Moving - Car Buying - Furniture

I think it is best to sell and buy here.
It is more work to get the vehicle here, through customs, and you will pay more in doing so with taxes and getting the car legal than just paying the over inflated prices here. Unless, its a car that you would have a hard time getting time getting here. Then you would have to worry about getting parts!

Thanks Chris. I just posted about a VW.

Debbie -
I spoke with Mary from Caribbean Auto Mart two days ago about the same thing. I agree with Chris about avoiding the hassle of shipping your own car. I'm still trying to figure out which is the best route for me to go as well. I love my VW and really don't want to put myself further into debt. Anyway, I have horrible credit, but Mary said she could help me get a new car. So long as the paperwork was all in order, she said if I arrived on a Monday, she'd have a car for me on Tuesday. Would be nice if that did come through.

Also, I have just finished apartment hunting and yes, most places I found were furnished. It might not be what you would pick out for yourself, but if you watch enough Trading Spaces, you can make it liveable for yourself.

I didn't check out many furniture stores while I was there, but there's an awesome little store I fell in love with in Red Hook. Can't remember the name, but it's right by the East End Cafe.

Good luck!
~S

I disagree that buying here is better, unless you intend to buy a new car. Used cars here are so over-priced and over-used, many people buy their used cars in Florida and have them shipped over and STILL save $$$.
Also, Jeep Cherokee is an American made car is it not? If so, your taxes will be less b/c it is not foreign-made.
Last note: We looked into financing for a used car at Caribbean Auto Mart when we moved down here. The rates were horribly inflated for used and new car buying. We ended up putting it on a credit card b/c my cc rate was better than what the banks were offering. And, many will not finance you unless you have been here a minimum of 6 months.

The place next to East End is Hunter's. Also across the street is Home Again which has used furniture etc. for your home!

haha... i disagree about the "buy here' thing too. you will *always* save money and get a better condition car from afar. every once in a while someone has some issues but overall it's a fairly painless experience.
these islands age cars in dog-years... a 2-year old car here acts like 14

I think you will come out ahead if you ship your car. Especially if it is paid for. The roads of St. Thomas are car killers. A tank would be better LOL) We shipped our car from Los Angeles, California. We could have saved money had we shipped it from Florida, but my husband didn't want to put 3000 miles on the car.

Rita

OK ... I just moved to the VI's [hmmm, 10 days ago] and I would like to share my experience. For me, I think that shipping a car would be a nightmare ... but buying a car here was probably an equal experience .... I ended up buying something that I wouldn't even consider buying in the states ... price [outrageous ... sp?? ... but we did talk the seller down $1400], condition [eeee, best we could find though], etc ... but I didn't have to put up with all the the stuff that you would have to put up with if you shipped it [which I wasn't up for at the time ... anyways for what it's worth ... good luck! :o) ... If I had the option now, I probably would have figured out some way to ship a vehicle.]

:o)

You guys are totally crazy.
1)How much do you pay for shipping and taxes?
2)ummm, hassle
3)Buy a car without seeing it?(dumb idea)
4) resale

Soooooo lets see, you buy a car here. Chances are there will be people who can easily work on it, especially Sidekicks or anything Suzuki. Cars do last forever down here but it is no use buying something that looks new or is in great shape unless you are vain. Between the salted air and the roads(not to mention crazy drivers!!), a body goes out before the "guts" of the vehicle. You wont put on a lot of miles, there is no where to go! They are tough miles but a car with 40k is a five or six year old vehicle, MINIMUM.
There are still old army jeeps from the 60's and 70's in use on STJ! You tell me 2-3k isnt good for having transportation for two or three years??
Buying a non island car is not sensible. As well as chopping your car.
As long as you do an oil change every 6-8 weeks and maintain fluids, you shouldnt have much problem.
If a "better" car is one that cosmetically looks better, great for you but more practical is a jeep in the 2-5k price that may not look great but you should get a few years out of it.
Many cars that are from the states will bottom out, often. Jeeps are the way to go.

And shipping a car down here is REALLY stupid if you arent sure if you are staying for quite a while. Then you try and sell it in a tough market because a decent amount of people are buying cheap jeeps. Unless of course you chop it, put some chrome on it, then some wanna be will buy it right up.

Here's what we found as we explored the options:

1. While 0% financing is available in the states, 9% was the best we found on island.

2. Looking at Jeep Liberty, we found the on island price to be about $3000 + higher than puchasing here.

3. We are shipping from MN, and it will cost $2000 for overland trucking and then shipping from FL.

3a. Dealing with AA Auto Shipping (888-779-9153). They have been pleasant and helpful. (Actual shipping starts tomorrow.....ask us later how it went.)

-we are told to expect 2 1/2 weeks for delivery.
-the gas tank needs to be 1/4 full
-your vehicle needs to be paid for!!!

4. We are currently trying to find someone to take care of the hassles when the truck arrives on island. It sounds to take an entire day, and we have had prior experience with dealing with island bureaucracy.............what a pain!

4a. Any help here would be appreciated

Hello Bob,

We shipped our car for Los Angels and our state side agent, ACE World Wide, put us in contact with Bob Lynch Moving and they took care of everything except the insurance. It was painless.........
Rita

Dear Chris,

I should of known! I should of known! I knew I would be bitten by you if I left a post. After reading posts on the message board for months now, the one time that I leave a post, there you are ... the first one to call not just me but all of us either, 'crazy' , 'vain', or 'really stupid' ... are you having a bad week man?? Why don't you take the weekend off and swing over to Jost for a Painkiller or two.

Thank you for your warm welcome! :o)

Can I add another 'You know when you've lived in the VI too long' thingy??

Rita,
What kind of fees did Bob Lynch charge to receive the car in St. Thomas?

Thanks,
~S

S- I'll have to look that information up for you. My husband handled all of the moving expenses, but I should be able to find in by tomorrow.

Rita

Thanks Rita!

Hi S - in case you missed the other request, please eamil me.

Thanks,
Rita

Ah, yes, I emailed you earlier, Rita.
Noooow it's all coming back to me! LOL
Thanks for following up!
~S