Parts

[gene]

A little info on my experience with truck parts in costa rica...

I have a dodge ram 2500 with the cummins 5.9 and 48re 4 speed auto...

Parts are not readily available here...i was able to find a few common items such as batteries tires ujoints etc...mainly parts that are not specific to a ram 2500...

Sam and i opened a box correo joint account to be able to import things we really need. .we have discovered one has to exercis caution because a lot of parts here are chinese knockoffs...more often than not...of inferior quality...i wanted timkin bearings kyb (oem for dodge) shocks and steering stabalizer ... when i changed the cabin bushings i wanted the urethane replacements not oem rubber...

We get most of our things through amazon if they are authorized...some things i wanted ... for example...obd 2 code scanner was sold there...but was gray market...

We are vigilant ...

With our miami address...our parts are sent there to box...repackaged if necessary...and sent to c.r. via air freight ..then to customs for tax assessment ... then zapote ... and on to bagaces...very rarely does the total process take 2 weeks...we have prime which gets us 2 day free shipping to florida and 4 to 7 days to the post office in bagaces...

Over the last 2 years we had 3 errors that were corrected literally in minutes upon notifying them....

The majority of the dodge parts come from the dealer...very expensive with the import duty...a new grill (after an accident) was bought in u.s for 97 bucks...under 200 to my door including a "luxury part tax"...air freight and customs import duty...here i was quoted over 300 000 colonies..same thing for the replacement headlights...140 bucks for two in u.s. versus 250 000 each here.. 

It has worked well fir sam and gene...we did a lot of research before setting up...we picked box because is that it is an extension of the normal mail systen here...

We feel they cant pass the buck if something is lost...

Good luck everyone....just wanted to share our strategy for survival in costa rica!!!

Lol

Gene

[Sam Wilson]

On Monday, May 7, 2018 at 6:01:59 PM UTC-6, gene wrote:

A little info on my experience with truck parts in costa rica...

  

It is true!  One of our successes in Costa Rica has been buying stuff on Amazon and having it show up at our local post-office 7-10 days later.  BoxCorreos has been a very good thing.  Oftentimes in the 3rd world, successes are only the result of a diligence and a hard-fought battle, but using BoxCorreos has worked well and it has been pretty much painless and a breeze.  Perhaps those in the GAM have other options which work well, but this has been a super blessing for those in el campo.

Just to illustrate the actual numbers for that pickup truck grill Gene mentioned, which also shows how a few extra charges can accumulate:

• bought on Amazon for $96.00 USD + $10.59 shipping to Miami ($106.59)
• BoxCorreos weighed the package as 5.22 Kg (flete: $31.31)
• BoxCorreos thought the package needed protection (bubble-wrap: $30.00)
• extra $1.50 charge for handling

So that is, leaving for Costa Rica, package had racked up:  $106.59 + 62.81 = $169.40.

I've pretty much quit trying to be very precise when guessing how things will come out the other end of Aduanas.  Every time I thought I had the formula and how to really predict the outcome, I was alway off for some reason or another.  Even on what one would assume would be clear-cut simple purchases.  In this case, all the impuestos de Adjuana came up to ¢34,045.90 colones, with Manejo Adjuanal (customs broker) clocking in at ¢4037.84 colones.  Exchange rate at the time was 568.71 ¢/$ so in total the ¢38,083.74 colones came out to $66.97 USD.

Total cost of the perfect $96.00 truck grill delivered to your nearby post-office: $236.37.

Gene's mechanic found the grill he needed in Costa Rica for over ¢300,000 colones ($527.51).

That's about a $300 USD success to me!  ¡Eso!  ;-)

--

Sam 

[Berni J]

You guys are too f**n funny . . . for newbies it should be noted that the transaction described herein is what happens when you have lived here too long . . . you begin to believe a $96 part is a great deal at $236 because it is cheaper than $527.

