The Suzuki's are really great and they are becoming very popular in Nicaragua. Unfortunately they are just a bit too small for us, with the 2 dogs and our gear.
Thanks for this information. I am currently is this situation and this was very informative. Nicaragua custom agency is ridiculous with these fees. I own a jeep and they want the 7000USD that you mentioned. I do not feel like I should pay them a dime for my vehicle.
Thanks! We had to do a lot of digging to get all the details about importing, so hopefully this video has everything in one place and can help others on their journey.
@@OTWD_yt Fun. If you haven't been to Nicaragua it is Amazing! There are also so many other great places in Central America, we plan to travel them all...and then there is South America...so many options😉
We have not driven down yet. We have 3 months of work left before we are retired. We are visiting family until Xmas and then are hitting the road in January. It will take us about 10 days to drive down (driving about 7-8 hours per day), however we are planning to take about a month and really make an adventure of it (since we will be retired we will have time). Once we arrive in Nica if there are any Canadian's that want to buy it we would sell it (we can only sell it to Canadians since it is registered in Canada (unless someone from USA wanted to import it to USA or someone importing to another country other than Nicaragua). Otherwise we will drive it back to Canada to be sold (and fly back to Nica) or take it to a scrap yard in Nicaragua.
Yes that is correct. And remember that vehicles are evaluated/worth much more in Nicaragua than the same vehicle in the States or Canada. We have found you would be further ahead financially to buy something in Nicaragua vice import. Plus they have lots of great vehicles in Nicaragua!
It used to be 10 years, but has recently changed to 7 years, this is another big reason importing is not worth it (for most people). This means the vehicle will be worth more and taxed higher than a 10 year old vehicle.
so you mentioned you would drive your 2009 Ford Escape to nicaragua and then buy a car once there? What happens to the Ford Escape? Is there a way to get rid of it in Nicaragua? We are planning on driving down in a Ford Fusion, it's the only way we can get there because we have a pet who cannot travel by air. We are getting the foreign investor residency, which allows us to import a vehicle, but not sure it will be worth keeping it seeing as there will be no way to fix it if it breaks down in Nicaragua.
Hi Mike. We are still working out the details of what to do with our Ford Escape once we arrive in Nicaragua, as we won't want to continue driving it and have to do a boarder run every 30 days with a vehicle (as this is the process). We believe that we can either turn it over to customs (this rides owes us nothing at this point) or take it to a scrap yard and have it crushed/verified as scrap/not drivable and then take that confirmation to customs to clear the vehicle (and not require it to leave). Barring that, as a last resort we would head out on a road trip back to Canada to drop the vehicle off and then fly back to Nicaragua. We could import a vehicle (something newer) but not easily being able to fix it is one problem (depending on brand) but the bigger issue is the cost that you will pay in taxes (as detailed in the video) - only a portion of the vehicle is imported for free...that taxes are a killer. So we will buy local.
@@ChrisTovahsAmazingAdventures maybe make a video when the time comes to let us all know what you did. I think you can extend that initial 30 day permit to 90 if you go to Managua, I thought? Does a border run mean you need to cross over into the next country and come back , or do you just go to the customs office at the border on the Nicaragua side to renew it?
we will make a video about this for sure. A vehicle extension might be possible. We will be applying for residency as soon as we arrive so we (us as people) won't need to do boarder runs. When doing a boarder run you do need to cross the boarder into another country, pay any entrance fees, get your passport stamped...and then you can come right back but you will have to go through customes and immigration, so fully leaving. A bit of a process, but no you can't just do it all on the Nicaraguan side. This is not just a Nicaragua thing, you have to do this all over the world once your tourist visa runs out.
Yes it is a good excuse for a road trip. You can go to Costa Rica to re-set your visa buy not Honduras, they are part of the C4 (Central American 4, Nicaragua, Honduras, el Salvador and Guatemala). The 4 countries in the C4 work off the same visa essential so you have to exit the C4.
Don’t need a car in nica, I lived in San Juan del sur 5 years…. a atv is all you need.. when going to managua or even Rivas, use a taxis, they’re cheep.. ,,, you will regret spending on a car.
