Advice needed for moving to Hawaii

[Thalassamania]

Is the pickup a 4x4?

 

[DebbyDiver]

Yes it is, pretty much a must here. The roads are horrific here. How about there? I find I'm really limited here by my Miata. I'm so sorry I brought her here, I should have sold her in Florida and bought a cheap island junker when I arrived.

 

[DebbyDiver]

I'd like to really thank everyone who has posted in this thread. I've found out more about our possible move right here than I have in all of my other research. It's one thing to read statistics and websites, quite another to read personal experiences of those who live it. THANK YOU!

 

[DebbyDiver]

So, no replies to my car shipping question, but after thinking what we could sell the truck for here (for nothing...2,000 truck and SUV owners soon to be out of work and leaving the island!) vs. what it appears they sell for there (doing research on Auto Trader, car dealer websites) it seems prudent to ship the truck.

The Miata, on the other hand, maybe not. It's good on gas, and old and won't cost much to buy used, so maybe I'll find a buyer here. Once we get to Hawaii, we can share the truck, at least for a while.

Any input?

 

[knotical]

So, no replies to my car shipping question, but after thinking what we could sell the truck for here (for nothing...2,000 truck and SUV owners soon to be out of work and leaving the island!) vs. what it appears they sell for there (doing research on Auto Trader, car dealer websites) it seems prudent to ship the truck.

The Miata, on the other hand, maybe not. It's good on gas, and old and won't cost much to buy used, so maybe I'll find a buyer here. Once we get to Hawaii, we can share the truck, at least for a while.

Any input?

Your conclusion seems reasonable. When my wife's company shipped us to Hawaii, they used a rule of thumb that if a car blue-booked at $4000 or more it was worth shipping. I suspect that shipping from St Croix would cost more so the break-even point would be at a somewhat higher dollar value.

As it turned out for us, my wife shipped her beloved old (but still worth $8000) Saturn, and I got a new car to replace my even older Oldsmobile.

 

[DebbyDiver]

Thanks, that is a reasonable rule of thumb.

 

[Thalassamania]

You want a 4x4 and a car that runs on the pavement and gets great mileage. You have the right mix, but are they worth shipping? I don't know. I suggest you look in West Hawaii today (I think you can access the ads) and check the classifieds for a glimpse of what prices really are. Only you can decide this one.

 

[justleesa]

Sorry I'm late to the party....bummer about shipping your car is they won't let you put anything in it.

Has anyone suggested this book yet?

Amazon.com: So You Want to Live in Hawaii: The Guide to Settling and Succeeding in the Islands (Second Edition) (9780966625363): Toni Polancy: Books

 

[Thalassamania]

Has anyone suggested this book yet?

Amazon.com: So You Want to Live in Hawaii: The Guide to Settling and Succeeding in the Islands (Second Edition) (9780966625363): Toni Polancy: Books

I need that!

Sorry I'm late to the party....bummer about shipping your car is they won't let you put anything in it.

Yup.

 

[DebbyDiver]

You want a 4x4 and a car that runs on the pavement and gets great mileage. You have the right mix, but are they worth shipping? I don't know. I suggest you look in West Hawaii today (I think you can access the ads) and check the classifieds for a glimpse of what prices really are. Only you can decide this one.

It's not so much what we have to pay for a truck when we get there (you're correct, we looked at online ads) but the reality that we don't believe that we can sell the truck here what with the oil refinery closing and thousands of people leaving. The Miata, I just don't know if it's worth shipping, it isn't worth that much. I think we are now down to "would the amount we would lose selling it here (IF) be far greater than the cost of shipping?" The more we think about it, the more we are thinking we're just going to bring the truck.

So then, what we need to do next is get a quote for shipping the vehicles. Does anyone know which shipping companies come in to Hawaii? The shippers I used to get here from SoFla only ship within the Caribbean. Shipping SoFla-STX was very uncomplicated but I'll bet STX-HI is going to be more complicated.

Sorry I'm late to the party....bummer about shipping your car is they won't let you put anything in it.

And a good thing, too!!! I couldn't put anything in my car when I shipped it to St. Croix, either. Research at that time showed that anything put in a car likely won't still be in said car once it reaches its destination. Our truck can only hold one pallet of goods, anyway, as I found out when I moved here and he had to make 5 trips to the shipping company for my 4 pallets and kayak.

However, if I had a dollar for every time someone said to me, when I was packing up to move here, "so are you going to stuff your car with your belongings?" I could have paid for 1/4 of the move!

Has anyone suggested this book yet?

Amazon.com: So You Want to Live in Hawaii: The Guide to Settling and Succeeding in the Islands (Second Edition) (9780966625363): Toni Polancy: Books

Yes, and it was shipped last week.