Driver’s Education?

By: Russ Martin - February 14th, 2011  Filed under: Testimonials PASS service

Nissan Pathfinder 2000Hi Russ and Kattia!  Sorry for the delay in getting back to you, but we have spent the last two days trying to recover from the ordeal of driving in San Jose!

We had a reasonable journey back to Tilaran and all was going well until we got to our house and Peter discovered that he had left the key for the padlock on the gate on the keyring of the rental car!  Thankfully there is also a side gate where we can bring in the car in off the road, but there were a few moments of panic!  I have called the car rental company and they have found the key – they say they are going to put it on a delivery service which runs on the bus from San Jose to Tilaran.  Hopefully it will arrive on Monday and we can go and collect it from the the bus station.

Anyway, the most important part of this email is to tell you how happy we were to have found you – you have both offered us service with a smile (in Kattia’s case anyway – Russ, we imagined you smiling through your emails!) and have gone above and beyond the call of duty from beginning to end.  You helped us through what could have been a very stressful time and there is no way we could have done it without you.  We were lucky to find a suitable car straight away and you managed to speed us through the buying, registration and insurance processes so that we could get on our way.  Kattia – your cheerfulness and can-do attitude made everything seem easy, even if your driving did leave us holding our breath on occasions!  One day we will learn to drive like you!  Many, many thanks for all you did for us – and please feel free to use our comments as a testimonial on your website – we would have no hesitation in recommending you to anybody.

Regards,
Frances and Peter
:-)

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Surf’s Up ! Kalon Surf Costa Rica Buys Galloper

By: Russ Martin - February 8th, 2011  Filed under: Testimonials PASS service
Galloper 2000 for Surf School Transportation

Hyundai Galloper 4 x 4 SUV for Kalon Surf

When I was planning my move to Costa Rica to open my luxury surf school, Kalon Surf, one of the key things that I needed to manage was getting a car, a proper one, preferably not overpriced. But how do you go about it? Where to go? Private sale or to a dealer? Which ones are good, which one not? What is the right price? Which type of car should you get? With seriously high taxes on import, you really do need to consider your options. But again where to start…

Then funny enough, at the same time I found Fijatevos on the internet, they were also recommended to me by someone I trust on anything he would say – I checked their website, read their extensive reviews (I now even more understand why Kattia has so many) and decided that this is definitely the best option. In fairness, at that moment I also thought – even just on getting from dealer to dealer by taxi and the amount of time to locate the taxi’s their service would pay off.

It turned out to be such much more, Russ replied quickly on any questions I had, but more importantly they have knowledge about the market tell you sincerely what to do, what not to do and even help you with some additional issues (e.g. Read the article on opening a Costa Rica bank account on Fijatevos of Russell). I felt I was already well prepared before I arrived.

On arrival, Kattia picked me up at the hotel and had a list of cars ready to be checked out. And boy, she knows a lot – she checks the car with you, part for part, asks whether certain things get replaced or not and also tells you when it is better to move on to the next car – and although she is on good terms with most of the dealer you will visit (which definitely helps) she is 100% on your side and tries to get done as much as possible.

It goes without saying I would recommend them in a heartbeat, and chances are that when I buy my next car here in Costa Rica (as I might need another one for my business) I would like to use Kattia and Russel again. Thanks guys.

Kjeld Schigt, Founder
Kalon Surf School – Playa Dominicalito, Costa Rica

Ps. Their “after-sales” is perfect as well!

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Remember December?

By: Russ Martin - January 18th, 2011  Filed under: Testimonials PASS service Add Comment

Hola Kattia and Russ, sorry I didn’t get back to you yesterday but it was a very long one for me.  I had to drop Sheila off at Liberia airport at 6 AM then pick up my friend at 6 PM.  In between I went to the Riteve office and got my sticker then a young lady who spoke Spanish and English called Jorge for me and we figured out where i had to go to get the marchamo, the INS office.  I had both stickers on the windshield by 9 AM and had the rest of the day to explore Liberia while I waited for my friend.  If Jorge had explained that because I had the original receipts I had to go to Liberia or Nicoya to get the stickers, I would have done that as soon as I got the plates and documents and there would have been “no problemo”.  Perhaps he will learn form this and the next gringo that buys a car needing licensing will be better informed.

I want to thank you very much for your able assistance in helping me find the right vehicle.  From meeting me at the airport, taking me to reputable auto dealers who had the vehicles I wanted to see then helping me conclude the purchase, I could not have done it without your support.  Your service was invaluable and very much appreciated.  I also appreciated your help after the purchase when a problem came up relating to the license plate and stickers which must be displayed on the windshield.  Problem solved with your help!  I would recommend your services to anyone looking to buy a car in CR.

I  hope our paths cross again, warm regards… Bob

A “Novel” Experience

By: Russ Martin - August 5th, 2010  Filed under: Testimonials PASS service

Kattia (and Russ),

I cannot begin to thank you enough for how helpful, patient, and informative you were in helping me find my truck. It would have been a nightmare for me to do it all on my own, and I just may have given up! Your services are such a huge help, and Kattia was so incredibly kind. It was a crazy three-day marathon of shopping, Riteve, banks, and tears (mostly mine, I’m such a wuss) but we managed to find just what I needed, get it legal, get it insured, and get me on my way to my new home in Montezuma. Incredible. Thank you so much for your patience, and your herculean efforts to find the cheapest, best car possible for the rough roads out here on the peninsula. Wow. What a job it was! I’m loving being a Costa Rican resident and because of you I have the freedom to go see more of this incredible country. It’s so beautiful and so diverse. I find myself more and more inspired here every day as I work on writing my novel. Thank you. It was so lovely to meet you and your daughter, and I truly do feel like I have family in San Jose now.

Much love.

Evie Stewart,
Montezuma & Florida

Helping a 15 year Resident of Costa Rica

By: Russ Martin - June 15th, 2010  Filed under: Testimonials PASS service

I would recommend Kattia for helping a person find the car of your dreams in Costa Rica,as I spent considerable time looking with no results, she did the job in two days.

Thanks again.

Robert Browne, Desamparados