Hmm, I think if I were selling a property worth millions of dollars, I'd consider a plane ticket and hotel to meet the prospective buyer, no matter where in the world they lived, a very cheap investment. Of course since I do not, nor shall ever, own such a property it's all academic.

But I think you all are forgetting that they can't take their guns with them to either Costa Rica or Canada, so those countries are both out. I think Mexico better be careful. Perhaps they'll try to annex Sonora or Chihuahua? Los Filibusteros Part II.

It is still working its way through the asemblea, but I believe it will ultimately pass. The current proposal will reduce the tax on inactive SAs to around 60 mil, and will create a sliding fee for active SAs based on their revenues. Since almost all the proceeds go to the police, and there is a significant crime wave caused by narcos in the GAM, there is a lot of pressure to pass it. JMHO.

Gringo y soberbio se encuentran juntos frecuentemente, pero, gracias a dios, no siempre.

Eleanor, Yes, the fee to renounce is $2,350. They get you coming and going.

The new leadership in the asamblea has put the bill to reinstate the impuestos sobre personas jurídicas on a fast track. The good news is that the tax on inactive SAs will go down to 65 mil or so. We'll see.

The thing about Armies is that if you have one, it's very difficult not to use it, even when it really isn't a good idea. I wonder how our ongoing conflict with Nicaragua over the Isla Calero would be playing out if Costa Rica also had a military. The pressure on chief executives to show that they are "strong" and "decisive" can be almost unbearable, leading to predictably tragic outcomes. It takes a lot of courage and foresight to deny oneself such a tempting tool. ¡Saludos a Don Pepe y el pueblo costarricense!

Interdicting drugs destined for the US and enforcing US drug policy. The Coast Guard isn't doing this for CR's benefit.

Living on the border with Panamá, the difference between a militarized state like Panamá and Costa Rica couldn't be clearer. Well done Costa Rica! I am very happy to know the that none of the young people who I see every day will have to die on the battlefield, nor have their parents been irrevocably changed by War. In a time in which we clearly seem to have forgotten the horrible lessons of the last century, Costa Rica is clear example that we can do things differently.

I agree. The only things I buy in Paso Canoas are things I can't buy locally. The local Gollo is a big favorite of mine, not to mention the ferretería. The only reason I mentioned Canoas is because that is where I go to find the hard to find because it is less than an hour away. Plus the road from San Vito to Ciudad Neily, which is on the way, has got to be one of the prettiest in Costa Rica, and that is saying something. If I ever tried to move to the GAM my wife would toss me in a heart beat and inform Migración that I'm no longer her dependent Anyhow, to stay on topic, I'm sure the new mall will be great for those who like malls and what they have to offer.

Paso Canoas is definitely an acquired taste, but it beats the heck out of going to Chepe!