PuroCarro vs CRAutos: Where Should You Buy or Sell a Car in Costa Rica?

If you want a big selection of used cars in one place, start with CRAutos: it has been a vehicles-only site since 1998 and carries thousands of active listings. If you want to list for free with more photos and see how an asking price compares with similar cars, PuroCarro is built for that, and plenty of sellers will reasonably use both.

CRAutos figures come from its own pages as of October 2026. Further down is a dated summary of what is and isn't known about its sale to Move Tech International.

Credit where it's due: what CRAutos does well

CRAutos is the incumbent for good reasons. Its homepage says it was founded in 1998, and El Financiero calls it one of the best-known platforms in Costa Rica for buying and selling vehicles, mostly used ones.

• Volume. On 2 October 2026 its used-car search showed roughly 11,700 vehicles, 5,484 of them offering financing.
• Price data. Years of listings feed a blue book of average prices by make, year, model, transmission, fuel and body style. El Financiero uses its figures in coverage of the used-car market.
• Local filters. You can filter for cars that come with financing or sellers who accept a trade-in, alongside 150+ makes, body style, fuel, transmission, province, doors, year and a colón price range.
• Structured ads. Sellers must enter engine size, mileage, colours, province and the plate number, among other fields, so listings are fairly consistent.

If you're shopping and want to see the whole market, look at CRAutos too.

What PuroCarro does differently

A price check on every listing. Each PuroCarro listing is compared with up to 50 similar listings from the last 12 months: same make, similar model, within 2 years and 50,000 km. A three-band bar shows whether the price is among the cheapest, in the middle, or among the most expensive. It only appears with at least 20 comparable listings and doesn't account for condition, extras or history. CRAutos' blue book gives averages; this places this specific car within the market.

Mileage filter. We didn't find a mileage filter in CRAutos' search form, even though mileage is a required field on its ads. PuroCarro lets you filter by mileage, search on a map, and save searches with alerts.

Photos. A standard CRAutos ad takes 5 photos, or 8 with a featured ad. PuroCarro allows up to 20 photos on every plan, including the free one.

Plate assist. When you list on PuroCarro, you type the plate and the car's details fill in. Autofilled fields are marked so you can check them.

Feature comparison

CRAutos prices are from its listing page as of October 2026.

What listing on CRAutos actually costs

CRAutos' listing page doesn't put a price on the basic ad, and it doesn't call it free either. The ad waits for a phone call from CRAutos to confirm it before it goes live. Every option the page does price is an add-on. As of October 2026, IVA included:

• Automatic confirmation, so the ad goes live without the call: ₡2,260.
• "Nuevo" badge for 4 days, including automatic confirmation: ₡2,825.
• Message badges such as "GANGA", "Financiamiento" or "Venta urgente": ₡5,085 for one, ₡6,215 for a set of three.
• Destacado (highlighted in results): ₡9,605.
• Super destacado: ₡12,430, which adds a post on CRAutos' Facebook page (the page cites 112,000+ followers).

Payment is by credit or debit card. The page doesn't say how long an ad stays up. There's no public dealer price list; agencies are asked to call 2291-4141.

On PuroCarro, the free plan allows 1 active listing; Turbo ($9.99 a month, 5 listings) and Empresarial ($99.99 a month, 100) are for people selling more, and the $7, 7-day Boost works even on the free plan. See pricing.

The pending sale of CRAutos to Move Tech International

Current as of 2 October 2026.

What has been reported:

• 11 February 2026. El Financiero reported that CRautos S.A. is being sold to Move Tech International, along with four related companies including Grupo Crautos S.A. The deal came to light through Coprocom, Costa Rica's competition authority, which gave interested parties 10 business days to comment on the possible economic concentration. Co-founder Javier Fernández confirmed the sale.
• 8 September 2026. El Financiero quoted Fernández saying the deal was in its "final stage", with legal and regulatory steps being completed, and that closing was expected in early October 2026. He said CRautos continues to operate normally.

What isn't known:

• Who Move Tech International is: its country, owners or background. It should not be confused with Movate, a customer-service company in Heredia with no known link to this deal.
• The price, and Coprocom's final decision.
• Whether the deal has closed.
• What the buyer plans to do with the site, its fees or existing listings.

What sellers can do now: there's no reason to pull an existing ad. Leave it on CRAutos and add a free PuroCarro listing so you aren't relying on one channel while the ownership change plays out. Keep your original photos and ad text so you can relist anywhere.

Listing on both without doubling the work

1. Start on PuroCarro. Enter the plate, check the autofilled fields and upload up to 20 photos.
2. Read the price comparison and adjust if your car lands in the most expensive band. Without enough similar listings, use the Bluebook.
3. Pick 5 photos for CRAutos: front three-quarter, side, interior, the dash showing mileage, and the engine bay.
4. Use the same price on both, because many buyers check both.
5. When it sells, take both ads down the same day.

Buying instead? Our guide to buying a used car in Costa Rica covers the registry check, the transfer and what it costs.

When CRAutos makes more sense

• You want to browse a large, vehicles-only inventory.
• You're specifically looking for cars with financing or sellers who take a trade-in.
• Five photos is enough for your car, and you don't mind waiting for the confirmation call or paying ₡2,260 to skip it.
• You're a dealer and want to negotiate a package by phone.

When PuroCarro is the better choice

• You want to list for free with up to 20 photos.
• You want to know whether a car is priced above or below similar listings before you negotiate.
• You filter by mileage, search by map, or want alerts when a matching car appears.
• You'd rather contact sellers through an in-site chat.

Comparing other options? See PuroCarro vs Encuentra24 and PuroCarro vs Facebook Marketplace.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it free to list a car on CRAutos?

CRAutos' listing page shows no price for a basic ad, but the ad only goes live after CRAutos confirms it by phone. Skipping that call costs ₡2,260, and featured placement costs ₡9,605 to ₡12,430 with IVA included, as of October 2026.

How many photos can I post on CRAutos?

Five on a standard ad and eight on a featured one. PuroCarro allows up to 20 on any plan, including the free one.

Who is buying CRAutos?

El Financiero reported that CRautos S.A. and four related companies are being sold to Move Tech International. As of 8 September 2026, closing was expected in early October. The price, the buyer's owners and its plans for the site have not been made public. In the meantime, its co-founder says CRAutos is operating normally.

Can I list the same car on CRAutos and PuroCarro?

Yes. Keep the price the same on both and remove both ads once the car sells.

Does PuroCarro have a blue book like CRAutos?

Yes. The PuroCarro Bluebook is free and shows minimum, maximum, average and median prices by make, model and year, plus mileage stats.

Verdict

CRAutos is Costa Rica's veteran car site, with thousands of used cars, and any buyer who wants to see the whole market should check it. If volume is what matters most, CRAutos wins. PuroCarro lists for free with 20 photos and tells you where each price sits against similar cars. With the CRAutos sale still in progress, listing on both is the simplest way to avoid depending on a single site. List your car on PuroCarro.