Job offer-seeking advice (better, direct, looking for)

[Mikala43]

Originally Posted by Balad1

I would say that making $53K and living on Oahu would be comparable to making $28K in Idaho and the lifestyle associated with that income. You'll have to decide if that works for you.

That sounds about right IMO.

[bubblebee]

I have accepted the job-decided to go for it. We will relocating at the end of August. Thanks everyone for the useful tips!

[Balad1]

If you don't mind please keep us informed after arriving and living here. Others can be helped by your experiences and observations.

[Joliefille]

Originally Posted by bubblebee

I have accepted the job-decided to go for it. We will relocating at the end of August. Thanks everyone for the useful tips!

Good for you!

[bubblebee]

Just an update: My husband and I have been living here on Oahu since the end of August and things are going great. It took a while to find a place to rent we liked, but we eventually found a place that works in Kailua. I commute to Pearl Harbor for work (about 30 minutes over H3), and my husband, an RN, was able to find a decent job right away. Having dual income has allowed us to be very comfortable.

As far as the move goes, the only regret we have is shipping our car here-It ended up being a hassle. Seems there are plenty of used cars to buy here anyway. We bought a second car soon after we arrived.

We both love our jobs, the people are friendly, and, of course, the weather is PERFECT. I think we'll stay a while.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

bubblebee, thanks for the update. Usually folks ask for advise and then just disappear. Great to hear that you are doing well and are happy. Kailua seems like a good choice for a place to live.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by bubblebee

As far as the move goes, the only regret we have is shipping our car here-It ended up being a hassle. Seems there are plenty of used cars to buy here anyway. We bought a second car soon after we arrived.

I've posted comments to several threads here along those same lines and then had my head handed to me by a coupla old-timers, as if I were talking babble. I'm glad to see your confirmation of the same experience I had. Matter of fact, my unofficial tally so far shows about 2/3 of the people I've talked to say if they could do it all over, paying $1,100 or more to ship a car to Hawai'i is not something they'd do again.

I don't say "don't do it." There's no right answer in every case. Instead I say "check it out and make sure it actually makes sense in for you to do that." Some people never question the decision at all, simply asking "How do I...?" instead of "Should I, or should I not?"

Anyway, glad things are working out for you. Makes the heart glad.

[mdand3boys]

Shipping a car to Oahu vs outer islands is two entirely different scenarios.

Used cars on the outer islands come from two places: Oahu, and cars that were purchased new, on that outer island. Why? Shipping a used car from Cali costs a big wholesaler with volume shipping discounts $800+. That cuts into any profit margins big time. (yes, you will pay about $1100)

Cars purchased new and driven on Oahu have been driven on decent roads and even some freeway driving, unlike vehicles driven on the outer islands, which are typically driven on rutted, cinder roads on a routine basis. Consequently, they are generally worth more - however, the turnover of military people moving out on Oahu and not shipping their used vehicles back out creates a situation where some used vehicle prices get depressed.

Compare similar vehicles on sites like craigslist and autotrader to get an idea of what your mainland vehicle might be worth in Hawaii - on the island you intend to be on.

Don't rely upon Kelly Blue Book or Edmonds. They use advertised prices on the mainland to get their guesses.

[OpenD]

Originally Posted by mdand3boys

Used cars on the outer islands come from two places: Oahu, and cars that were purchased new, on that outer island.

Actually there's a third big source I see... cars that people have privately shipped over from the mainland, and then sold, sometimes fairly quickly. The one I bought here still had a "California Redwoods" bumper sticker on it.

Originally Posted by mdand3boys

Don't rely upon Kelly Blue Book or Edmonds. They use advertised prices on the mainland to get their guesses.

That might be true of dealer "retail" pricing, but my experience is that private party sales play by a different set of rules, and on the islands a lot of cars get sold privately. Edmonds (et al) estimates are quite often quoted by private parties as the the basis of their "ask." I've seen cars with a printout of the Edmonds estimate taped in the window, with just "For Sale" and their phone number written in by hand.

My point, repeatedly, is that there is no single right answer. There is probably no place I've lived, and I've lived all over the country, where the caveat "Your mileage may vary!" applies more than in Hawai'i. Buying or selling or shipping a vehicle... YMMV! Housing? YMMV! Finding a job? YMMV!

What works for one person would be a mistake for the next. Always keep that in mind when reading the advice offered here. No matter what someone else tells you, Your Mileage May Vary! You need to take it all with a grain of salt, considering what works and doesn't work for you.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

We live on the Big Island and want to buy a specific used car. Just looking around, there are very few of what we want here, so we're thinking of either:

(1) taking a trip to Honolulu and buying one there. Brings up the question -- how much does it cost to ship a car from Honolulu to Hilo?
(2) we will be going back to the mainland for the summer. Just looking through Autotrader, we will have a lot better selection to buy from there, mileage-wise and price-wise. I know that it will cost us $1100 to ship from Seattle, so we are factoring that in. But isn't there some Hawaii law about paying sales tax in Hawaii if you've purchased the vehicle off-island within the last 90 days? We're thinking of buying in Oregon, which doesn't have any sales tax, but then Hawaii will ding us.

See, I'm asking specific questions. I'm not asking any of you to decide which is better (I already know what OpenD will say).