Friends:

An interesting dilemma is before me and I thought I'd add the collective's thoughts to those I've been collecting.

Situation: My wife and I want to sell/donate/rid ourselves of our two aging cars and buy one good one. We **HATE** traditional car dealers with a passion so we don't plan on going that route unless we have to (CarMax might be acceptable). Simple, right?

Wrong.

You see, whatever car we get we will need to be rid of in about a year. We are moving out of the country and can't take the car with us. But as we are driving across America before leaving (from FL to WA), we need a good enough car to cross the Rockies (and possibly haul a modest U-Haul type unit).

Cars of decent vintage and mechanical shape are plentiful and cheap here in central FL, so one of our options is to buy a (let's say) $6-8,000 vehicle and then just put it on the market (or sell it to a dealer) when we get to Seattle. Might be a hassle if the car doesn't sell quickly, though.

OR, we've been told that we should look into a one-year lease on a car. A down of say $2000 and monthly of say $300ish still works out the same or less $$, but nobody seems to know if we can drop the car off at a (blank) dealer on the other end of the country to "return" the vehicle without incurring a penalty.

OR, we could hold on to our clunkers for 11 months and do a one-way rental with someone like Budget or Enterprise. Probably the cheapest option of all, even if the trip took six weeks. Initial estimates are around $1800 for a six-week rental, but we'd kind of like to enjoy a nice car before that, but OTOH we'd get a really nice new full-size car for this money.

Any other options I haven't thought of, or opinions on which option you like? We also welcome suggestions for cars we should look at (we are the kind of people who wish we could afford a new Prius or a Beetle -- style mavens who are very enviro/mileage conscious, but I'm 6'4" so I can't fit in no Mini-Cooper type cars, thanks),

Thanks in advance for your help.

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chas_m




[crawlingfromtheusa.blogspot.com] <-- Moving to Canada blog

Buy a used Toyota.

Carm



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/03/2006 10:12PM by Carm.

Find out what the number one selling used car is in Seattle, and buy one of those in FL.

Of course Carm has been right before......

Keep one of your cars for the time being if dependable, rent a car for the trip.

Pricey, but a LOT cheaper than buying new and having to resell.

But iaJim has a good idea.

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Strength without compassion is brutality. Compassion without strength is weakness.

We must train our minds to desire what the situation demands.

If you go the rental route, where you rent from and where you drop off can make a difference in the rate. I just rented a full size from National for a week and had initially looked at Reagan National Airport as the pickup and return. Then on a whim I looked at Dulles. Dulles was cheaper for the same car by about $100.

Carm is correct again. Buy a used Toyota. You'll be able to sell it no matter where you go.

I'd like to hear more about your move.

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And we should consider every day lost on which we have not danced at least once.
—Friedrich Nietzsche
Western Massachusetts

Bravo to Carm and iaJim for quick ideas I had completely failed to think of!

blooz, we're moving to Canada (western Canada, probably Victoria, possibly Vancouver). Lots of reasons why, but among them:

• My wife is Canadian
• Western Canada = very Mac-savvy area with industries I and she work in
• Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful place that is about as un-Florida as you can get
• Victoria -- small but near enough to Vanc, lots of arts/culture, friendly, has a very UK feel, which I naturally respond to (having been born in the UK)
• Much milder winters than the (east of Rockies) rest of Canada gets (usually within 6-10 degrees of Atlanta GA except during the hottest part of summer)
• Booming economy and low population (32M for the whole country!)
and of course
• Poplace and gov't have their heads screwed on much straighter than the US has IMHO (this is not strictly a political difference, I'm talking education/quality of life and other issues too -- the US has been on a slipperly slope since the 80s, again IMHO)

One of the few downsides, though, is that it's prohibitively expensive to bring a US-bought car into the country. Thus the question.

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chas_m




[crawlingfromtheusa.blogspot.com] <-- Moving to Canada blog

LOL, chas_m

Are you going to open a Mac repair shop in Canada?

Carm

Get your motor runnin'.

Head out on the highway.

Lookin' for adventure.

And whatever comes your way.

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Carm
Are you going to open a Mac repair shop in Canada?

Given that that's what I do now (along with teaching computer courses), I'd be quite likely to do something along those lines, but I'm hoping I can also do more professional writing (which is how I made my living for most of the previous 20 years).

Apple hasn't seen fit to open a retail store in Vanc or Victoria yet (the Vancouver omission is a real mystery -- I've only seen more Macs in NYC and LA!), but when they do ...

