Question about buying vs. shipping a car (for sale, prices)

[Barb3142]

Finally moving to Maui in September! I have a question about buying a car there, vs. shipping one from the mainland - right now I drive a big truck, not gas efficient and too big for Maui. I was going to sell it and then buy a small car after arriving, but now I wonder if I should instead buy a new (to me) car here and ship it instead.

I heard that cars are more expensive there, so I'm thinking maybe it would offset the cost of shipping one from the mainland (I would drive it out to a port in California). Though I'm looking on craigslist and there seems to be lots for sale around my price range, which is around or below $5000, older but somewhat reliable to get me around.

I'm also a little worried that someone could sell me a lemon because I don't know much about cars, which of course could happen both here or there. I appreciate all opinions, experiences and suggestions! Mahalo.

[jportal]

Hi Barb,
For a small car IIRC it is about $1000 to ship. Call Matson to confirm prices. Unless you can save about 30% from Maui prices it makes more sense to buy one over here. On Maui, classifieds for cars is best searched in the "Bulletin" The Maui Bulletin: Admarket comes out once a week on Maui. Factors to consider also, are on Maui mileage tends to be lower on average, per year because of the limits of where you can drive. Depending on how old a car you are looking for. A mainland car from the arid SW with no rust might be better than a car of similar vintage here on Maui. Rust can be a big issue here. Don't know where you are coming form but if SW USA find a car for 30% of Maui prices, low mileage and in good mechanical condition and send it over otherwise I would look for a reasonable car here. There are always deals. good luck

[OpenD]

Where is "here?" Specific location is important, because it affects shipping cost.

Newspaper classifieds are only one resource to check to get an idea of what might be available on the other end. Check Craig's List for Maui. Then consider whether it makes sense to buy a specific car at $5,000 plus say $1,100 in shipping vs. having $6,100 to spend in Hawai'i.

If you do decide to buy "here," then do it soon, so you can give it a good shake out before shipping.

[Barb3142]

jportal thanks so much for leading me to the bulletin, that will be a great resource. Good point about lower mileage on Maui.

OpenD sorry, I should have mentioned I'm coming from Colorado. I just kind of went over the numbers and realized that shipping a car for $1100 and then gas/travel cost to get it to the port probably another $400 I might be better off buying there. And good point about giving it a good shake out before shipping it, no recourse if it turns out to be a lemon when I'm half a world away.

Thank you both I'm now leaning towards buying it upon arrival on Maui.

[whtviper1]

Cars are very expensive in Hawaii. At the downtown dealership for Honda in Oahu, every car has a sticker, $2995.00 local market adjustment above and beyond sticker price. In LA, you can get the same cars for 10% under sticker - so even with shipping - you are potentially better off selling the car in Colorado - buy in LA - ship.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by whtviper1

Cars are very expensive in Hawaii. At the downtown dealership for Honda in Oahu, every car has a sticker, $2995.00 local market adjustment above and beyond sticker price. In LA, you can get the same cars for 10% under sticker - so even with shipping - you are potentially better off selling the car in Colorado - buy in LA - ship.

It all depends. New cars, yeah, Hawai'i is much more expensive. And for recent model used, yes. But as you come down the price scale the gap closes. And as you so frequently point out, a lot of people move to Hawai'i but don't stay long, and then a lot of them sell their cars in the islands rather than ship them back home, so it's possible to catch a great deal with a highly motivated seller.

And not everyone would be comfortable buying a $5K used car in LA and then immediately shipping it to the islands. So it all depends on the specific circumstance. There's no single answer that works for everyone.

[PalmerPhotography]

I just want to give Matson kudos for our car shipment. It arrived a couple days ago and not a scratch on it! Everything was how we'd left it and their shipping price was fair- no hidden fees & no hassles at either end! This is the 2nd car we've shipped (last one being almost 20 years ago)... I hope the container is handled the same way. Have a great day!

[HiloDiver]

Thanks for the good report...happy for you!

[Barb3142]

Thanks @PalmerPhotography for the good report. I've heard so much about Matson and it has never been bad things. I think I've decided to buy a car there since I'm looking for one on the lower end of cost, but if I were to change my mind I would definitely ship with Matson.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by Barb3142

Thanks @PalmerPhotography for the good report. I've heard so much about Matson and it has never been bad things. I think I've decided to buy a car there since I'm looking for one on the lower end of cost, but if I were to change my mind I would definitely ship with Matson.

Since the shipping rate for autos is established by tariff, all three carriers charge the same rate, but differentiate their business in other ways, such as the level of support they offer to customers.

Matson is the giant... a general all-purpose shipper. They pretty much invented the mainland-to-hawai'i shipping business, and were responsible for creating the standardized shipping containers which are so ubiquitous today. However, being the 800 pound gorilla that they are, they are not necessarily the easiest for an individual to deal with. It can take days to get an email returned, and a week or more to get a quote.

Horizon is 2nd largest, pretty much a copycat of Matson. They seem to do a lot of employer-paid relocations. I've never used them. There seem to be a lot of negative reviews for them on the net.

Pasha is the smallest, and newest, but it is a specialist. The carry vehicles, boats, RVs, and "rollaboard cargo," but not containers. They developed their business along the time-honored "we try harder" approach. Using custom built car-carrier ships, they built a successful following by offering superior customer service, and a published schedule that cut transit time to about a week, rather than the old "as space permits" system that sometimes took 2 or 3 weeks on the other two carriers. Now Matson is copying their methods, but I still like Pasha's customer service best.

But things change, so I recommend everyone check out all three for themselves.