Our friends Gene y Sammy are so chuffed at saving themselves all this loot that they forgot to mention that purchasing a Cadillac Sedan de Ville or Buick Le Sabre or Pontiac Aztec (or pick one of a myriad of vehicles nobody has ever seen here) was where the equation started to go wrong.  But should that be unavoidable, theirs is the best solution though it is too funny to see the justification in  print :-)).  And these guys are true veterans of the infamous Zapote post office, the even worse Aduana San Jose or the counterpart, the infinitely inscrutable Tical buildings (yes there are 2) near SJO on a one way road to nowhere.

All of these places are avoidable if  . . . well ya know :-))

Berni (god help anyone who listens to our advice) 

[Sam Wilson]

Jajaja....  Berni is of course correct.  One of the cardinal sins is buying something not easy to fix with available repuestos (parts) and/or skills.  The last car I bought was a Hyundai Galloper -- sort of like a 4x4 diesel Suburban trekker.  I had the best 10 years on the road with that beast until I finally wrecked it enough I didn't want to fix it.  It was common parts, every mechanic either had one themselves, or worked on them all the time.  The fixers knew which parts from other models could be used in a pinch and in worst cases we could always find anything needed in a junkyard.  However, as is often the case, Love is Blind.  Gene fell in love with this big beautiful truck that a local dairy man had.  Super duper maintained like a baby's bottom and smelled better to boot.  It is the biggest bestest ride in town...  jajaja.

--

Sam

On Tuesday, May 8, 2018 at 8:39:55 AM UTC-6, Berni J wrote:

You guys are too f**n funny . . . for newbies it should be noted that the transaction described herein is what happens when you have lived here too long . . . you begin to believe a $96 part is a great deal at $236 because it is cheaper than $527.

Our friends Gene y Sammy are so chuffed at saving themselves all this loot that they forgot to mention that purchasing a Cadillac Sedan de Ville or Buick Le Sabre or Pontiac Aztec (or pick one of a myriad of vehicles nobody has ever seen here) was where the equation started to go wrong.  But should that be unavoidable, theirs is the best solution though it is too funny to see the justification in  print :-)).  And these guys are true veterans of the infamous Zapote post office, the even worse Aduana San Jose or the counterpart, the infinitely inscrutable Tical buildings (yes there are 2) near SJO on a one way road to nowhere.

All of these places are avoidable if  . . . well ya know :-))

Berni (god help anyone who listens to our advice) 

On Monday, May 7, 2018 at 10:21:23 PM UTC-6, Sam Wilson wrote:

On Monday, May 7, 2018 at 6:01:59 PM UTC-6, gene wrote:

A little info on my experience with truck parts in costa rica...

  

It is true!  One of our successes in Costa Rica has been buying stuff on Amazon...

[ ... ]

[gene]

I sleep better if i rationalize!!!

Thanks for the nightmare bernie...

Now i wont sleep for at least a week...

 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

I had a cummings ram in louisiana....

Best truck i ever owned....

300 000 miles and 12 bucks in parts (valve cover gaskets)...not counting batteries and tires...

I found a guy that realized this is not a cheap truck to operate....i got it at a very good price...i know it will be more costly than a typical tico truck...

But i like my family surrounded by 3200 kilos of metal cruising down the road...

With 325 hp and 600 pounds of torque...i can pass easily in short opportunities on these mountainous roads..i also like the comfort...and besides that...i just wanted one here!!!(more the truth than my rationalization)!!!!

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Aint much that i cant haul...or pull...or tow...

Aint too many trucks that can out run it either....maybe one day i will grow up...well...maybe not...

Have another wonderful day in paradise!!!

Gene

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[Sam Wilson]

Berni,

Even more amazing!  Did Gene tell you about his encounter with one of the absolute best Expedition Vehicles to ever grace the Tico road he encountered in Liberia?  Yes, I am talking about a true bimobil Expedition Vehicle shipped to Canada direct from Germany for a grand adventure partaken by a German couple who decided to see the New World, from top to bottom.  Gene can tell you better than I, but they have been working their way south from Canada and after taking 10 days to cross Mexico, they were passing through Costa Rica on their way to Panamá when captured on trail-cam in Liberia.  Best guess for model was the bimobil LBX 365 Dally All-Road 4x4.  This is pure Adventure-mobil.  Adventure in comfort-mobil.

