Hey all,
After few years of on & off debating, a decision, then a year of planning, we (me, wife & now 3.5YO girl) moved down from San Diego to Costa Rica in search of a life-changing.... change
About Me/Us: My wife & I both work remotely for SAAS companies and the pandemic has made this even easier for us. However, this comes with the burden of a substantial amount of PC gear (our 28" screens get stored in a GIANT pelican style case during travel). On top of that my wife loves to cook (add on cooking gear like cast irons, knives, microplanes, etc...), and on top of that, I'm trying to document things a bit more (so I've got a drone, a mirrorless camera setup, a go pro, a DJI pocket, etc...). PLUS we have a 3YO who loves her outfits and baby dolls (mom in law is a costume designer so we're traveling with a dozen hand-made princess dresses), but we all have needs! All of this to say, we're packing our entire lives around with us and we needed a rig that can support that. The midsizes and crossovers that we rented were packed to the brim and it was becoming more apparent that we needed a full-size rig.
The plan: Although we've been down here a few times before we really don't really have a grasp of the full country so our plan is around the country for the 6-12 months before deciding on a location to really put down roots. Item #1 on the to-do list: secure a capable 4x4 vehicle. Then we could begin our exploration whilst working, raising a child, and avoiding the maskless wherever possible. Throughout the endeavor, we will make upgrades to our vehicle to make it more capable, reliable, and useful throughout the course of our journey. I had dreams of a lift, aftermarket bumpers, a winch, traction boards, sliders, snorkel, roof rack, and lights. Like a full-on capable beast, independently traversing the jungles of CR through rain and mud.
The requirements: As described above, we were leaning towards something larger. We knew it had to be 4dr and the more cargo room the better. While we had a flexible budget, we didn't want some shiny rig that we would be all butt-hurt about every time it got scratched or got a flat. Even if we could afford it (which we can't) we wouldn't want to parade around like rich-a** d-bags in a g-wagon. Last time we were here we got stuck in deep, thick mud in a rented Outlander and had to rely on the kindness of strangers & we knew that we needed something substantially more capable if we were going to make this our home. Not to mention incessant rains, more potholes than I've ever seen anywhere, and the constant need for 4x4.
The market: The car market in CR is very expensive. Trucks are kings here and hold their value like crazy, but basically all cars are expensive. To give you a sense of the market here are a few rigs we looked at:
The final note I'll add to this category are tax implications. From what we've experienced it's an additional burden with any foreign transactions over $10k including additional paperwork & fees in both countries (granted we're not exactly moneybags mc'gee, so maybe we missed some , millionaire loophole), but it became advantageous to spend less than $10k USD on a vehicle.
After months of research and planning, I had my sights set on a full-sized Montero. Not only are they spacious with a robust heritage, they are extremely plentiful down here which makes parts cheaper and easier to find.
Where we landed: So ultimately, this is she. La Joya de la Montañas (the jewel of the mountains), 3.8 v6 limited, 70k mi and runs quiet AF. I couldn't find any gen2s with rear lockers or low miles and gen3 diesels were all over 10k. It was between this and another 03 Montero but this one had less miles, a quieter engine, and seemed like a down-to-earth purchase from a local guy instead of a pristinely detailed rig with a louder engine that was surely hiding its flaws.
The troubles: Welp! The troubles begin within an hour of purchase. We went to a nearby mall to pick up a carseat and as we were exiting the parking garage the rig continually stalled. I messaged the guy we bought it from and when he arrived 30mins later the problem was not showing itself. He sat shotgun as we went to his local mechanic and they could find nothing wrong. While I'm grateful the stalling issue has not presented itself since, I'm not exactly convinced the issue is resolved and we had little choice but to soldier on. Every day since we've uncovered issue after issue. While I'm pissed at the whole situation, I thought I had chosen a better vehicle, I thought I had sussed it out better, but I guess this is what you get when buying a 'budget' rig with limited mechanical experience. It's becoming more obvious this rig was in an offroad kerfuffle resulting in damage to the front and underbody. So here's what we've identified so far:
After few years of on & off debating, a decision, then a year of planning, we (me, wife & now 3.5YO girl) moved down from San Diego to Costa Rica in search of a life-changing.... change
About Me/Us: My wife & I both work remotely for SAAS companies and the pandemic has made this even easier for us. However, this comes with the burden of a substantial amount of PC gear (our 28" screens get stored in a GIANT pelican style case during travel). On top of that my wife loves to cook (add on cooking gear like cast irons, knives, microplanes, etc...), and on top of that, I'm trying to document things a bit more (so I've got a drone, a mirrorless camera setup, a go pro, a DJI pocket, etc...). PLUS we have a 3YO who loves her outfits and baby dolls (mom in law is a costume designer so we're traveling with a dozen hand-made princess dresses
), but we all have needs! All of this to say, we're packing our entire lives around with us and we needed a rig that can support that. The midsizes and crossovers that we rented were packed to the brim and it was becoming more apparent that we needed a full-size rig.The plan: Although we've been down here a few times before we really don't really have a grasp of the full country so our plan is around the country for the 6-12 months before deciding on a location to really put down roots. Item #1 on the to-do list: secure a capable 4x4 vehicle. Then we could begin our exploration whilst working, raising a child, and avoiding the maskless wherever possible. Throughout the endeavor, we will make upgrades to our vehicle to make it more capable, reliable, and useful throughout the course of our journey. I had dreams of a lift, aftermarket bumpers, a winch, traction boards, sliders, snorkel, roof rack, and lights. Like a full-on capable beast, independently traversing the jungles of CR through rain and mud.
