For those looking for cheap vehicles on island...................

I have purchased vehicles from this site and from craigslist. Both under $2500. Havnt had any serious problems with either vehicle other then regular maintenance. And I drive all over island everyday for work. Maybe I have gotten lucky but there are decent cars here.

I agree. The most I've ever paid for a vehicle here is $2900 five years ago for a '98 Explorer. A couple of years ago I replaced some front end parts which cost total about $1500 but that's the only major expense I incurred and I'm still way ahead of the game. Probably bought 6 cars under $2K over many years and resold all except for one which was stolen and found stripped. If you have (or are yourself) a good mechanic and check out the vehicle before purchase there are great deals to be had all over - including those shipped from stateside and whose owners decided island living wasn't for them and didn't want to spend a bunch of money shipping the vehicle back again!

Bring your truck.
I drive a 17 yr. old Toyota Tacoma which I keep in great condition and am always being asked if I'd like to sell it.
You are not likely to find a good and relable vehicle without spending at least $6K (IMO) and then you have no idea of problems you may have with it down the road. It'll be worth spending the cost to ship.

If he had said it was a Toyota especially the older 4wd, then I'd say ship it for sure. They are brilliant little trucks that never lose value and will survive as long as they don't rust away. But a 94 Chevy with 200k? Nah.

I paid a few hundred for my last SUV and put about a grand more into it with front/end parts, tires, battery, intake seals, filters, etc. and while it looks like a beast, it cruises like a champ (and has for several years). Most people down here won't judge you by what you drive - unlike stateside.

I'm planning to bring my truck too. Still unsure if I can find a good and reliable vehicle without spending thousands of bucks, so I've doubts about selling it. The truck is in a great condition and even upgraded some of the parts including the lift kits. Anyway, may I know how much would it cost for the shipping fees?

We are in the process of purchasing a Chevy Colorado now so next year when we move to STT we will have our vehicle taken care of.  We know we will need a small truck for our business.  Thanks to an earlier posting that talked about the extra tax fee if a vehicle wasn't assembled in the U.S. we have drastically narrowed our search and check the Vin number.  We have learned a lot about decoding a Vin! My husband is very good at keeping our vehicles in good working order and we are expecting to keep our truck for many years.

I've always been a Chevy man in the states.  But there seems to be a preponderance of Tacomas on STX.  They have a good reliability rating and most are made in the USA.  So I'm looking at picking one up used stateside to ship down, the trick will be not paying for stateside registration and road tax that will not be needed.

Posted by: wcpalmer

Trust no one you know nothing about... A good policy...

As a former automechanic I never found a cheap car in STX worth my time...

I have been going back and forth and back and forth with my decision on if I should ship my truck to STX with me when I move, or if I should sell it state side and try to buy a cheap "Island Car".

The truck is a 94 Chevy Cheyenne 1500. just hit 200,000 miles. I own it outright, so I am not making any payments on it. Insurance is cheap. It has its quarks and little problems (like blinkers won't turn off by themselves anymore, paint is in bad shape, basically looks like an island truck already) but it runs solid, is super easy to work on, and I know the truck (just not exactly how much longer it will last).

After my PMV I feel confident that it can handle the hills, road condition, pot holes, etc... which honestly were not as bad as I was expecting (especially the new roads on the east end, thanks for the visit Joe Biden) but I did see pretty much the entire island (lots of the west end where I think I would most like to live) and feel that my truck can handle it.

I was quoted 2,300 to ship my truck to STX, which is about what I could get for it selling it state side.

I have been all over craigslist for the past 8 months or so checking out island cars. I have seen some deals, but as stated by Spee1dy, I fear I might have to end up spending more money to keep it running.

If I ship the truck, I am automatically out $2,300 in shipping (which I will never see again). Where as if I sell it (lets say $2,000) and dont spend the $2,300 on shipping, then I show up on island with roughly 4,000 to spend on an Island Car (I dont want to pay more than 4,000).

If you were in my situation what would you do? Spend the money (that I can never get back) to have an older truck with quarks shipped and registered, and go through the headache of shipping it?

Or sell it state side, and go through the headache of arriving on island without a means of transportation and having to sort through the scamers to try to find a reliable ride?

Has anyone had a good experiences buying an island car off of Craigs List?

I am leaning towards shipping it and sticking with what I know, but its always nice hearing others opinions.

i always suggest bringing down a car you know rather than buying one you dont 

Posted by: Voozt

I'm planning to bring my truck too. Still unsure if I can find a good and reliable vehicle without spending thousands of bucks, so I've doubts about selling it. The truck is in a great condition and even upgraded some of the parts including the lift kits. Anyway, may I know how much would it cost for the shipping fees?

 

Just call up some shippers and ask. If you are driving it to their port, usually in FL then they should be able to email you a quote fast. Also, on this site you can find info about fees and taxes, especially taxes on vehicles not manufactured in the US. 

Stick with a car you know. many of the mechanics on STX are not that good or are shysters. MPH is good, Tire Express is OK Absolute Auto is the worst. They have had my friends truck for a month and keep making excuses and don't return calls.

MPH is now for sale if anyone is interested. Calabash has the listing.