The best truck features (luxury, taxi, price)

[NorthWord]

Most Dmaxs have a block heater factory installed. You just need the cord. You can add the pad heaters later.

Get rid of the Camaro before you get up here. No one in Fairbanks wants it.
You'll get a better deal on a truck outside of Alaska, as there's less demand. Registrations' not that big of a deal, you'll be at the DMV getting your licenses anyhow.

[MissingAll4Seasons]

There are tons of trucks for sale around here with the gas price fiasco... it's not like most city-dwellers really need them for real working purposes anyway. I think the difference in price down here will make up for have to pay registration in two states. I doubt the Camaro would even make it up there with all it's fiberglass, much less trying to sell it up there

[socal4now]

Another thought on buying and selling vehicles there rather then in your home state. Sales tax! Here in Cali where its about to go to an almost 10 cent sales tax that could equal a lot of coinage if you buy there!

[MissingAll4Seasons]

Yeah, I think if I buy anything from a dealer, I'd have to pay sales tax here in WA. I think if I bought a used truck from a private party I'd get out of it... but they might sneak the sales tax in with the registration fees at DMV.

[Captain Crunch]

If ya buy from a dealer in Washington State, to avoid the 8.6 % sales tax, you need to either have an Alaska Drivers License or, you arrange with the shipper, the dealer delivers it to the barge service or Alaska Ferry so they have a copy of the shipping paperwork, so there is no question that it went outta state....therefore avoiding the sales tax.....sometimes, depending on the dealer, if you provide a copy of shipping paperwork or copy of your ferry tickets that will work..

Having an Alaska Driver License makes it very easy....

If ya buy from a private party in Washington you wanna stay clear of Washington DMV, unless you're buying a temp, or you'll get nailed for tax....you wanna drive her up the road and get her re-titled in Alaska ASAP.

You can purchase a temp lic, I think they are 3-day, 12-day to get you outta Washington...you can also call Alaska DMV for a temp that they fax to ya, but I'm sure that requires an Alaska Drivers License.

Should be some good buys on trucks like you guys are talking about here...

You see a lotta trucks in SE Alaska that come from Dave Smith Motors in Kellogg Idaho, they sell every brand new/used and deliver them over to Seattle the barge lines...they must have good pricing...

[NorthWord]

Change your residency THEN buy the vehicle. You can still buy in Washington if you intend to register it (as a resident) in Alaska. No sales tax.
Private party sales are still subject to tax at the DMV in a taxing state. Not so in Alaska.

Get and address and a PO Box asap, it'll save you big $$ in the long run.

[rotorhead]

It's a great deal compared to almost everywhere else. It's an even better deal if you have a vanity plate from Alaska on your trade-in vehicle when you do it, as you just transfer it over to the new vehicle and don't even have to pay for new plates.

Outside of Anchorage and a few other cities/locations there's no sales tax and the registration fees are almost nothing. When we bought our current truck down in NM the gal doing their registration and licencing paperwork at the dealership couldn't believe it, I think it was like fifteen bucks total. She kept trying to have us "just register it here and change it when you get there"...it was what she was used to and she wouldn't have to do anything different. We had to really stay on here about it; that would have cost us hundreds of dollars extra in licence fees, let alone the taxes.

Of course this is probably a bit too late for you guys since you're not up here now. It's sorta the chicken-and-the-egg thing.

[MissingAll4Seasons]

Well, we'll be coming up to work on the property at least once this year and are planning to get up for good by next spring. I'm more than happy to transfer my residency, licenses, etc when I visit if I can get away with it. Of course, you have WA's residency weirdness and the whole "you have to transfer your vehicles within XX days" rules... but if I can work around that little hiccup I'll just transfer everything to Alaska. I'm not planning to stay in WA and definitely planning to stay in AK... so, in my heart, I've already switched residencies, now I just have to make it legal. Saving the sales tax would be wonderful, I don't feel like giving WA anymore of my money to squander on projects that never happen!

[akck]

I don't know if anyone mentioned it, but how about heated seats? In thinking about the cold temps, it might help you warm up faster.

[MissingAll4Seasons]

Heated seats would be nice... nothing like sliding into your truck and having your butt freeze to the vinyl. Almost as bad as sliding into your truck in TX and having your butt melt to the vinyl.