I am new to the forum so please go easy on me!
I am interested in buying an FJ45 in Central America and making the long drive home to Charleston, South Carolina. There are plenty of threads regarding importing via container/RORO, plenty of travel threads regarding driving the PanAm Highway, and plenty of threads regarding expats buying vehicles in CA, but none regarding driving a purchased vehicle home, hope this helps someone other than myself.
I am 26, not married (yet!), and quitting my 9-5 job. As a last hurrah before life gets too serious I would like to take some travel time and do what I enjoy most: working on cars, traveling and surfing. Planning to purchase a mechanically sound FJ45 in Costa Rica (or Panama) and taking three weeks to drive home. My questions are:
1. Has anyone made this sort of trip before?
2. I understand title transfers in countries are different everywhere, which country is best to shoot for?
3. Will I need a customs broker at Texas border? or can I handle importing by myself?
4. Once imported into states do I need to trailer the vehicle home on U haul?
5. would a gas or diesel variant be preferred for this distance? Anything particular to be aware of when buying for a trip this length (other than the obvious maintenance)
6. New insurance requirements in every country?
7. Any reliability that the cars I have found online for sale (Encuentra24) will be around by the time I can get down there assuming I have contacted buyer? or Should I plan to just fly down and figure it out once I've landed?
To be clear, I am a good shade tree mechanic having restored multiple 70's ford 4x4's, wranglers, and 2 stroke motorcycles (This would be my first toyota!) I am a capable traveler (road trips through north africa, baja, and costa rica), I speak a good bit of spanish but certainly not fluent. I have delt with imports briefly with Indian TukTuk's. Lastly, This would not be a get rich quick scheme! The trip is half the fun for me, why spend $5000 on shipping/importing fees when I could spend $2500 on a dream trip.
If you have read this far I am truly grateful. Thank you for any and all help!
I am interested in buying an FJ45 in Central America and making the long drive home to Charleston, South Carolina. There are plenty of threads regarding importing via container/RORO, plenty of travel threads regarding driving the PanAm Highway, and plenty of threads regarding expats buying vehicles in CA, but none regarding driving a purchased vehicle home, hope this helps someone other than myself.
I am 26, not married (yet!), and quitting my 9-5 job. As a last hurrah before life gets too serious I would like to take some travel time and do what I enjoy most: working on cars, traveling and surfing. Planning to purchase a mechanically sound FJ45 in Costa Rica (or Panama) and taking three weeks to drive home. My questions are:
1. Has anyone made this sort of trip before?
2. I understand title transfers in countries are different everywhere, which country is best to shoot for?
3. Will I need a customs broker at Texas border? or can I handle importing by myself?
4. Once imported into states do I need to trailer the vehicle home on U haul?
5. would a gas or diesel variant be preferred for this distance? Anything particular to be aware of when buying for a trip this length (other than the obvious maintenance)
6. New insurance requirements in every country?
7. Any reliability that the cars I have found online for sale (Encuentra24) will be around by the time I can get down there assuming I have contacted buyer? or Should I plan to just fly down and figure it out once I've landed?
To be clear, I am a good shade tree mechanic having restored multiple 70's ford 4x4's, wranglers, and 2 stroke motorcycles (This would be my first toyota!) I am a capable traveler (road trips through north africa, baja, and costa rica), I speak a good bit of spanish but certainly not fluent. I have delt with imports briefly with Indian TukTuk's. Lastly, This would not be a get rich quick scheme! The trip is half the fun for me, why spend $5000 on shipping/importing fees when I could spend $2500 on a dream trip.
If you have read this far I am truly grateful. Thank you for any and all help!