Question about buying vs. shipping a car

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Hey, OpenD, here in Ocean View (in the middle of nowhere) gas is $4.01! At Costco in Kona, it's $3.89!

Even at $4.11, gas in Hilo is cheaper than stations in Kona, which is why the pumps at Costco are always crazy busy.

[MitchTempo]

Gas on Maui today was 4.11, cept at Costco it was like 3.89 or something. Ever since Costco opened up with their gas station a couple months back the gas prices have been the same as the other islands. It used to be I'd fly to Kona, and the gas was cheaper on the big island than it was on Maui.

[tdr22]

In late Aug 2012 shipped 18 year old truck by Matson (included 1,300 miles overland to mainland port using company that Matson recommended). No problems, got here in Maui a few days before scheduled, no damage but almost no fuel in either tank tho we'd left the allowed 1/4 tank each and tires were 30% low on air.

Great customer service - talked to actual human at port here, internet tracker was correct to the hour, good service at pick up. We'd use them again, only negatives were the empty fuel tanks risk to pumps & scary (will we make it??!!) ride to nearest gas station & need to air up all 4 tires.

For tags looks like you pay by weight, our old truck will cost $250+ on the mainland it was $12 or so also my insurance with lower coverage is 10+ % higher too so a lot to consider shipping Or buying here.

Gas today at Costco still 3.89!!!

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Originally Posted by OpenD

W. Certainly is a puzzle to me why BIG TRUCKS are so popular.

I drive a 3/4 ton cargo van with a big engine. I can't fit a dozen sheets of plywood or 10 bags of turkey feed into one of those cute little 2 seater hamster powered gas sippers with no trunk. Also, I can go to Costco with a friend and each of us spend $500 and take it all home in one trip. I don't have to buy one little grocery bag at a time because that is all that will fit inside the car.

One trip to Costco getting 16 mpg as opposed to 25 trips to Costco getting 30 MPG. I'm not even going to do the math.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by oregonwoodsmoke

I drive a 3/4 ton cargo van with a big engine. I can't fit a dozen sheets of plywood or 10 bags of turkey feed into one of those cute little 2 seater hamster powered gas sippers with no trunk. Also, I can go to Costco with a friend and each of us spend $500 and take it all home in one trip. I don't have to buy one little grocery bag at a time because that is all that will fit inside the car.

Minus the exaggeration... my smaller pickup with a much more economical 4 cylinder engine hauls all those sheets of plywood AND more groceries than I could eat in a month in the club cab, no hay problema. Sure, it pokes a little when I get up above 1/2 mile altitude heading home, but who cares? Who's in that much of a rush anyway? But when I stop to fill up at the 7-Eleven in Kurtistown I watch how the guys with the BIG trucks (very popular with locals) are dealing with their sticker shock on a fill-up, and it's never a pretty sight. Personally I get to fill up AND buy beer, as opposed to having to choose, as some apparently do.

One trip to Costco getting 16 mpg as opposed to 25 trips to Costco getting 30 MPG. I'm not even going to do the math.

It doesn't work out that way. It just doesn't. This is just another one of those 1,001 little things that are different about Hawai'i that you jut cannot fully comprehend until you get here and spend some actual island time.

Most people I know from Punaside pool their Costco runs. Whoever has the biggest car, or better, van! usually drives, because you can cram more stuff in a van and keep it out of the rain. And it's a long, boring drive, so who wouldn't want company?

Anyway, if you were local you'd know that there is a risk that gas prices could go MUCH higher soon. One of the two refineries serving the state is in the process of closing, and the other is up for sale because it is old and inefficient. If gasoline has to be shipped in I predict there will be a LOT of very unhappy people at the 7-Eleven.

[KauaiHiker]

Agree with OpenD, even my tiny Subaru wagon (Impreza, not Forester) can haul a lot with the seats down and tying stuff to the roof. Once made it home with 8 palets on the roof! 25mpg and no loss of power on that thing (2.2 l engine is oversized, wish it was smaller and got 30mpg).

As for gas prices, Costco imports all its gas, so I'm not sure that would increase the price. They use tanks that fit inside a metal frame that has the shape of a shipping container--I've seen them at the Lihue Costco. So they're treated just like containers and trucked right to the gas station.