The requirements: As described above, we were leaning towards something larger. We knew it had to be 4dr and the more cargo room the better. While we had a flexible budget, we didn't want some shiny rig that we would be all butt-hurt about every time it got scratched or got a flat. Even if we could afford it (which we can't) we wouldn't want to parade around like rich-a** d-bags in a g-wagon. Last time we were here we got stuck in deep, thick mud in a rented Outlander and had to rely on the kindness of strangers & we knew that we needed something substantially more capable if we were going to make this our home. Not to mention incessant rains, more potholes than I've ever seen anywhere, and the constant need for 4x4.
The market: The car market in CR is very expensive. Trucks are kings here and hold their value like crazy, but basically all cars are expensive. To give you a sense of the market here are a few rigs we looked at:
- '88 XJ Cherokee - 300km, 4" lift + overlanding accessories: $6000
- '92 XJ Cherokee - 200km, 4" lift + winch (jury-rigged suspension) $6500
- '98 4 Runner - 200km, bone stock 6cyl $8500
- '85 LC80 - 300km, lifted, $11,000
- '88 XJ Cherokee - 150km, ready to go inside & out $12,000
- '02 Prado J120 - 250km, stock, $16,000
- '06 Hilux - 220km, stock $16,000
- '12 VW Amarok - 280km, stock, $18,000
The final note I'll add to this category are tax implications. From what we've experienced it's an additional burden with any foreign transactions over $10k including additional paperwork & fees in both countries (granted we're not exactly moneybags mc'gee, so maybe we missed some , millionaire loophole), but it became advantageous to spend less than $10k USD on a vehicle.
After months of research and planning, I had my sights set on a full-sized Montero. Not only are they spacious with a robust heritage, they are extremely plentiful down here which makes parts cheaper and easier to find.
Where we landed: So ultimately, this is she. La Joya de la Montañas (the jewel of the mountains), 3.8 v6 limited, 70k mi and runs quiet AF. I couldn't find any gen2s with rear lockers or low miles and gen3 diesels were all over 10k. It was between this and another 03 Montero but this one had less miles, a quieter engine, and seemed like a down-to-earth purchase from a local guy instead of a pristinely detailed rig with a louder engine that was surely hiding its flaws.
The troubles: Welp! The troubles begin within an hour of purchase. We went to a nearby mall to pick up a carseat and as we were exiting the parking garage the rig continually stalled. I messaged the guy we bought it from and when he arrived 30mins later the problem was not showing itself. He sat shotgun as we went to his local mechanic and they could find nothing wrong. While I'm grateful the stalling issue has not presented itself since, I'm not exactly convinced the issue is resolved and we had little choice but to soldier on. Every day since we've uncovered issue after issue. While I'm pissed at the whole situation, I thought I had chosen a better vehicle, I thought I had sussed it out better, but I guess this is what you get when buying a 'budget' rig with limited mechanical experience. It's becoming more obvious this rig was in an offroad kerfuffle resulting in damage to the front and underbody. So here's what we've identified so far:
- Flashing Center Diff Light - Codes 34 & 35
- Took apart the actuator and it was rusty & muddy as hell. the metal ring was broken, sitting inside the sleeve. Cleaned it all up as best I could and now we're just showing codes 34, solenoid issues. Youtube has been extremely helpful on this front so i need to pick up a multimeter and check to see if any of the solenoids are dead
- Gas leak
- We are leaking fuel and it smells strongly of gas. Looking around & under the rig, it seems as though the issue stems from the hose connecting the tank to the place where you put in fuel from the pump, but this is just a theory. The wetness seemed mostly around this hose, but It could be elsewhere, I was unable to locate a broken or loose hose.
- Additionally, there are some clean spots where it seems there were maybe brackets supporting the gas tank but the brackets are missing. Would love to see some underbody pics of ya'll's rigs to confirm!
- !No heat through vents
- heat's not a big deal in costa rica, but the windscreen gets all effed after running AC, so it's still important!
- need to replace steering boots
- dome light doesn't sense open doors
- tires (& spare) are near end of life. This seems like a prime opportunity to go for wheel and suspension upgrades but I'm struggling to find out where to get these items in CR cuz you can't just order everything online and have it dropped to your door
- Battery bolts - the bolts that hold the battery in place are poking up through the insulation in the hood. I'm concerned about long-term damage to the hood itself cuz someone was too lazy to cut them
- air filter - has a few snapped clips. probably worth replacing with a junk yard unit when we go for a snorkel
- Minor stuff - broken air vent in the center dash, cracked fake wood near the radio, closing the vents results in a weird whining sound, cracked side view mirror, rear seat folding latch keeps popping off, scratched up drivetrain.
