Registration and Licensing Vehicle

Hello,

Even though the car will be on Water Island it is supposed to be registered/insured. Water Island is part of the VI, even though some might think otherwise ;). Now I know and you know that most cars on Water Island aren't registered since its first registration (some years and years ago) because there isn't a DMV on the island and DMV won't send anyone over to do the inspections and their suggestion that the islands residents pay to barge all their own cars over for inspection each year has been met with a 'yeah right'... that it just sort of goes overlooked :). (told the story just in case others were wondering).

You are suppose to pay the personal tax, possiable custom fees, road tax before moving the car from the dock. Then you get a permit to move the car from the dock to point B (usually DMV or St. John/DMV for inspection) which requires proof of insurance. Not sure how you would get around all those steps?

--Islander

Thank you Islander! You and I are on the same wave length I think. I was wondering if the question was a bit too....'gray area'. I've tried to think through the process as well but not having brought a vehicle in - wasn't sure of all the steps. Hmmmmm...."permit to move car from the dock to point B which requires proof of insurance". That part will likely give me trouble. For the audience, please don't misunderstand. I'm not trying to avoid paying the insurance, registration, etc. At this time, on Water Island, we live in shades of grey. Thanks for going through the thought process with me. One year of license & registration won't break the bank - though, it will likely be wasted money and effort. Appreciate your input.

Wouldn't it just be a whole lot easier to buy a car here on STT, then barge it over? Sounds like a whole lot less hassle. Then you wouldn't even need to jump thru any of the myriad hoops.

Good point and believe me, we've been back/forth on this one. And, I've used some of your (Marty) points & discussions on this board as input to our decision process - thanks. We know for sure we wanted a previously owned vehicle. Since 2003 we've shopped used vehicles on St. Thomas. Run the VIN # through Carmax to get previous history. All except one came back reported as damaged (varying degrees) in the States, repaired and now in St. Thomas. Maybe its the vehicle type we're looking at but in any case, those were our results. Additionally, we thought about the rough, steep, narrow, pot-holey roads and stock-car-racing-type driving. And finally, we have a friend who can get us a great wholesale price on used vehicles. We've thoroughly researched and thought through our options - as best as can be done. And have decided on the path of shipping vehicle from the States. So now - our quest continues. Special recognition to all the contributors to vehicle discussions on this board.

Gee, maybe you could buy a few of them at wholesale and sell them here for a profit? Might help defer the cost of shipping?

Yep. The thought has crossed my mind.(smile)