Central America - Panama to costa rica

Planning a trip to PTT then over to CR

Is it possible to drive Panama Canal and then cross over by car to Costa Rica?
Any suggestions where to stay?
A nice drive with beaches on the way back to SJO.
Is it safe?

Thanks

it is a VERY long drive (its at least 8 hours to David, and David is still far away from Panama City ), we have been having severe rain recently and the road is not in the best of shapes (talking about the Costa Rica side)

the drive is not for the faint of heart and I would not recommend anyone not from here (used to our crazy way of driving/local road conditions etc) to do it

As I recall, my rental car contract from Budget at Tocuman Airport limited use of the car to Panama and did not allow crossing into Costa Rica. The portion of the road (Pan American Highway) that I drove in Panama was far superior to the highway in Costa Rica. Traffic in Panama City is somewhat of a challenge but the larger challenge is the complete lack of street signs.

I guess that you could drive your rental car to the border and park it. Traveling by bus the remainder of the way to San Jose and back is certainly feasible.