Car dealers on the Big Island? (Hilo, Kailua: sale, rental, insurance)

[4allisons]

Any suggestions or warnings about car dealers on the Big Island?

My daughter is moving to HI in two weeks (new job, very exciting) ... will sell her car here (Virginia) and buy a car there (probably used, or very-inexpensive-new), but she doesn't have experience buying cars, she's not a mechanic and I'm *really* nervous about her using Craigslist or the classifieds. (Even though our experience on Craigslist is usually good, the prospect of getting a lemon without so much as a 30-day warranty is worrisome.) I've at least been able to tell her to watch for rust ... but beyond that, it's gonna be what? Look for a place with a big parking lot? (Yeesh :-)

She'll be starting out in the Pahala/Naalehu area, so Hilo's a bit closer, but for a purchase like this Kona should be a possibility too.

Are one of the two towns better for buying cars? Any particular dealers that you love? hawaii-cars.com seems to have a friendly web site at least :-) and maybe that $550/month rental might be a good thing to get while she's settling in and shopping around. I've seen some negative stories about Orchid Isle. But other than that, I'm finding a big goose-egg on car-dealer info ...

And friendly web sites and a handful of negative reviews can't compare to the type of first-hand information that *this* forum is known for!

Any suggestions? (Thanks in advance!)

[cynmkolohe]

I bought a Jeep from Kamaaina Motors in Hilo when I moved to the Big Island. My salesperson was very friendly and flexible with my schedule. I've taken the Jeep in a few times for work--their service department is a little slow, but still efficient. Their shuttle got me to work on time and back to the dealership without incident. That has been my one purchase--and I chose them only because they had exactly what I was looking for. Wouldn't hesitate to buy there again, though--if the price was right!

Like anything else, the more educated she can be about the particular make, model, features, etc of the specific car she is looking at, the better...

[ssxa]

I've bought and sold at least 20 cars over the last 10 years or so. I can tell you this, if a salesperson sees that they have someone who doesn't know the game, they will take full advantage of it. Tell her to do her homework. Another thing is to look for the sale ads in the paper and hold the dealers to that price. I don't know what kind of car she wants, but can tell you that Big Island Honda just had a very big sale with fair prices. For instance a Civic LX 4 door was $17900 or so plus tax etc. The Accords are about $1000 more. She could also try Costco and use their service. With used cars there is so many intangibles that I actually can't put it into words here.

[HankDfrmSD]

You might also counsel her to find a reliable repair shop before she starts the search, and see if they will agree to do an inspection for a reasonable price. Then tell any auto dealer that she will only buy from them if they agree that she can take the car to that shop for inspection before the sale becomes final.

Picking the right repair shop is the next hurdle, but perhaps some here can offer suggestions.

Hank

[mauidude]

All (most) the car dealerships in Hawaii are owned by three different people. So its pretty crooked. The three are JN autogroup, Jim Falk, and Cutter. Together, I think they pretty much dominate the state.

She may be better buying a car and shipping it. If she was going to get a newer car anyway, its only $1000 dollars to ship a car. She could end up paying $2-3k more for a car here anyway.

[4allisons]

An excellent batch of suggestions ... thanks! I guess I shouldn't be surprised by the consolidation of auto-dealer-ownership ... it happens almost everywhere these days. But still, I saw so many dealers listed who looked off-brand-and-Hawaii-specific, I was hoping it wasn't quite like that.

And I think the advice about homework *really* hits home. There is no real substitute for being prepared and knowing what you're looking for.

Good suggestion about the local ads ...and the deal with Costco sounds kind of interesting ... I'll try to find out more about that as well. Thanks!

[d00fUzZ]

hello i need something till 750$. towable car for 3 weeks can somebody help me?

[joycreated]

Aloha,

Well, I may not be able to help your daughter now but in the future I will be an awesome person to buy a used car from. I believe I am the first woman owned used car dealer on the Big Island. I am opening my lot in a couple of weeks.... it took 4 months to get my license approved! I am in Kailua Kona. I only have a tiny lot and will be doing a lot of custom buying for people. So, if you like a totally pressure free honest person to work with I am your girl! Joy Rides on Luhia street. Guess I should not put my number, but you can respond if you like more info.