We don't plan to drive our vehicle much around San Juan, it is more for traveling. We plan to travel all over Nicaragua and tour Central America staying in our roof top tent. We might even drive to South America.
I LOVE my Toyota Land Cruiser J76. I’ve wanted one for 30 years, but you can’t buy them in the US. I don’t regret buying it one bit. It puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. My wife and I like to travel and explore Central America and our dogs go a lot of places with us. My wife and I have motorcycles and will probably buy a 4 seater UTV in the future. I realize that not everyone is able to afford multiple forms of transportation, but for us it’s all about flexibility and fun. You don’t need a truck to get around SJDS and the surrounding beaches, so if you’re on a tight budget a motorcycle or ATV will do the job for sure. I have plenty of friends who have gone that route and are perfectly content. Everyone’s needs and finances are different so not everyone would regret buying a truck. We certainly don’t regret it. I’d say that they’d regret buying a car for sure. Cars are far from ideal for the roads we encounter daily
Nica customs over value the cars , so its too expensive to import . The same rule apply for everythig ........how can Nica be open to new investors ????? Now i know why so many cars left abandone in aduanas
Yes it is way too expensive to import vehicles. It is pretty decent in terms of what you are allowed to import for household goods (it is around 20K). The real benefit is the lower cost of living. We are not bringing very many things from Canada, we can buy what we need in Nica and sell what we have in Canada and come out ahead.
I think I would just drive my own vehicle down nicknamed “The Gypsy Caravan”.
Love your van name!!! We need to think of a catchy name for our Escape.
Biggest determining factor for us is the tax exemption dropping from 25k to 13k, and the vehicle price over evaluation at border.
You guys are lucky to be able to travel so much. Im too busy and cant travel as I used to. 😁
Yes we are very lucky. Hopefully one day you will be able to travel more.
Suzuki is a great vehicle. Damn I wish I had a Samurai.
The Suzuki's are really great and they are becoming very popular in Nicaragua. Unfortunately they are just a bit too small for us, with the 2 dogs and our gear.
Thanks for this information. I am currently is this situation and this was very informative. Nicaragua custom agency is ridiculous with these fees. I own a jeep and they want the 7000USD that you mentioned. I do not feel like I should pay them a dime for my vehicle.
Yeah the import fees are crazy. We hope it all works out for you. Let us know if you end up importing the Jeep or just buying local.
Great video guys
Thanks! We had to do a lot of digging to get all the details about importing, so hopefully this video has everything in one place and can help others on their journey.
@@ChrisTovahsAmazingAdventures well we’re in Panama and need to find where to go next
@@OTWD_yt Fun. If you haven't been to Nicaragua it is Amazing! There are also so many other great places in Central America, we plan to travel them all...and then there is South America...so many options😉
@@ChrisTovahsAmazingAdventures we where in Colombia and Peru just recently very good
Great video! It was really informative! How long did it take you to drive down? Did you sell your Ford Escape in Nicaragua?
We have not driven down yet. We have 3 months of work left before we are retired. We are visiting family until Xmas and then are hitting the road in January. It will take us about 10 days to drive down (driving about 7-8 hours per day), however we are planning to take about a month and really make an adventure of it (since we will be retired we will have time). Once we arrive in Nica if there are any Canadian's that want to buy it we would sell it (we can only sell it to Canadians since it is registered in Canada (unless someone from USA wanted to import it to USA or someone importing to another country other than Nicaragua). Otherwise we will drive it back to Canada to be sold (and fly back to Nica) or take it to a scrap yard in Nicaragua.
In short is NOT worth shipping your car to Nicaragua, just buy a car in Nicaragua
Correct! At least in our opinion. We plan to buy a vehicle in Nicaragua.
but the problem with this is that is priced three to four times its current value. So either way I feel like the car owner loses.
So as a resident you pay 20-40% of the vehicles evaluation after 13k USD?
Yes that is correct. And remember that vehicles are evaluated/worth much more in Nicaragua than the same vehicle in the States or Canada. We have found you would be further ahead financially to buy something in Nicaragua vice import. Plus they have lots of great vehicles in Nicaragua!
Btw, can't be over 10 years old.
