Car registration in Arizona, why so high? (Phoenix: new home, transfer)

[mario826]

you think your registration is expensive, try Nevadas

[Latrice_Solorio]

Originally Posted by jf2737

In a related question, what car insurance companies out there do you guys recommend? I read somewhere that Arizona is #43 in the country as far as the average premiums go.

The standard companies are more or less same everywhere, Geico, Progressive, The Hartford, and All State. You’ll have to run a car insurance quote on their websites to see what works for you.

[keninaz]

WE have moved around just a bit in our last years keeping the wife employed. We have no tickets or accidents on our records.
However we have found that state to state the rates are vastly different.
We had AAA when I first retired in '93 and came back to AZ where the wife was born.
When we moved to WA to keep her employed AAA had very high rates in that state compared to the last two we lived in. The difference was like $200 every 6 months more than the major competitor.
When I returned to AZ with her job transfer in '99 I shopped insurance. At that time I as driving my '96 Mustang Cobra. I found that no insurance company in AZ would write a policy for under $1800 per year. Don't ask me why as in WA I was paying less than 1/2 of that for full coverage. I sold the car quickly.
We settled on Geico here. We just bought it online through them and the rates are cheap for us. I cannot say that state to state that's standard.
I also know i tried to insure the last motorcycle I had through them and they were very high so I went with progressive on the MC.
I think you will find that rates change for these companies state to state.
All you can do if shop.
We did find out the hard way that sometimes you cannot stay with a company you have had for a long time unless you just want to throw away money.
You can call these companies and tell them you are moving and get a quote. Or you can fill out a form online to get one.
I think most people just make their move and stay with the company they have been with without ever checking.

[azriverfan.]

Something that hasn't been mentioned and it's important to note this NO TOLL ROADS!

I have family in Texas and they have to pay tolls to use turnpikes and other toll roads. And for all intents and purposes, you have to use these tolls if you want to drive on a road that doesn't have potholes, a limited number of lanes and traffic so most people purchase passes to use these toll roads. In Arizona, all of our roads are of this quality and you aren't having to drop money every time you pass through them. And these passes are not cheap and many people spend thousands on these passes annually. Sure, it's not as much as paying for registration but it's something people forget. It's nice to have our roads truly open without stupid toll booths causing traffic like you see in other states.

[Java Jolt]

This is something that makes me wonder why people say it's cheaper to live in Arizona.

Maybe some things are lower, but car registration fees usually top other states.

Then there are the expensive summer electric bills if you want some cool relief from the heat and higher costs for water if you want shade or greenery.

[azriverfan.]

Originally Posted by Java Jolt

This is something that makes me wonder why people say it's cheaper to live in Arizona.

Maybe some things are lower, but car registration fees usually top other states.

Then there are the expensive summer electric bills if you want some cool relief from the heat and higher costs for water if you want shade or greenery.

And you don't even have to turn your heat on until late December-January and you can usually turn it off by March so your heating bills are considerably lower than other states. You also don't have to pay all the costs associated with winter like you do in other states particularly with maintaining your cars.

[Zippyman]

Originally Posted by Java Jolt

This is something that makes me wonder why people say it's cheaper to live in Arizona.

Maybe some things are lower, but car registration fees usually top other states.

Then there are the expensive summer electric bills if you want some cool relief from the heat and higher costs for water if you want shade or greenery.

You really can't generalize without specific numbers though - and everyone's situation is different.

My wife and I moved here from the Detroit suburbs a few years back-

Water bills = believe it or not, about the same AND... we get to go to the dump for free once a month - trash was very expensive in MI.

We don't have or want a lawn here - I consider that a huge benefit - not having to buy a new lawn mower every couple of years, not having to cuss at it to get it to RUN... etc.

Plates - about the same for her newer car - and my old car...

Car insurance - WAAAAAY cheaper in AZ - $3000/yr in Detroit - $1200 here.

Property taxes - similar house - $5000/yr in Detroit - $1600/yr here.

House insurance - $3000/yr there - $300/yr here.

Utilities = about the same - possibly even less here... We had a fancy-pants variable-speed furnace in Michigan, we have a fancy-pants heat pump here and... we put in more insulation into both houses.

85 degrees and humid is just as miserable as 105 degrees with no humidity, so even if you don't technically need A/C in Detroit - you want it.

Moving from one berg to the next within a given metro area can change your tax rates, insurance rates, and even utility providers, skewing the math heavily one way or another.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by azriverfan.

And you don't even have to turn your heat on until late December-January and you can usually turn it off by March so your heating bills are considerably lower than other states. You also don't have to pay all the costs associated with winter like you do in other states particularly with maintaining your cars.

I know, I remember those dreary winter days when I lived in upper Michigan, heating bills, winterizing vehicles, and house repair because of frozen pipes, ice and snow.

I'm not saying that it's outrageously expensive to live here, I just disagree when people say how cheap it is.

[Java Jolt]

Originally Posted by Zippyman

You really can't generalize without specific numbers though - and everyone's situation is different.

My wife and I moved here from the Detroit suburbs a few years back-

Water bills = believe it or not, about the same AND... we get to go to the dump for free once a month - trash was very expensive in MI.

We don't have or want a lawn here - I consider that a huge benefit - not having to buy a new lawn mower every couple of years, not having to cuss at it to get it to RUN... etc.

Plates - about the same for her newer car - and my old car...

Car insurance - WAAAAAY cheaper in AZ - $3000/yr in Detroit - $1200 here.

Property taxes - similar house - $5000/yr in Detroit - $1600/yr here.

House insurance - $3000/yr there - $300/yr here.

Utilities = about the same - possibly even less here... We had a fancy-pants variable-speed furnace in Michigan, we have a fancy-pants heat pump here and... we put in more insulation into both houses.

85 degrees and humid is just as miserable as 105 degrees with no humidity, so even if you don't technically need A/C in Detroit - you want it.

Moving from one berg to the next within a given metro area can change your tax rates, insurance rates, and even utility providers, skewing the math heavily one way or another.

I won't disagree one iota because I know firsthand what life in Michigan was like.

But in Phoenix there are going to be some more expensive items because of the heat and because it is such a heavily vehicle-driven area.

I know I end up paying a lot for gas, not because the prices are higher but because I drive so much more.

Car batteries die out just as much here or more so than they do in colder climates because of the intense heat. Tires wear out faster due to the heat too.

This is aside from car registration fees, water bills, and electric bills.

With everything added in, the cost of living in Phoenix is not out of reach but it is still not all that inexpensive like many people claim.

[keninaz]

Then again, I hate to break the bad news to you, but Phoenix may have the most population in AZ but it's certainly not representative to the rest of the state.