Selling car in August?

Call Jeff Kendall 774-253-9686

He deals with cheap cars and has a lot of connections.

Just keep in mind a 2k car here is the stateside equivalent of $500.00 car. You may get lucky but be prepared to put at least another 2k into it.

which island is it again?

which island is it again?

stx

I've written about this earlier at some length but the most I've ever paid for an island car in 30 years was $2900 5 years ago for a '98 Explorer. I don't have my "car file" handy but in 5 plus years I've probably put at most $2K into it for repairs and general maintenance; it runs beautifully and although poster SausageInThe Can dismisses it as a piece of junk (not that he's ever seen it, of course), it runs beautifully with now 68K miles on it and I could easily get what I paid for it if I sold it tomorrow.

We have a very transient population and there are always good deals to be had. If you hook up with a good mechanic you can have him or her check it out and offer an opinion for $50-$100 which is well worth it.

Listen to the OT. I'm sort of proud to have ridden in that beater Ford of hers last Dec. It got us all from the airport to Tickles and back without breaking down even once.

Listen to the OT. I'm sort of proud to have ridden in that beater Ford of hers last Dec. It got us all from the airport to Tickles and back without breaking down even once.

And held all your luggage!

(tu):D

I'm not selling a car, in fact just getting around to buying 1 after almost 2 years here. Mine is coming thru a friend who is going stateside for a couple years & ignoring the rust it is a spectacular deal. Anyway, I recommend checking out facebook for saint croix buy or sell your stuff. I like the attitudes there. Had I known about it before moving, I think maybe I'd have chosen STT & saved myself about 6 months of being out of work...

I like the sound of OT's logic. As another person soon to relocate and in need of a car September 1, I am wondering if everyone else agrees? I have always bought used.

Here's our situation: our current cars are years 2000, 2003, both sedans, each with over 150K miles on them. I'm wondering if we should ship one or both the cars we have; sell both and buy there; or sell both, buy here, and ship from here.

I like used and loved and reliable. But I've read about the potholes...and I need to fit two carseats in the back. Do I need an SUV?

More feedback, please!

Thanks!

I wouldn't bring two older cars here. Just to do tha broken record routine, I'm going to reiterate that I don't, and never have, seen the point of bringing ANY used vehicle here unless it's a sturdy and special work truck you need for business.

First of all you simply can't possibly know when you move here that you're going to be here for a while. It's fact, not something conjured out of thin air, that out of the several hundreds who move to the islands every year, very few stay more than a year or two. Again, this isn't something said to deter anyone from moving here - it's a simple fact. The less you bring with you the less you either have to move back (expensive) or you take a huge loss on and leave here. If you decide to take that vehicle back stateside, the mileage won't have increased by much but it's going to look WAY different after the bashing it's taken from everyday island driving conditions. Loss, loss. Nor do I see the point (and for basically the same reasons) of buying a new vehicle either here or one from stateside and shipping it here.

I just don't "get" the posters who claim that buying a used car here is fraught with pitfalls. Buying a used vehicle anywhere is the same and you have to exercise as much due diligence here as you do in Anytown USA.

Sell your stateside cars, come down and settle in, rent a car while you look for a decent used one (there are PLENTY here) and, yes, you can get around just fine most places with a sedan but the higher clearance of an SUV is a real plus. Good luck!

Super helpful, OT. Thank you. I appreciate it.

Another perspective: Every car in the USVI (new or used) had to be shipped in, so every car sold on island usually has a big shipping premium built into its price. Whether you ship your car here, or you buy a car that somebody else shipped here, you pay for shipping either way.

As OldTart stated, the biggest problem is shipping here and then leaving island soon afterwards. If you do that, then you should definitely try to sell your car on island, where you can collect that shipping premium, rather than ship it back to the states.

It might still be cheaper to ship one sell the other. And buy a second when you get here