It used to be 10 years, but has recently changed to 7 years, this is another big reason importing is not worth it (for most people). This means the vehicle will be worth more and taxed higher than a 10 year old vehicle.
so you mentioned you would drive your 2009 Ford Escape to nicaragua and then buy a car once there? What happens to the Ford Escape? Is there a way to get rid of it in Nicaragua?
We are planning on driving down in a Ford Fusion, it's the only way we can get there because we have a pet who cannot travel by air. We are getting the foreign investor residency, which allows us to import a vehicle, but not sure it will be worth keeping it seeing as there will be no way to fix it if it breaks down in Nicaragua.
Hi Mike. We are still working out the details of what to do with our Ford Escape once we arrive in Nicaragua, as we won't want to continue driving it and have to do a boarder run every 30 days with a vehicle (as this is the process). We believe that we can either turn it over to customs (this rides owes us nothing at this point) or take it to a scrap yard and have it crushed/verified as scrap/not drivable and then take that confirmation to customs to clear the vehicle (and not require it to leave). Barring that, as a last resort we would head out on a road trip back to Canada to drop the vehicle off and then fly back to Nicaragua. We could import a vehicle (something newer) but not easily being able to fix it is one problem (depending on brand) but the bigger issue is the cost that you will pay in taxes (as detailed in the video) - only a portion of the vehicle is imported for free...that taxes are a killer. So we will buy local.
@@ChrisTovahsAmazingAdventures maybe make a video when the time comes to let us all know what you did. I think you can extend that initial 30 day permit to 90 if you go to Managua, I thought? Does a border run mean you need to cross over into the next country and come back , or do you just go to the customs office at the border on the Nicaragua side to renew it?
we will make a video about this for sure. A vehicle extension might be possible. We will be applying for residency as soon as we arrive so we (us as people) won't need to do boarder runs. When doing a boarder run you do need to cross the boarder into another country, pay any entrance fees, get your passport stamped...and then you can come right back but you will have to go through customes and immigration, so fully leaving. A bit of a process, but no you can't just do it all on the Nicaraguan side. This is not just a Nicaragua thing, you have to do this all over the world once your tourist visa runs out.
@@ChrisTovahsAmazingAdventures i guess it gives us an excuse to go for a day trip to Costa Rica or Honduras every so often
Yes it is a good excuse for a road trip. You can go to Costa Rica to re-set your visa buy not Honduras, they are part of the C4 (Central American 4, Nicaragua, Honduras, el Salvador and Guatemala). The 4 countries in the C4 work off the same visa essential so you have to exit the C4.
Don’t need a car in nica, I lived in San Juan del sur 5 years…. a atv is all you need.. when going to managua or even Rivas, use a taxis, they’re cheep.. ,,, you will regret spending on a car.
We don't plan to drive our vehicle much around San Juan, it is more for traveling. We plan to travel all over Nicaragua and tour Central America staying in our roof top tent. We might even drive to South America.
I LOVE my Toyota Land Cruiser J76. I’ve wanted one for 30 years, but you can’t buy them in the US. I don’t regret buying it one bit. It puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. My wife and I like to travel and explore Central America and our dogs go a lot of places with us.
My wife and I have motorcycles and will probably buy a 4 seater UTV in the future. I realize that not everyone is able to afford multiple forms of transportation, but for us it’s all about flexibility and fun.
You don’t need a truck to get around SJDS and the surrounding beaches, so if you’re on a tight budget a motorcycle or ATV will do the job for sure. I have plenty of friends who have gone that route and are perfectly content.
Everyone’s needs and finances are different so not everyone would regret buying a truck. We certainly don’t regret it.
I’d say that they’d regret buying a car for sure. Cars are far from ideal for the roads we encounter daily
@@ChrisTovahsAmazingAdventures I thought there are no road through to South America. Has that changed?
Nica customs over value the cars , so its too expensive to import . The same rule apply for everythig ........how can Nica be open to new investors ????? Now i know why so many cars left abandone in aduanas
Yes it is way too expensive to import vehicles. It is pretty decent in terms of what you are allowed to import for household goods (it is around 20K). The real benefit is the lower cost of living. We are not bringing very many things from Canada, we can buy what we need in Nica and sell what we have in Canada and come out ahead.