Update - Our Subaru Forester and Grupo Purdy

We have our vehicle home now. Here is the work that Purdy did and the charges were:

• Replace battery (has a warranty): 114,675 CRC (approximately $212.87 USD). This price included a 25% discount,
• Injector cleaning kit (10% discount): 28,055 CRC (approximately $52.00 USD).
• Labour (10% discount):  24,255 (approximately $45.00 USD).
• Total final cost: 150,387 CRC (approximately $280.00 USD).

Work they did at no charge:

• Check engine - spark plugs, air filter, oil filter, etc. 
• Wash and clean car inside and out.
• Replace clips that held the driver’s side door panel in the correct position.
• Totally removed a scratch on the passenger side that ran from stem to stern. This happened when we were pushed too close to the side of a road by a large truck. The bushes we were passing or something in the bushes made the long scratch. We did not ask them to do this and I don’t know how they removed the marks! The vehicle looks great.

Our contact at Purdy - Pedro Alfaro - (Spanish/English) kept us informed via WhatsApp and telephone. We have nothing but good things to say about Grupo Purdy in Grecia and this is the only place we will be taking our vehicle to from now on.

We Purchased a Car for our Cat

Did that headline grab your attention? Well, it’s true. Our cat needed a perch high enough to survey the neighbourhood. Here he is with his vehicle:

Of course, this is an utter lie. We finally decided to purchase a vehicle after over six years of living without one. An ad for this 2006 Subaru Forester popped up on my Facebook feed about two weeks ago. Low mileage, great condition - so I phoned right away. Good thing I did because there was a lot of interest in it and I was the first caller.

A really nice couple were selling the vehicle - he from Vancouver, B.C., and she from Brazil. We bused into San José, examined and test drove it and decided to buy it. We picked it up about a week later after transferring money and meeting with the lawyer regarding transfer of ownership, etc. Another plus was that we were able to transfer Canadian money to a Canadian bank account for the sale, rather than having to convert CAD to USD.

Cars are very expensive here (new or used) because of import and sales taxes, etc. Everyone we know drive older used cars. They seem to last forever here. It is 4 wheel drive, has AC and everything else we could want. Also, it is not a huge SUV like some we have seen and is lower to the ground, so we don’t get the feeling that it is going to tip over on corners. You can see our laneway is very narrow and we have since cut back the hedge on the left. When our gardener is next here, we will have him pull all the roots up.

We will miss our taxi guys but it is so convenient to hop in and go whenever we want. We went for breakfast yesterday at La Casita del Café, which is not far from our house. The view is absolutely incredible and the prices low. 

Here’s what we got for 8,000 colones, about $16 USD.

Two mocha coffees:

Lance’s choice on the left - gallo pinto, plantano, ham slice,  two eggs, and a corn tortilla with cheese. Mine on the right - fully loaded omelet (three vegetables, cheese, ham), and corn tortillas with natilla (sour cream):

And there is no charge for the view:

Interesting old photos of Costa Rica on one wall: