Driving Back from CA with a New Truck

[killerpizza]

I've been digging around for a few days trying to answer some specific questions and haven't quite found the info I'm looking for.

This is what I'm scheming: Buying a vehicle in Central America (probably not South America, but I may venture into the Columbia to Panama hurdle) and driving it back to the states.

My questions revolve around title transfer, foreign registration, and crossing borders in this fashion:

- Will I be able to title and register in Panama/Costa Rica/Etc. with a US passport?
- How will the difference in passport and title affect me crossing from one country to the next?

I've dug into this a ton and understand what I'm getting into here. Right now it's about determining logistics and forming a workable plan for this.

Thanks for any advice or experience, please let me know if there are other relevent threads, sub-forums, or external forums more appropriate for this!

 

[SNLC]

I've been digging around for a few days trying to answer some specific questions and haven't quite found the info I'm looking for.

This is what I'm scheming: Buying a vehicle in Central America (probably not South America, but I may venture into the Columbia to Panama hurdle) and driving it back to the states.

My questions revolve around title transfer, foreign registration, and crossing borders in this fashion:

- Will I be able to title and register in Panama/Costa Rica/Etc. with a US passport?

No you will not. You need residency to register it in your name. Some countries, only a citizen not a resident can export a vehicle. To obtain residency depends on country, some it can get expensive and take more than six months if you even get approved. It is a complicated process where you must follow the rules to the "T" and pay a lawyer to make sure it is done right. It is not something you are just going to do sitting here at your PC so you can drive your dream truck (not a legal US import) back to the USA.

- How will the difference in passport and title affect me crossing from one country to the next?

You are asking for serious problems to try and drive a truck across CA and Mexico if you do not have the following; vehicle titled in your name in whatever country it is registered in, ie Costa Rica. Passport, obviously for crossing borders. Drivers license. The hard part there is vehicle registered in your name in such and such country. Border crossings can be extremely hectic, confusing and full of corrupt officials working with the locals to scam you. You would be crossing one of the worst in all of the Americas, El Amatillo between Honduras and El Salvador.

I've dug into this a ton and understand what I'm getting into here. Right now it's about determining logistics and forming a workable plan for this.

Thanks for any advice or experience, please let me know if there are other relevent threads, sub-forums, or external forums more appropriate for this!

Ok so you know you would be smuggling in an illegal vehicle?

I have driven from Wyoming to Panama and back three times, mostly by myself. More than 35,000 miles logged on the roads in Latin America and as you can imagine, many months. So I ask you this,

-Have you ever been to Latin America?
-Do you speak Spanish?
-Have you ever driven in Latin America? I mean more than a car rental in CR to go surfing.
-Do you have logistical support in Latin America in the way of trusty friends, a lawyer, an accountant and so forth?
-Are you ready and capable of dealing with corrupt cops who may try and extort or bribe you while you are road tripping back up here?
-Are you capable of fixing a vehicle yourself on the road in Latin America?
-Are you afraid of narcos, gangsters, thieves, dirty poor people or militarized police?
-Are you intimated easily? Do you consider yourself a vulnerable person who gets taken advantage of?
-What are you going to do with the Cruiser once it is here? You realize you can not import it legally if it is newer than 25yrs old right? So while you may be able to obtain a title you will never get it cleared by the feds.
-Are you talking about something like a double cab 79-series pickup or a 76-series wagon or a 78-series Troopy to drive back? These from say 2010-present will run you $20-60k. Are you willing to spend that kind of coin and then risk it all with a drive north!? All it takes is one guy with a gun in your face and bye bye $60k Cruiser!

Cheers

 

[killerpizza]

No you will not. You need residency to register it in your name. Some countries, only a citizen not a resident can export a vehicle. To obtain residency depends on country, some it can get expensive and take more than six months if you even get approved. It is a complicated process where you must follow the rules to the "T" and pay a lawyer to make sure it is done right. It is not something you are just going to do sitting here at your PC so you can drive your dream truck (not a legal US import) back to the USA.

Thank you, this is exactly the kind of first hand expertise I was hoping for. It's really tough to determine how those types of laws would apply to a foreigner and from your description, even the first few steps are pretty much a no-go on my plan.

You are asking for serious problems to try and drive a truck across CA and Mexico if you do not have the following; vehicle titled in your name in whatever country it is registered in, ie Costa Rica. Passport, obviously for crossing borders. Drivers license. The hard part there is vehicle registered in your name in such and such country. Border crossings can be extremely hectic, confusing and full of corrupt officials working with the locals to scam you. You would be crossing one of the worst in all of the Americas, El Amatillo between Honduras and El Salvador.

I'd heard conflicting reports about how treacherous that drive can be. Some said it was the sketiest thing they'd ever attempted, others said it was no big deal and all the locals were a charm. So, adding the nearly-insurmountable challenges of steps 1 2 3, this makes it real tough.

Ok so you know you would be smuggling in an illegal vehicle?