I was planning to do this tip-to-tip North America tour, but with some sort of Toyota FJ Cruiser like this:

But after looking up some of the bimobil models, I don't know how I could possibly clear the Darién Gap without some Unimog vehicle like the EX 435:

Anyway, back to the point at hand.  Of course there are no local bimobil mechanics outside of bimobil-von Liebe GmbH.  But after all, can there really be any sense of adventure if there is no risk?  I think not...

--

Sam

[Berni J]

You do not drive the Darien, you sail it!

No not even the veritably ominous friggin gorgeous looking 435.  I had a Mercedes once . . . it would not start nor even open after a fast food stop in California.  The dealer sent a man in a white coat with a computer.  He pronounced the anti-theft "system" had disabled the car and the only ones available were in Stuttgart.  He promised to stay with the car while it would be transported back to the dealers - I would also get all expenses back home (400 miles) and back to the dealer when the part was installed.

My Toyota cannot do things like that.

A guest somehow got through the Darien recently on a moto (don't know if he sailed it or not) and now his bike is impounded by cops in Panama for incorrect paperwork.  He is holed up in a fleabag motel now.

It's not always a Mercedes problem.

[gene]

Here you go...lol

-------- Original message --------

From: Sam Wilson <sliw...@gmail.com>

Date: 5/8/18 10:42 AM (GMT-06:00)

To: Living in Costa Rica <costa-ri...@googlegroups.com>

[Sam Wilson]

Berni,

Yes, the Darien Gap...  That wild place, almost within touching distance of Costa Rica, has always fascinated me.  It is amazing to me the number of well-funded attempts to cross that missing gap in the Pan-American Highway which would connect North and South America, that failed miserably...  I think unless your guest was Kuna Indian, FARC, or part of a powerful narco tribe functioning in those parts, it is safe to say he sailed around it on the ferry.  The 1st all land crossing in recorded history was in 1985-1987 in a CJ-5 Jeep which took 741 days to travel 201 km -- that's averaging 271 METERS / DAY for 2 freakin' years!  There was the pair of Range Rovers which finally crossed the Gap on an expedition in 1972 with extensive help from the British Army.  Almost everyone takes one or more river passages to cross.  This guy took 4 attempts before he made it and he was using the beefiest of the beefy 2-wheel-drive Rokon motorcycles.

A lot of folks go missing when they try to cross the Darién Gap.  These days I've got a family to support.  I suppose I might reach out and touch it one day, but I'll probably never have a good opportunity to try to cross the gap...  :-(​   Hmmm...  Gene, how about grab the boys and let's do an overnighter inside the crater so I can scratch that wild adventure hair before I have thoughts of buying a beefy bike again.  If we take horses up the south-side it is a little longer to get to the top, but we can ride the horses longer before we have to hike...  ;-)

Truth be told, I don't think either Panamá nor Colombia want that road built.  The Gap is a natural barrier against all sorts of bad things crossing from once side to the other including diseases, narco thugs, and rebels.

--

Sam

On Tue, May 8, 2018 at 1:25 PM, Berni J  wrote:

You do not drive the Darien, you sail it!

[ ... ]

[Berni J]

Part of the questionnaire for people thinking of moving to Costa Rica should include "have you always had a burning desire to cross the Darien?"  Those who answer yes should be admitted pronto!  Berni

Inspired by the great movie of my youth "Wages of Fear" . . . 

I knew I did not have the right amount of dynamite for the Darien:

"   The enormous Great Atrato Swamp and river was the last part of the Darien Gap obstacle to overcome and is nearly 60 miles wide. The whole area is as big as Wales. Heading south and then east. This part were mainly forced by rafts. The Atrato svamp lake was weed-choked and machetes and grapnels failed to work. Only solution was to use the the power chain saws to make the

obstructions clear and blast a way through the weeds by using a lot of  dynamite.

