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I have accepted a job on St. Thomas, and will be moving there in less than a month. I have tons of questions about relocating, and have been reading your archives -- very helpful.
I was wondering if those of you living on St. Thomas might offer an opinion. Just prior to getting the job offer, I purchased a sports car with a lot of bells and whistles. Had I known where life was going to take me, I would have gotten an older model, small SUV. But you know what they say about hindsight ....
Anyway, at this point, I am in a quandary about what to do with the car. I am trying to sell it privately before leaving the mainland, but am not having much luck and am running out of time. If I sell it back to a dealer, I will lose quite a bit of money. The people I've spoken to on the island have suggested that it might limit my choices of places to live, as it is low to the ground and does not have four-wheel drive. The job does require that I have a vehicle.
I'm wondering what you think - would it be better to ship it and try to sell it there, then buy an "island car?" Would I have a hard time selling that kind of car there? What are the road conditions? (I've never been there) Would there be any possible scenario where it would be practical for me to keep it? Also, if I ship it, can I load it with the things I am moving down? How does the cost of car insurance there compare with the mainland?
Any other information or tips for the move that anyone would like to share would be greatly appreciated! thanks!
Posted : December 7, 2002 6:14 am
It's difficult to give you an answer, since you have not said the brand of car that you have. Some are very popular here and may be easy to sell, others aren't. Also, wouldn't it be better just to trade it for the SUV you think you need?
Ronnie
Posted : December 7, 2002 10:18 am
Topic starter
It's a Toyota Celica. And you're right- it may be better to trade it here. However, I will lose money doing that, which might just be the price I have to pay for my decision . But I was curious how necessary an SUV is down there (how are the roads?) and whether I might be able to sell the car there without losing too much money. Thanks for your thoughts!
Posted : December 7, 2002 1:57 pm
Well, Celicas are pretty popular here, so you won't have any trouble selling it. And the roads are good too. The only need for a 4 wheel drive SUV would be if you ended up renting a place with a bad driveway or you wanted to do some exploring to some out of the way locations.
So, if you can't break even or get a good deal on a trade there, bring it down, you will be surprised how many people that will be asking you if you are selling you car!
They will not insure personal items that are put in the car for travel. People do it all the time, however. Send those books, linens and stuff like that, things that people would not be interested in. The best serveice are the direct ones. Tropical Shipping has service out of Riviera Beach, which is just north of West Palm Beach. Crowley Maritime has sevice out of Ft. Lauderdale. If possible , take the car directly to either of these. Crowley has drop offs in other places like Jacksonville, Fl, Pensauken, NJ and Lake Charles, La. But these three locations send the car through Puerto Rico and that's where the major thefts occur.
Good Luck!
Ronnie
Posted : December 8, 2002 11:45 am
Topic starter
Thank you so much, Ronnie! I really appreciate it.
Posted : December 8, 2002 10:01 pm
