Marcharmo

The “Marcharmo” is the annual minimum liability insurance you are required to pay for all vehicles, motorcycles, or ATVs in Costa Rica.  You can pay the Marcharmo from November 1^st to December 31^st each year and the value is based on the make, model, and year of your vehicle.

The Marcharmo is not cheap and for a 2008 SUV I will pay around $800 this year, ouch!  Even an older car, motorcycle, or ATV can pay around $200.  This is a requirement and no way around it.  In fact anyone caught after January 1^st without the new decal on their front windshield will be subject to hefty fines and even getting your car impounded and towed.  Best believe the “Traficos” / “Transitos” or Transit Police will be out in full force around the entire country stopping cars at various check point searching for current Marcharmo stickers.

You can pay your Marcharmo online, at any local bank, or insurance office.   You can check how much you owe for Marcharmo and pay for it on the INS website.  In order to pay your Marcharmo you have to have all traffic tickets and parking tickets paid and if not; they will be added to the total cost of your Marcharmo.  You also have to have a current Revision Technica Vehiculo (R.T.V.) inspection sticker, which is the annual inspection every car, motorcycle, and ATV must pass to prove it is worthy of the road.

So pay your Marcharmo on time, or else your New Year will not start out too well!

Buying a Car in Costa Rica

This can be an overwhelming endeavor looking for a quality used car in Costa Rica.  Many of the cars have been driven on bad roads and are super expensive compared to their comparable U.S. make and model.  There is a heavy import tax on cars here, which is reflected in the prices.  It can be discouraging when looking for a car and may take several trips to various dealerships and looking at for sale by owner vehicles.

Used Car from a Dealer on CRAutos.com

The best website by far for searching used cars in Costa Rica is: www.crautos.com; which I used to sell my old SUV and find another one.  It has new cars too, but those were way too expensive for us.  The used section has cars from all over the country posted by individual sellers, used car dealers, and certified used cars from the larger dealerships.  The best selection is in the capital city of San Jose, but many sellers bring their car there from other areas to sell it; so this is no guarantee it was driven on good city roads.

Most of the Used Car Dealers offer Financing

The best types of cars to have in Costa Rica are Toyota, Nissan, and Mitsubishi due to their common and available parts.  Also Hyundai, Kia, and Suzuki are good for less expensive options.  American car makers are slowly gaining ground here and you see some more Fords, Chevys, and Dodges driving around; but still not too many.  When I moved here in 2005, I brought my 98’ Dodge Durango with V8 gasoline engine and automatic transmission, big BIG mistake.  At that time there were no Dodge parts outside of the dealership in San Jose and they were extremely expensive.  Eventually the transmission went out and it cost a bunch to fix it in order to just sell it.

4×4 Diesel SUV

Where we live near Dominical in the Southern Zone of Costa Rica a 4×4 is recommended (needed) and diesel engines are more economical at the pump.   In the city areas you can have a normal sedan car, but out on the coasts an SUV or truck is best for the mountains and some of the beach accesses.  Also manual transmissions are much better for the mountain roads and 4×4 terrains; which I learned the hard way after my next car (2001 Mitsubishi Montero diesel) automatic transmission went out as well.  Needless to say now we got a manual transmission diesel!

No matter what type of car you are in the market for, have patience and take your time looking for the best option available.  And good luck, because you will need it!!