   On April the 23rd the expedition reached the river bank which were more of big sponge like

islands of floating vegetation, than firm terra, near Barrangquilito. The soft ground were just able to

support the weight of the Range Rover's. It was here that the next leg of the Pan-American

Highway through South America begins again, after 96 unforgettable days in the 250 mile jungle

of Darien Gap. The British Army and three Rover vehicles had conquered the "El Tapon".

On Tuesday, May 8, 2018 at 5:29:01 PM UTC-6, Sam Wilson wrote:

Berni,

Yes, the Darien Gap...  That wild place, almost within touching distance of Costa Rica, has always fascinated me.  It is amazing to me the number of well-funded attempts to cross that missing gap in the Pan-American Highway which would connect North and South America, that failed miserably...  I think unless your guest was Kuna Indian, FARC, or part of a powerful narco tribe functioning in those parts, it is safe to say he sailed around it on the ferry.  The 1st all land crossing in recorded history was in 1985-1987 in a CJ-5 Jeep which took 741 days to travel 201 km -- that's averaging 271 METERS / DAY for 2 freakin' years!  There was the pair of Range Rovers which finally crossed the Gap on an expedition in 1972 with extensive help from the British Army.  Almost everyone takes one or more river passages to cross.  This guy took 4 attempts before he made it and he was using the beefiest of the beefy 2-wheel-drive Rokon motorcycles.

A lot of folks go missing when they try to cross the Darién Gap.  These days I've got a family to support.  I suppose I might reach out and touch it one day, but I'll probably never have a good opportunity to try to cross the gap...  :-(​   Hmmm...  Gene, how about grab the boys and let's to an overnighter inside the crater so I can scratch that wild adventure hair before I have thoughts of buying a beefy bike again.  If we take horses up the south-side it is a little longer to get to the top, but we can ride the horses longer before we have to hike...  ;-)

[Sam Wilson]

LiCR,

These videos have some great pictures and a narrative of the 1st all land crossing I mentioned below in the AMD CJ-5 Jeep by Loren Upton and Patty Mercier in 1985-1987 while they were on their around the world North to South via the Americas and then South to North via Africa and Europe/Asia.

    A World Odyssey - The Epic Voyage of the Sand Ship Discovery

    Guinness Record Book Jeep - Power Puller and High-lift Jack

Are any folks still doing adventures like this or is it just Elon Musk now, Mars or Bust?  Hmmm...

--

Sam

On Tuesday, May 8, 2018 at 5:29:01 PM UTC-6, Sam Wilson wrote:

Berni,

Yes, the Darien Gap...  That wild place, almost within touching distance of Costa Rica, has always fascinated me.  It is amazing to me the number of well-funded attempts to cross that missing gap in the Pan-American Highway which would connect North and South America, that failed miserably...  I think unless your guest was Kuna Indian, FARC, or part of a powerful narco tribe functioning in those parts, it is safe to say he sailed around it on the ferry.  The 1st all land crossing in recorded history was in 1985-1987 in a CJ-5 Jeep which took 741 days to travel 201 km -- that's averaging 271 METERS / DAY for 2 freakin' years!  There was the pair of Range Rovers which finally crossed the Gap on an expedition in 1972 with extensive help from the British Army.  Almost everyone takes one or more river passages to cross.  This guy took 4 attempts before he made it and he was using the beefiest of the beefy 2-wheel-drive Rokon motorcycles.

A lot of folks go missing when they try to cross the Darién Gap.  These days I've got a family to support.  I suppose I might reach out and touch it one day, but I'll probably never have a good opportunity to try to cross the gap...  :-(​   Hmmm...  Gene, how about grab the boys and let's to an overnighter inside the crater so I can scratch that wild adventure hair before I have thoughts of buying a beefy bike again.  If we take horses up the south-side it is a little longer to get to the top, but we can ride the horses longer before we have to hike...  ;-)