I have driven from Wyoming to Panama and back three times, mostly by myself. More than 35,000 miles logged on the roads in Latin America and as you can imagine, many months. So I ask you this,

-Have you ever been to Latin America?
-Do you speak Spanish?
-Have you ever driven in Latin America? I mean more than a car rental in CR to go surfing.
-Do you have logistical support in Latin America in the way of trusty friends, a lawyer, an accountant and so forth?
-Are you ready and capable of dealing with corrupt cops who may try and extort or bribe you while you are road tripping back up here?
-Are you capable of fixing a vehicle yourself on the road in Latin America?
-Are you afraid of narcos, gangsters, thieves, dirty poor people or militarized police?
-Are you intimated easily? Do you consider yourself a vulnerable person who gets taken advantage of?
-What are you going to do with the Cruiser once it is here? You realize you can not import it legally if it is newer than 25yrs old right? So while you may be able to obtain a title you will never get it cleared by the feds.
-Are you talking about something like a double cab 79-series pickup or a 76-series wagon or a 78-series Troopy to drive back? These from say 2010-present will run you $20-60k. Are you willing to spend that kind of coin and then risk it all with a drive north!? All it takes is one guy with a gun in your face and bye bye $60k Cruiser!

Cheers

It would not be illegal, I'm aware of the 25 year import law which is why I was interested in specific logistics. I was looking into skipping the shipping expense and get a good adventure in at the same time.

Without going through you're whole questionnaire, I'd feel confident making the drive, but again because of the implied nightmare of just getting on the road, this is looking like a 95% no-go, dumb idea. Don't take me as naive for looking into this, I had just gotten through all the steps except the drive and wanted to know how realistic or feasible it could be. From your thorough and very helpful response, I'm putting this idea on the back-back burner while exploring other options.

I really appreciate your response! Enormously helpful!

 

[SNLC]

No probs.

It can be a mellow drive for sure but it can also not be. I like to plan for the worst and when the worst doesn't happen, perfect!

I am not telling you to not do it, I am telling you to have your ducks all in a row and be ready to do it right and the legal way.

Personally, I highly enjoy driving across Latin America but it is most definitely not for 98% of people out there. I have gotten to the point where it is no big deal. My first drive down though, shipping parts from the USA and fixing it myself in Belize, getting bribed by cops and border officials in many countries and even got rear ended in San Salvador. First time at anything is always the most challenging but also the most adventurous and if I dare say, fun!

Cheers

 

[Matt N]

Can you keep me in the loop if you end up doing this? I’m in Costa Rica now and had to search this topic...

Maybe we can convoy?

Thank you, this is exactly the kind of first hand expertise I was hoping for. It's really tough to determine how those types of laws would apply to a foreigner and from your description, even the first few steps are pretty much a no-go on my plan.



I'd heard conflicting reports about how treacherous that drive can be. Some said it was the sketiest thing they'd ever attempted, others said it was no big deal and all the locals were a charm. So, adding the nearly-insurmountable challenges of steps 1 2 3, this makes it real tough.



It would not be illegal, I'm aware of the 25 year import law which is why I was interested in specific logistics. I was looking into skipping the shipping expense and get a good adventure in at the same time.

Without going through you're whole questionnaire, I'd feel confident making the drive, but again because of the implied nightmare of just getting on the road, this is looking like a 95% no-go, dumb idea. Don't take me as naive for looking into this, I had just gotten through all the steps except the drive and wanted to know how realistic or feasible it could be. From your thorough and very helpful response, I'm putting this idea on the back-back burner while exploring other options.

I really appreciate your response! Enormously helpful!

 

[killerpizza]

oh man, that would be sweet. i feel for your search too, i looked all over the web for any info on how this could go with zero results.

its a daunting effort from the looks of it. the drive worries me less than the challenge of actually figuring out the titling and registration nightmare.

best case scenario, i'd start in earnest in january of 2019. what's your time frame? doing a convoy would definitely be safer.

 

[4bo4]

I have a current thread posting these same questions and have already learned a lot of great information that has kept a (very dim) light at the end of the tunnel for me. *Anybody please correct me if I am wrong* but from my research Nicaragua requires you to be a citizen to legally purchase a vehicle there so that is out. Leaving Panama and Costa Rica. ( I have not even considered Columbia, so I wont include it)

Costa Rican documents include a title search, 2.5% sales tax on purchase price, and to be present in front of a notary, a lawyer has to handle this for you, and better to find an expat who can walk you through it and one you can trust. The lawyer sends the papers off to San Jose and you wait 15 days+ for new title and registration. I have considered flying down to handle this part, storing the car, and flying back down at a later date, picking up papers from Lawyer and starting the drive home.

Panama you can handle in one day, both buyer and seller have to be present to handle the title transfer and visits to multiple offices are needed to complete everything, but you can get your new title/registration in the same day which is a plus.

Regarding the actual drive there are numerous sites covering the PanAm highway in depth, and are worth looking into.

In my opinion, and from all that I have soaked up on the topic, without having any personal experience on the topic, it is very possible, but the biggest requirement needed is time, time to plan and research, time to handle searching for the car, time to handle paperwork, time to handle closed roads, breakdowns, border crossings, and banditos (and more time always means more money)

With that being said it is still a dream of mine, good luck