Are 4 x 4's Really Necessary?
Over the 25 years that I've lived in Costa Rica, I've seen dramatic improvements in infrastructure, especially with Costa Rica's roads.
Nevertheless, compared to the U.S., Costa Rican roads are bad.
In many areas of the country, the main road might be paved and quite good, but virtually all secondary roads will be dirt.
And in some cases, a paved road can be worse than a dirt one. Especially older “paved” roads with little ongoing maintenance that are riddled with potholes. I'll take a decent dirt road over that any day.
There's also the issue of traffic signs and rules that are, well, just plain weird.
For instance, in many rural areas (even urban ones) two-lane roads converge to one-lane at most bridges. One side or the other will have to yield to on-coming traffic. How do you know which side has to yield? There'll be a "ceda" sign on the yield side. It's an upside down triangle sign, colored red and white, with the word “ceda” on it. The official translation for ceda is to give in, or “yield” to. For gringos who aren't initiated, this can cause problems, even accidents!
In our southern zone, especially along the coast, we now have a wonderfully paved coastal highway we call the “Costanera.” I remember back when there were significant unpaved sections, like the one between Quepos and Dominical. That short and straight stretch could take 2 hours back in those days. Now it takes 30 minutes.
However, once you exit the Costanera and drive either towards the beach, or up into the hills, you're going to encounter steep and rocky (sometimes muddy) dirt roads. And it’s up in them thar hills where all the great homes with epics ocean views are!
Where I live in Perez Zeledon, it's a little different. The main road between Dominical and San Isidro de El General (Route 243) is paved and maintained very well, although steep in some areas, very windy and prone to landslide problems in the rainy season. But many of our mountain secondary roads are paved and of course the Inter-American highway runs right through San Isidro.
So, do you really need a 4 x 4 in Costa Rica?
Yes (and no). Like most things, it depends.
If you live in the city and do virtually all of your driving there, then probably no.
If you live virtually anywhere else, then yes, you do.
I always tell my real estate clients that it's much better to have a 4 x 4 in our area. And that's even if you live on a perfectly paved road and do most of your driving around town.
There are just too many great places to go where you’re going to need a good 4 x 4 to get there. And if you try driving on these steep, rocky mountain roads with a city-slicker vehicle, it ain't going to last very long!
So, don't let the need to have a 4 x 4 scare you. For sure, you should assess carefully the quality of access your desired property has. But don't make the decision of having or not having a 4 x 4 depend solely on that. Because home ain't the only place you’re gonna want to go, right?
A good and sturdy 4 x 4 will give you access to all that gorgeous flora and fauna that attracted you to the place to begin with.
You see, in Costa Rica our 4 x 4's aren’t just for show, like many are back in the States. Down here we actually use that feature, regularly!
One thing I’ve always said that makes Costa Rica stand out amongst other countries in Latin America is its accessibility - meaning you can jump in your car and go anywhere you want, anytime, and it won’t take too long or be too dangerous. A good 4 x 4 will really open that accessibility up for you.
And buy diesel - you’ll thank me later.
