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Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:29 pm

So it looks like I am going to test the waters & try living in CR for 6mths & if this turn out to be as great as i hope I will move there for the next 5years
can you say live income tx free :) ??

b4 your ask yah I have been a number of time I really liked, I recalled the major roads were nice concrete but the smaller roads were broken asphalt
/pots holes dirt
so then comes the vanagon question
for anybody with cr experience should I take it or mothball it on the Island in BC, CA for my summer back up here

-are there any parts in cr
-do ya really need 4x4

I am really leaning to getting a 4x4 sportmobile camper
http://www.sportsmobile.com/4_4x4quigley.html
for cr

Thu Feb 07, 2008 5:38 pm

Have you ever BEEN to Costa Rica??? Your Vanagon will be beat up within the first week. The roads (or what they call roads there) are horrible: narrow, paved with some sort of asphalt or concrete look a-like, and I do not believe there is one law pertaining to road traffic saftey.

However, traveling there and staying is a blast. Nice beaches, good resorts, lots of fun.

Moth ball the Vanagon. You'll be happy you did once you've driven, or have been driven around in a taxi over there.

And no, the 3 times I've been there on cruises, I've never seen one Vanagon. I saw a squareback in Jamaca once, but no VW's in Costa Rica.

Parts would have to be had from the popular vendors here or from the other web vendors. Shipping would be a bit longer.

Thu Feb 07, 2008 6:03 pm

I drove from Colorado to Costa Rica... and out of all the countries Costa Rica had the best roads by far! Highways are great but the little roads to the beach are definitly rougher...
You won't find ANY specialty parts though... I even went to some dealers and they only have parts for the Kombi (which is a very different animal). Lots of Auto Zones but you'd have to have specialty parts sent down.
I did sell my 85 vanagon to an spunky old lady in San Jose so maybe you could buy it from her for parts (I sold it for only 500 bucks and it ran great!) :cry:
I guess I'd probably leave it at home for a six month trip but defintly take it on a multiple year adventure.

Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:32 am

Get yourself a Land Rover or Toyota Land Cruiser. I sat on a balcony at a bar in San Isidro and watched a parade of cool old 4X4's go by. Those are the vehicles of choice down there. You should be able to find a good deal down there. I backpacked from Nicaragua down to Panama by riding the bus all over Costa Rica. Great way to travel and cheap. Get some culture, practice your Spanish, save some money and meet some really interesting Ticos (Costa Ricans)

Fri Feb 08, 2008 10:43 am

bmwmango wrote: Get yourself a Land Rover or Toyota Land Cruiser.
so the vanagon is gonna get mothballed ..sad
yah I have been to cz b4 a number of times I just never clued into the inc tax free that I can make down there working for an off shore co
yah looks like toyota
http://www.liveincostarica.com/blog/2007/09/vehicles-to-own-in-costa-rica.html
so LR or TLC but how do i get the camper function that why i thought the sportmobile would be the way to go

Fri Feb 08, 2008 2:46 pm

Well ... if you live there for any length of time, you're going to have to deal with the vehicle tax.... especially harsh with a new Sportmobile. You may be better off spending some time in Panama, and registering your vehicle there.

Fri Feb 08, 2008 3:21 pm

Where are you going to be working in Costa Rica? Are they looking for any other people? :) I'd love to go back. What a beautiful country.

Some of the larger Land Rovers could be converted to a camper. They have bench seats which could be extended into a fold down bed with a little ingenuity. You'd have one cool vehicle to bring home after your tour.

These are in the UK, but you can get an idea of size and prices.

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C35485

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C20777

http://www.carandclassic.co.uk/car/C22810

That 4x4 sportmobile camper looks nice, but might be too new for the locals to work on.

Watch yourself in San Jose. Good luck and have a blast.

Fri Feb 08, 2008 4:16 pm

bmwmango wrote: Where are you going to be working in Costa Rica?
gonna buy some thing like this
http://www.intertica.com/res/avc.htm
-> I am s/w geek so any where there is broadband i can hang my hat
i'll just buy some 1 to mgr this type of place :)

Fri Feb 08, 2008 5:31 pm

I just got back from 12 days in Costa Rica. AMAZING! Only a few vanagon sightings: I saw two total- a silver 90s vanagon (at Jaco) and a gold mid-late 80 vanagon (on the way into San Jose), and 3 70's era busses (not induding a rusted shell of one in a junkyard).

I can attest to the terrible roads as well. Though the major tourist routes were paved, anything off the beaten path was a parchwork of concrete, maybe blacktop, or simply a rutted out rocky path. I would cringe if I took my Westy on those roads- even the newer vehicles were caughing and wheezing and bouncing up the hills.

I must say, though, that there is a huge number of other mini-vans out there that could be used for a camper- tons of Toyota, Hyundai, Daewoo, Suzuki, and Land Rovers.

If I was going to spend some time there, I would look into the Toyota Hiace http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_Hiace- they were everywhere out there so parts and service shoud not be a problem.

I actually saw a 20 passenger VW toursit bus as well in Manuel Antonio. I had never seen one before- anyone have any info on what it could be?

good luck with the decision,
rg

Sat Feb 09, 2008 10:57 am

well I guess this is the ticket in cr
4WD Pop-Top Campervan - 4WDPT
http://au.keacampers.com/PageTransform.aspx?pageid=38&catid=25&lang=en

dependable 4WD Pop-Top Campervan - 4WDPT

being that toyota is the #1 seller cr

or maybe
http://www.costaricacampers.com/
Hyundai Grace Turbo Diesel engine,
also comes in 4x4 hmmmmmmmmm:)

Mon Aug 25, 2008 6:07 am

Quote: 20 passenger VW toursit bus

Probably the Brasilian model--VW makes several flavors of big buses and big trucks there.

Mon Aug 25, 2008 6:46 am

tclark wrote: bmwmango wrote: Get yourself a Land Rover or Toyota Land Cruiser.
so the vanagon is gonna get mothballed ..sad

so LR or TLC but how do i get the camper function that why i thought the sportmobile would be the way to go
Well, You could get a Toyota, and, since you are saving so much living tax free, I hesitate...........................................http://www.earthroamer.com/

Have to admit though, the Hiace is just screaming for a Westfalia conversion! Damn you guys~!!!!!! My wife is gonna ban me from this site!