Oh yeah, and we got a new car. We were totally over having both cars in and out of the repair shop.
This last time the truck was in there for more than 5 weeks and cost us $995. Had the truck been in the driveway this past weekend, perhaps our dogs would still be alive. With us working with clients and driving all over the place, we really need something reliable.

We got a new, 2006 Subaru Forester. The buying experience was interesting too. It’s more difficult to buy a car here in Costa Rica than it is to buy a house in the US! We had to have a meeting with a lawyer, manager of the dealership, insurance company and the bank. The lawyer had to read aloud 8 legal-size pages of mumbo jumbo and we had to sign.

Of course, welcome to Costa Rica, they pulled some fast ones on me at the closing. The interest rate magically went up to 9.5% (from 9%) and they tacked on a bank commission of about $800. Not to mention, they told my insurance agent he couldn’t represent me after he drove all the way over there, after we filled out all the paperwork and after he charged my credit card. I’m not sure why they couldn’t tell me that before when I told them he would be coming to the meeting. Lastly, they are amortizing the loan in some weird way I don’t understand that puts an extra $12 in their pockets each month.

In the end I felt pretty walked-over. But I just smiled and took the car keys. I’m learning slowly to just roll with the punches. And I can say it’s really nice having a new car.