Moving to HI, Where to buy a new car?? (fit in, sales)

[Cheetos7]

After carefully planning and dreaming of moving to Hawaii for the last 3 yrs, my wife and I have secured new jobs in Oahu and are planning to move this September. Will be renting first until something we like pops up on the market. I have to say that it has taken tremendous planning, saving extra $$, finding the right job, and talking to various people we know on the island and our friends/family before we made this final decision. Don't know how some of the people on this forum instantly think they could move in such a snap.

Anyway, to my questions: My job is paying for all moving expenses and we are looking to replace one of our cars. We are currently living in Orange County in CA. Been trying to look into this but would it be cheaper to buy a car here and have my job ship it over or wait until we move there to buy one there? I understand that we must own the car for at least 3 or so months or else we have to pay taxes in both states? Is that correct?

Also anything else you all recommend we purchase here before we leave and ship it in the container? I assume furniture is a big ticket item to get here. Thanks!

[whtviper1]

You don't pay taxes in both states.

In my experience- S California has some of the best deals that often will exceed what you save including shipping versus what you pay in Hawaii. Generally - the more expensive the better the deal in buying in S Cal versus Hawaii. Mercedes, Lexus, BMW can save often $5,000 or more compared to Hawaii. A Honda Civic or Toyota Camry for instance likely won't save you enough versus Hawaii.

You buy the car in CA - let the dealership know you are shipping to Hawaii and they won't collect CA sales tax (assuming you aren't registering in CA). The Hawaii sales tax is due when you register in Hawaii.

[thatguy950]

It's not that expensive to ship, likely well below the cost of the island premium on cars. Cars are cheap here in SoCal, Hawaii (Oahu) is the only place I've been where new and used car prices are almost as overpriced as they are in Seattle...almost.

I'd buy there, call Matson, Pasha, or one of the others. I can't remember which had the best rates for a roll-on undercover shipment, just make sure it's covered unless you want a lot of salt spraying around on your new car while in transit. Pasha is about $1000-1200 dropped off in LA, so you're in an ideal place to ship from.

[rya96797]

you're probably better off buying in your home state and shipping to HI. As an out of state resident, you can avoid the GET tax in Hawaii plus avoid paying the marked up cost of cars in HI. I would check all applicable laws. I think there's a rule that you must own the car for 6 months out of state or something to avoid the tax. Not sure, but I know it is possible. If you're a Hawaii resident, you'll have to pay tax bringing the car back.


Pasha from my understanding has the best rate for RORO. Additionally, pasha's ships are enclosed. For matson/horizon lines, you need to have them load it in a container (may get damaged) if you don't want it exposed to the elements. Trust me, you don't want it exposed to the elements. I've seen what cars look like (brand new and used) coming off the matson ships. They're covered in a layer of sea salt. The new cars have a protective film covering much of the exterior to try to protect it from the elements. But what about the undercarriage? What about an used car that already has nicks and damage that's now going to get packed full of sea salt for a few weeks?

[Arktikos]

If you're concerned about expenses, the most logical thing to do would be to buy a used car on Oahu. There are not a lot of miles to be racked up, driving on island.

[hotzcatz]

Depending on where you live, you may not want to have more than one car. In some apartment buildings, the units don't come with a parking space unless you pay extra.

Also, depending on where you end up living, you may have a lot less space available, so frequently folks moving over to the islands find themselves with too much stuff to fit into their new living space.

Oahu has smaller apartments, harder to find parking, etc., but they also have more things available so if you didn't bring it more than likely you'll be able to find it on Oahu.

[pj737]

In my arguably worthless opinion, it makes absolutely zero sense to buy out of state if you're buying a brand new car. MSRP is the same here than any other state - as magical as this sounds, there is no price disadvantage because the car was dragged across thousands of miles of ocean. You can't avoid GET unless you are ok being a tax cheat (you roll the dice on that one). And we have some of the lowest doc fees in the nation. I would tend to think there is some benefit in buying locally as well (possible preferential treatment for servicing/repairs if performed at same place vehicle is purchased, supporting the local economy, etc). And then there is the hassle of coordinating shipment and receipt of your car, going without a car for an extended period of time, risking damage to vehicle during shipment/transport, etc. Unless you are working with a dealer in CA that is having a firesale (i.e. selling far below MSRP) on a specific car that you want, I would say just buy it in your new home state.

If you're buying used, however, there may be better deals to be had in other states simply because supply and demand for specific used cars will vary greatly from region to region. You'll obviously have a larger pool of cars to choose from if you broaden your search into a larger area (i.e. more than one state). Note that if buying private party here locally on island, you are not required to pay GET. If you buy from a dealer, however, GET is applicable.

[whtviper1]

Well - brand new BMW 5 series run $4,500 below MSRP in S. Cal

Lexus LS run $4,000 below MSRP

Jaguar XE $4,500 below MSRP

and those are the first 3 I looked up

Even cheapo Camry is running $4,200 below MSRP in S Cal

Now - one will have to call local dealers to see if they'll price match within $1,100 to offset shipping

[TwoByFour]

That is a pretty good bargaining chip to bring to a HI car dealer. It is worth trying it. A dealership makes a lot of money off customer loyalty to the dealership's service department, so it is not just about price of the car. Trouble is, you would have to be right there, checkbook in hand, to talk them into it.

As far as licensing costs - we bought a car in Seattle and shipped it to Maui. I drove it straight from the dealer to Matson. The dealer charged me the WA state license fee for it even tho there is a temp license available for what I was doing. Said he had no choice. I balked and he looked up what the license fee would be in HI and took that off the sales price.

[pj737]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

Well - brand new BMW 5 series run $4,500 below MSRP in S. Cal

Lexus LS run $4,000 below MSRP

Jaguar XE $4,500 below MSRP

and those are the first 3 I looked up

Even cheapo Camry is running $4,200 below MSRP in S Cal

Now - one will have to call local dealers to see if they'll price match within $1,100 to offset shipping

LOL. $4,200 below MSRP? A cheapo Camry runs about $22K MSRP. You telling me you can pick that car up for $18K in SoCal on a regular basis?

Maybe you're getting your numbers off of newspaper dealer ads. Hawaii dealerships have sales too. Those you can find here at ridiculous prices off MSRP but those are almost always just for one car and the rest being much closer to MSRP.

As for luxury cars, if a dealer bought too many Jaguar XEs and a few are rotting on their lots for many many months of course they'll be willing to slash prices to $4,500 or more below MSRP. But this is not customary business practice and is only a result of overestimating demand. You can't just start a dealership and sell every car at $300 over their invoice cost and sell in massive volume. The luxury auto manufacturers wouldn't let that happen any different than Tiffany wouldn't allow a store to sell their engagement rings (in high volume) for a 10% markup over cost.

If you're buying a Lexus you should absolutely buy here locally as you will get much better maintenance service and treatment at their ONLY island dealership. I ALWAYS got a free loaner on very short notice repair or maintenance issues. Those that shipped their cars in from the mainland? Not so much. And yes, you can buy a Lexus here for a nice chunk below MSRP, too.