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Hi everyone!
My wife an I are planning on making the move to STX in the next 2-3 months, as soon as we finish fixing up the house and get it sold here in Michigan.
We're trying to decide what to do for a Car on the Island. I have a 2013 Ford Escape that is coming to the end of my lease in April and we are debating whether we should buy out the lease and take it with us, or wait and purchase something already on the island.
I see that there are a few car dealers on the Island, but they have either no web sites or crappy ones. Is leasing an option on the Island? How about financing? I work remotely, so a steady income isn't going to be a problem...
Shipping costs for bringing the car are pretty high (~$4500) How overpriced are new cars on the Island?
Posted : March 11, 2016 12:23 pm
Leasing might be an issue with the island, I had to clear it with my bank to come down here & have a letter for the shipping company stating it was fine to transport (since I didn't have the title on my truck).
There are several new and used car dealers on St Croix, I have never dealt with them though.
I imagine new cars are pretty expensive comparatively here, used cars sell for (IMO) insane prices here.
Posted : March 11, 2016 1:19 pm
bring your car
Posted : March 11, 2016 2:39 pm
Plenty of good deals on used cars here. Check Island Trader, Daily News, craigslist and use the same due diligence as you would use buying a used vehicle in Anytown USA.
Posted : March 11, 2016 2:46 pm
I disagree 100%. "GOOD" being the operative word.
Pick two: Good price - Reliable - Not rusted out/island ride.
Most cars here are beat to hell. They're a lot worse in STT thats for sure. You might be OK finding something on STX since its not as steep and not as hard on cars as STT is.
Personally I would "suggest" bringing a car for those moving to STX and would recommend 100% bring a car for people moving to STT. A light SUV is best - I still say honda CRV is the best island car. I got lucky and paid off my friends jeep that he had a loan on as he was leaving island (great deal-reliable and not island ride) but I think thats pretty rare. We found our island ride first week on STT for $2500. Rust bucket but my fiancé loved that little tic tac 2dr vitara. It was pretty reliable too but the mold would have to be scraped from the hood weekly and you could see the road from inside the car several places LOL. I found a CRV for $4500 in STJ that we still have.
Posted : March 11, 2016 5:18 pm
Bring.
Posted : March 11, 2016 5:36 pm
Depends on how handy you are. I didn't bring and it was the right choice for me. Picked up an island ride fairly cheap nearly two years ago. Been reliable, but I've done all the work myself on it. I also don't mind a car with quirks. We bought a 1 year old car last year for my wife because she wanted the piece of mind of something new with a warranty. We got it below blue book for even the States. There is no right answer
Posted : March 11, 2016 7:53 pm
Depends on how handy you are. I didn't bring and it was the right choice for me. Picked up an island ride fairly cheap nearly two years ago. Been reliable, but I've done all the work myself on it. I also don't mind a car with quirks. We bought a 1 year old car last year for my wife because she wanted the piece of mind of something new with a warranty. We got it below blue book for even the States. There is no right answer
Did your wife get the car from a dealership there on island? If so did you like doing business with them? Do the dealerships there finance just like here in the states?
Posted : March 11, 2016 10:44 pm
They finance. Do not expect interest rates similar to the states though. You can only get financing through Banco Popular, First Bank, Scotia Bank or I believe Penn Fed Credit Union (you have to open an account with them for $5). Someone will correct me if I'm wrong though. We had good credit and still get 5.9%APR
Posted : March 11, 2016 11:21 pm
SUV values hold up well on STX. Bring your Escape.
Posted : March 12, 2016 2:26 am
Bring your car.
CD
Posted : March 12, 2016 11:09 am
I've moved here twice from the states. And brought three cars with me. The peace of mind knowing I had trustworthy vehicles was well worth the cost of ahipping. Bring your car.
But, you may find it difficult to ship here if you don't own it outright. If you take a loan to buy it you'll need a letter from the institute from which you borrowed the money stating they approve it leaving the main land.
If you're shipping down household items in a container, and there's room, you can ship the car in the container. That's a big money saver. Good luck!
Posted : March 12, 2016 11:26 am
It's Groundhog Day!
Posted : March 12, 2016 12:30 pm
We brought two vehicles when we moved back to STX. An '08 SUV and '96 F-150. Sold the truck after here a year. It sold for more than we would've gotten in the states and made profit actually because it was made in the USA. Keeping my Lincoln SUV because it was not made in USA and cost more to get it here. It also has only 50k miles on it and no rust.
My advice, bring your own vehicle(s) as they will probably be in better shape. But, I'd only bring what can be easily serviced here on island.
Posted : March 12, 2016 1:00 pm