Mahalo!

[mricu]

If your daughter is fairly new to the car buying game and your worried about her experience buying a car, then you may want to look at the option of getting a broker to make the deal for her.

She needs to first know which car and options she wants and then a price she is willing to pay.

If you have AAA membership, they definately have a free service to members (if you have more than the basic membership, if you have basic membership, there may be a nominal fee) where they will go out and find the car you want at the price you want. For maintenance, AAA has a list of reputable places that she can go to as well.

If you or your daughter wants a hand at trying to make a deal yourself, then AAA also offers a service where they can tell you what the dealer cost of the car is (not MSRP!). This will help you determine what you should ask for in your offer.

Geez ... I should work for AAA. I only talk about them because I have used these services myself and these services are relatively unknown to most members.

[hotzcatz]

Personally, I'm a big fan of buying an old car and learning to fix it yourself. Anyone who drives a car should know how to change a tire, change the oil, check the oil, water and tire pressure at least once a week, change a battery, put in a new alternator or fan belt, etc. This small bit of education means you can buy cars for well under $1,000 drive them for four or five years and then get another "vintage" car. Compare $1,000 for a new car versus the price of a new car and then calculate how many hours of work someone would have to do to pay for the new car. Then consider how many days at the beach they'd have to give up to be able to afford the car and then make a decision. Also, the insurance for a new car is considerably higher than the insurance for a used car. That will be an ongoing expense that will have to be paid for, too. Also if you pick an old enough car, it's got a lot of cachet when arriving in it. One of my personal favorites is a mid seventies Dodge Dart. Solid body, easy to work on engine, parts available at Napa or Car Quest (no expensive dealer parts) and the slant six engine is a rock solid workhorse. Of course, they aren't $300 - $600 cars anymore, now they are "vintage" and folks want thousands for them now. Right now I'd look for a nineties Honda Civic/Accord or a Toyota Camry or other small Toyota. Preferably previously owned by a nice little old Japanese lady.

If you are worried about the car breaking down, get Triple A insurance since they have the folks who will tow you or come out and fix flat batteries. Take a little hands on responsibility for your car and you'll be able to keep the costs a lot lower. Less money you have to pay to drive around the more money you will have for something else (preferably something that won't depreciate) or not have to work as hard to pay for something that will proceed to lose value down to almost nothing.

A ten year old car which hasn't been abused is good for another ten years if it is driven gently and the fluid levels are checked occasionally. Usually I look for a car with the body in decent shape. Usually anyone who keeps their car clean and tidy is organized enough to either have the service done as scheduled or does it themselves. Then look at the engine oil. If it is really black and gritty go find another car. If it is freshly clean that can be suspicious but okay if the mileage is the right time to have changed it. Then look at the rest of the car and consider what shape it's in. A bit of knowledge is a good thing. Are there any odd noises when it's driven? Does the engine stay cool or overheat when it's driven? Do the gears shift properly? Etc. You may as well take the used car to the mechanic as well as the new one from a dealership. Ask the mechanic if they know of any good used cars available. They'd know the whole history of some of the cars and know the good ones from the bad ones.

Have your daughter ask folks in her neighborhood who the car guy (or girl) is. They will know, it will be the person you ask if there is anything about a car you want to know. Then have your daughter go ask them what if they know of any good cars that are available. She's new, she just got a job, she doesn't have much money, (but a little - but don't tell them how much she actually has or it will all get spent) anyway, have her ask them for advice. If they are a person who works on cars, even better, so if she gets a car they advise her to, then they will be likely to work on it for her if necessary as well.

Another option is to go to the race track, either the oval track or the drags and ask the folks there if they know of any good used cars available. Those folks are extremely car savvy and if she hooks up with some from her neighborhood she will have all the car knowledge she could want.

If she finds a car person in her neighborhood and they find a car for her, it's a nice gesture to offer a finding fee of $50 or so and if she can't talk them into taking the money, then a case of beer (if they drink beer) is good or if she bakes, then some banana bread or something is good.