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chas_m




[crawlingfromtheusa.blogspot.com] <-- Moving to Canada blog

There are numerous computer shops in Vancouver with Apple logos or signage in their windows.

Why can't you take your car to BC? Cars are cheaper in the US. I know Canadians that buy them here and have them shipped back home.

Very interesting take you have on Canada. I must say, it's the first I've heard it that way. Out of the dozens and dozens of Canadians I've know, all would move here if they could (or already have.) The cost of living is much higher there, when compared to the income. I only know one person who has moved from the US to Canada, and that was because he got married to a Canadian and she had more ties to there than he had to here.

Same goes for the populace and government comments, as well as the education system. I continually here the colleges here are better.

That area is beautiful though. And if I was going to move to Canada, that's probably the area I'd move to. I vacation there probably once a year.

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I know I sound like a broken record, but get a good Volvo 240 wagon. Here is why:

- There are lots of them in Florida that are rust free
- They are comfy
- The engines are reliable and run forever
- They are popular cars in the NW (Seattle/Vancouver/Victoria = Volvoland), so no problems sellling, and if you keep it, easy to keep running
- It'll run all winter without problem with a good set of snow tires
- They are cheap to maintain and new and used parts are plentiful
- They haul loads of stuff, even without a trailer
- Built like tank
- Good AC (supposedly important for Florida?)

I bought one for my trip from Iowa - Alaska in 2005. There were 225k miles on the clock when I purchased it. Granted, I'm willing to fix things myself, but I did all the work to prep it for the trip, put a hitch on it, attached a full+ 6x10 trailer on the back of it and proceeded to drive 4000 miles north, across the Rockies, here to Anchorage. They aren't the fastest cars on the road, but they are solidly built and run forever. There is a great community of support at www.brickboard.com/RWD/?model=200, as well as an excellent FAQ and other info. The ones with a manual get ~25c/30h mpg, and autos get 21/25. They can be made to corner quite readily with some swaybars from either IPD or ones off of an old 240 turbo. A 940 would be another option, basically an updated 240 body with a few other refinements.

A 240 wagon in good condition, needing little in deferred maintenance, should run you somewhere between $2,000 - $4,000. The best years for you to look for would be between 1988 - 1993. If you do have any interest PM me and I'll see if I can hook you up with someone in your area with a line on one in good shape.

Zach



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/2006 12:04AM by Z.

Z:

Another good suggestion! I'm an old Volvo 240 fan from way back ... I've only owned two of them but loved em both! I'll have to consider that idea ...

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chas_m




[crawlingfromtheusa.blogspot.com] <-- Moving to Canada blog

one year lease.

or call the CarMax at your intended destination and ask what used car they'd suggest you buy and sell to them in one year. I sold my car to carmax. didn't get much for it, though.

Have fun being an expat

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Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/04/2006 05:47AM by SteveJobs.

I'm going to go out on a limb here - why not go to Canada on a trip, buy a car and drive it home?

I know there is no problem with a Canadian made car here in the US, as many of our WA dealers have them from time to time.

The trip will give you a chance to scope out some areas you might want to look at for living, and give you the opportunity to buy a car that you won't have to sell in a year.

Alternatively, you might check car dealers for late model Canadian made cars - lots of snowbirds in FL from Ontario.

Quote
M A V I C
... as well as the education system. I continually here the colleges here are better.

Sorry. I know it's just a typo, but I couldn't resist. ;)

eye here simular thawts

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Quote
wurm

Quote
M A V I C
... as well as the education system. I continually here the colleges here are better.

Sorry. I know it's just a typo, but I couldn't resist. ;)

Not all of my college was done in the US, I'll blame the other country. Or, I'll blame speel check. That was a timely typo. ;)

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Quote
Seacrest
Get your motor runnin'.

Head out on the highway.

Lookin' for adventure.

And whatever comes your way.

Born to be MILD.

Quote
vicrock
I'm going to go out on a limb here - why not go to Canada on a trip, buy a car and drive it home?

You mean, fly to Canada, buy a car, DRIVE it back to Florida and then DRIVE it to Victoria when we move?

It's an interesting idea, but I think I'll pass on TWO cross-country car trips. I did that once in my youth (FL to CA and back) and I don't think I've got the stamina to do it again. One-way will be quite enough, thanks.

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chas_m




[crawlingfromtheusa.blogspot.com] <-- Moving to Canada blog

If you think you might rent, be careful about towing. Seems like rental car companies take a dim view of people towing with their vehicles, and have some nasties in the contract regarding such use.

But then, it's been a while since I rented a car...

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This remote controlled tree is a must for the person who wants to be on the cutting edge of Christmas technology.