I shipped a 40 foot container in from the states and had absolutely no as in “0” problems perhaps in part because I planned this shipment a year in advanced and worked closely with all parties involved including Panamanian customs official. I had many new items that could have been assessed but they decided that my shipment was well organizes and meticulously coordinated and they gave me a break for my efforts plus my smooth talking velvet tong. But don’t bet overly competent you may have a big hassle at the point of entry and in the end it’s all about the money. If it were me I would sell the truck and ship the container and avoid the expenses and the potential liabilities and possible loss of all your stuff over the road.. You say that you made the trip before however things are not as they were and you may not be as fortunate this time and you will be much more venerable this time. I paid less than $8000 for a top quality shipper who delivered on time without any issues and nothing lost or damaged, well worth the investment. Good luck,

We bought a 2005, US spec, Hyundai Tucson specifically to bring to Panama. V-6, 4WD, 6 airbags, Traction Control, Stability Control, Anti-locks, automatic, etc., etc. At that time it listed for 24,000 and we paid a bit over 18,000 cash for it.

In Panama the “same car” was a 4cyl, 2WD, only a drivers air bag, manual, no traction or stability control, and I don’t think it had ABS. List was $25,000 and there was no real negotiation. A “stripper” being sold for almost a third more than we paid for a “loaded” car in the US.

It was a great car for Panama; small enough to go everywhere including the goat trails above Boquete, OK on gas, reliable, comfortable on the long haul between PC and David, and so on..

We brought it back to the US with 17,000 miles on it and found some serious wear problems. Basically the front subframe and front sway bar bushings were disintegrating from the constant small, sharp shocks and impacts of driving on rocky Panamanian secondary roads as well as the side-to-side wrenching of climbing in and out of ruts.

Fortunately the local Hyundai dealer here in Albuquerque replaced everything under warranty, but I doubt that you’d ever get Hyundai in Panama to swallow a $1,000+ repair bill. The Tucson now has 30,000 miles on it, we still like it and plan to drive it for a long time to come but I *might* not buy another one for use in Panama.

Nice as it is, I think it might be a bit too “light” for semi-rough usage.

FWIW…

I will try to remember to catch a few examples of these types of driving hazards.

And Michael, I owned and drove 1960’s bugs for 30 years and had every combination of parts and off road goodies made for bugs including the custom stuff I made myself. I also wrecked and rolled several of them. I was not to receptive to good advice back then and had to learn some things the hard way. I had a 1964 in high school bug but my favorite was 1967.
I did own a 55 Ford step side pick up for a while but traded it off.

Regarding the roads in David, you will need a good 4X4 to handle the millions of pot holes and extraordinarily secured up pavement, if you can call it payment. And taking day trips up into the mountains with a 4X4 is nice to. There is also a few gaping holes just waiting to swallow up a car.

I can’t explain why but there is a drainage inlet box with the cover missing creating a serious hazard with an open hole about 4 feet across. If someone drives it to this one they will disappear. It’s located near the end of the Boquete road coming into David just before the auto dealer on the left side of the road.

Perhaps Don would be so kind and take a photo of it as it is near his location and then do a nice write up about it on his CC for public awareness. Most regulars are probably aware of this hazard but it’s the tourist that may be at greater risk especially at night.

Having said that, I have found the people at the dealer to be nice and helpful for the most part. The parts department is another issue. While some parts are reasonable other are not. I recently replaced lower ball joints in my Explorer, the cost from Bass auto was $35 and $30 for tie rods. I looked up the price on line in the US and the prices were about $30 for each of the above. They were in stock and a well known brand, considering they were shipped here that is a good price.

I had a friend buy some parts for an Expedition at the dealer and the cost was a bit more, $46 for parts that should be about $35, still not too bad. However when I asked about getting some body parts at the dealer here it was over the top. Two parts that cost $400 at the Dealer in the states, they wanted $1200 each here. The only bright side is they can get the parts in just a few days.

Fact is that no cars is not perfect, Fords have their faults. However I have found over time maintaining my American built cars has been cheaper than Asian cars and I personally find them better suited for the roads here. I have also found the cars that come from the US have more safety equipment that cars that come from other countries directly here. That is something very important for me.

Again just me personal beliefs.