Quite a learning experience!

Dana and I have been looking around for a car to buy before we head out to the beach for a week plus to stay at a surf and yoga camp. Fortunately I convinced the owner of the lodge that Ember is really well behaved and they are letting us bring her, based more than anything on the fact that she is a Lab.
So, cars in Costa Rica are super expensive, because everything is imported, so for example something like a 95' Toyota 4-Runner is at least $8500. Kind of crazy, but most cars have diesel engines and last a lot longer, for they aren't driven as hard as in the States. Well here I am looking for great deals and I came across a long term rental agency that would let us rent a car for a week with the option to buy at the end taking the rental price out of the purchase price. Sweet, test drive this thing for a week and make a decision to buy based on that. It was definitely too good to be true. We arrived only to find the 99' Pathfinder we wanted was being worked on, so we had some lunch and watched the soccer match only to find the mechanic still working on the car that they are about to not only rent to us but also are hoping that we will buy. At this point the mechanic then informed us that the gauges on the dashboard didn't work, but we should test drive it anyway. So not more than a 1/4 mile out of the lot the damn thing ran out of gas, and the salesmen and I had to push it back to the lot while Dana steered. Kind of discouraging, but who the hell was I kidding, buy a used rental car, this was just the reality check I needed. To top it all off when I asked the guy for a ride back to the bus station he took us in a different car the agency owned, and when Dana tried to roll down the window she got nothing but the roll down handle in her hand. The guy said to not worry about it because they had already sold this car! Well needless to say, lesson learned and we are now taking assistance from my family's friend who will hopefully help us find something reliable and in our price range.
It felt good to be able to laugh about the whole experience, definitely felt like I learned something more than feeling like we wasted a day. Really settling in, have a great little house on my family's farm, where the chickens are running freely and Ember has 12 fenced in acres and five other dogs on the property to befriend. Super excited to surf, relax, and most of all see Ember get tossed in the waves. I hope that all our friends that say they are coming to visit, do intend on following through, because this place is absolutely amazing, from the smiles on everyone's faces, to the lush beauty the rainy season creates, I hope you all come and share the experiences, Pura Vida!