Ship my car cross country?

[brikis98]

At the end of August, I'm moving from MA to CA and I need to decide whether it's worth shipping my car cross country or trying to sell it here and buy a new one there. Here are the details:

* I own a 1999 Toyota Corolla VE with 90,000 miles (worth ~$4,000 according to KBB).
* If I were to buy a new car in CA, I'd probably get a slightly newer Corolla or Civic, probably in the $6000 range.
* The shipping quotes I've gotten range from $850 - $1,000.
* Public transportation in CA sucks and within a week of arriving, I need a car to commute to work.
* Renting a car in CA would cost me on the order of $65/day or $450/week.

I think the best choice would be to sell my current car and buy a new one there, but life is going to be very tricky if I don't have a car when I arrive. Renting a car for an indefinite period of time while I try to find one to buy could get really expensive. On the other hand, shipping an old car seems like a waste of money and I don't know how much of a hassle it'll be.

Any advice you guys can share is appreciated. BTW, does anyone know if car inspection standards are harder in CA? My car passes fine in MA, but I wonder if there's some reason it would fail over there?

 

[Kntx]

Drive it?

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: Kntx
Drive it?

Ah, sorry, forgot to mention that. I'm going to be away until shortly before the move, so I won't have time to drive it cross country.

 

[radioouman]

Sell your car if you can and buy one with California emissions once you get there.

There is no lack of cars on the market right now. However, if you sell for $4000 in MA and buy for $6000 in CA you'll probably end up with roughly the same car. You can literally have a car in a minutes if you walk into a dealer's lot.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Sell your car and buy when you get here.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: radioouman
Sell your car if you can and buy one with California emissions once you get there.

Any idea how much tougher CA emissions are than MA?

Originally posted by: radioouman
There is no lack of cars on the market right now. However, if you sell for $4000 in MA and buy for $6000 in CA you'll probably end up with roughly the same car.

Yea, it's either lose $2,000 in the transaction... or $1,000+ in shipping.

Originally posted by: radioouman
You can literally have a car in a minutes if you walk into a dealer's lot.

I have no doubt I can find a car, but finding one that's actually a good deal is a different question.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Sell your car and buy when you get here.

Any specific reasons?

 

[Mermaidman]

Have someone else drive it for you.

 

[scorp00]

If you have had the car for over a year you just have to pass federal emissions. I recently made the move from east coast to CA and shipped my car out here. A new car will cost you sales tax which is up to 8.75-9.75% depending on the area. The used car market seems to have dried up a lot here in socal, but maybe it's just the one car I want(manual corvette). My car broke down a few weeks ago and I looked around finding nothing. No one is buying new cars so there's not as many trade-ins.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: scorp00
If you have had the car for over a year you just have to pass federal emissions.

I've owned it for 3 years, so I guess that means I should be ok...

Originally posted by: scorp00I recently made the move from east coast to CA and shipped my car out here. A new car will cost you sales tax which is up to 8.75-9.75% depending on the area. The used car market seems to have dried up a lot here in socal, but maybe it's just the one car I want(manual corvette). My car broke down a few weeks ago and I looked around finding nothing. No one is buying new cars so there's not as many trade-ins.

Good point about the sales tax, I'll have to factor that into my calculations. I'll be moving to Palo Alto, so I'm not sure how the used car market is in that area.

 

[IlllI]

what happens if you attempt to drive it there and it breaks down in the middle on nowhere. i'd just sell it, or if you cant sell it in time leave it at a relative's house if possible, so they could help sell t for you

 

[thescreensavers]

cars.com autotrader.com check for cars in the area your moving to.

 

[Dirigible]

There is no general "inspection" in CA. Want to drive a dangerous heap of junk and plow over helpless children because you don't have working brakes? Go for it.

The only check is the emissions "smog" check. Dunno the relative standards of CA and MA.

 

[StageLeft]

I would drive it. Hell just make two days out of it. I know you said you can't, but you can. You have to WANT THIS BAD ENOUGH.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: brikis98

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
Sell your car and buy when you get here.

Any specific reasons?

It's a pain in the ass to ship a car across country. I know a few people who've done it and it takes longer than you expect plus there is no guarantee your car will get here undamaged. I had a friend who shipped a Ford Ranger from New York to Los Angeles and his truck arrived with a cracked windshield, a busted mirror and a couple flat tires.

Not to mention the cost of re-registering your car here, plus smog, plus the fact that you have an east coast car that has been subjected to numerous winters whereas an 8 year old car that's been well maintained here will still look tip top.

 

[JulesMaximus]

Originally posted by: scorp00
If you have had the car for over a year you just have to pass federal emissions. I recently made the move from east coast to CA and shipped my car out here. A new car will cost you sales tax which is up to 8.75-9.75% depending on the area. The used car market seems to have dried up a lot here in socal, but maybe it's just the one car I want(manual corvette). My car broke down a few weeks ago and I looked around finding nothing. No one is buying new cars so there's not as many trade-ins.

WTF??? Where are you looking? I just searched Autotrader.com and found 217 used Corvettes from 2003-2008 within 75 miles of my zip code in North County San Diego. If I narrow it down to manual transmission only cars I find 91 cars within 75 miles of me.

 

[brikis98]

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
It's a pain in the ass to ship a car across country. I know a few people who've done it and it takes longer than you expect plus there is no guarantee your car will get here undamaged. I had a friend who shipped a Ford Ranger from New York to Los Angeles and his truck arrived with a cracked windshield, a busted mirror and a couple flat tires.

Yea, I've heard some horror stories and they definitely worry me. Not sure how I'd go about finding a "reputable" company to ship the car either.

Originally posted by: JulesMaximus
plus the fact that you have an east coast car that has been subjected to numerous winters whereas an 8 year old car that's been well maintained here will still look tip top.

Good point, I'll definitely need to take that into consideration.

 

[Throwmeabone]

If you can cancel your trip before you have to move I think you should drive it. I bet it would be pretty fun.

 

[Gibson486]

Take account tax and title fees....your time for selling the car.... yeah, spend the money to ship it.