Purchasing a vehicle prior to arriving on STT?

This would not be a very good idea at all. To me, you would be either better off to wait until you arrive on Island or you could make a trip to North or South Florida or and look for a vehicle around that area and pay to have it shipped to the Island. They have plenty of used car lots in those areas near the shipping ports and you would get a better car or more car for the money than if you bought on Island. Usually the cars that you find on Island have the crap beat out of them,

mike

A lot of our cars are beat up, and a lot of them are in good condition (for now). Also notably, they almost all have a stiff shipping premium tacked onto them, regardless of condition. If you have to finance the purchase, then buy when you get here, because lenders won't let you remove the car from the states. If you have the cash, then consider shopping and shipping from the states. You'll have a better selection there, and the overall cost of acquisition will probably be cheaper than buying here.

If you happen to find a decent vehicle on St. Thomas that hasn't been beat to hell either it's a fairly fresh ship from the states, used mainly in the down town area or driven by a little old lady once in a blue moon. You will find a lot of vehicles listed on Craigslist that from the outside look pretty decent, but it's the under carriage that takes such a beating along with the transmission especially if it's an automatic.

I remember buying my first car while on St. Thomas back in 1970. It was a 1964 VW bug. The body looked pretty decent, but there was a split on the passenger floor board so the passenger would have to lift their feet when a puddle of water come up. I bought it from a news paper reporter and the first day of driving it, I was heading up the driveway to Blue Beards Castle Hotel where I worked at the time with my girlfriend in the passenger seat. I ran over a speed bump and I guess probably a little faster than I should have and a tie rod end dropped out of the front end causing the right wheel to lock to the right and ran the car into a rock wall. I paid $350.00 for that car back then. My dad asked if I had a momentary lapse of sanity hahahahahahaha. But I loved that old bug.

mike

Whatever you decide, have vehicle checked out by a mechanic prior to purchase.

You're what I call scam bait. Would you honestly buy a vehicle sight unseen off island?

It's simple really. NEVER buy a used car sight unseen Wait till you get here then begin your search. When you identify have it checked out by a reputable mechanic you can trust - ask new friends/neighbors for recommendations. Once you are staisfied the vehicle is mechanically sound make your deal.

Agreed. Never pay for anything sight unseen. We've all seen the beautiful apartments listed on CL here for really cheap. The ones with the heaters in the photos and the 220v outlets plainly visible. People still fall for that crap though.

Hi everyone. Are ther places to store a car for a month of so?. I am hoping to take a travel nursing job as a pre move vosit and if it goes well we will make the move. I am trying to decide if we will bring a call for the length of the assignment or rent a car for it, or buy a car when we get there. Thank You to the regular posters for all the info. I don't post much but read everything on the board.

There are storage facilities on the Island, but I don't see where the month at a time comes into play. Traveling nurses usually sign up for a 3-6 month contract and not a 30 day contract unless things have really changed since my daughter looked into it. Car rental is fine for a short period of time like a few days to a few weeks because it could cost you up to $100.00 a day for a rental and that's if they will have available rentals especially during the peak travel season. To me, it's worth bringing a vehicle down and then selling it when you leave, you will re-coop most of your investment as long as you don't overpay when you buy the vehicle.

Now, if you decide to buy and ship a vehicle, try and get something that works well on island like Honda CRV's, jeeps, vehicles with pretty high ground clearance and 4 wheel or all wheel drive if possible. Small pick up trucks sell great on Island also.

mike

Personally, I'd buy and ship. More options, better prices.
Just be aware that there is customs duty on foreign made vehicles.
Get a vehicle that is not low to the ground to avoid jarring encounters with the occasional crater sized potholes.

Agreed. Never pay for anything sight unseen. We've all seen the beautiful apartments listed on CL here for really cheap. The ones with the heaters in the photos and the 220v outlets plainly visible. People still fall for that crap though.

And skis in the closet:)

You may want to consider the foreign v.s. American made when you make your selection if you ship from mainland for amount of import tax you'll pay.

The reason I was asking about storage for a month was if things go well with the travel position we woud come back to the states and settle things for the move.