Posts: 22
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Joined: May 2013
Hi all
I'm in the process of planning and saving for a move to the big island. One of many questions is this, should I bring my vehicle with me? It is a 95 Nissan pickup with 150,000 miles. I can get about $2,000 for it on the mainland. Shipping costs around $1,000 and I have seen a similar truck with 44,000 miles selling for $4,000 in Honolulu. I'm not sure how this translates to my truck in Puna though....
I want to do a lot of camping and exploring, can I do that on a scooter or do I need a truck?
Is a truck like this easy to re-sell? Is it bad mojo to bring extra stuff onto the island that will eventually have to go into a landfill or recycling heap?
Thanks!
Posts: 59
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Joined: Jun 2011
Ship it to Hilo, Pickup trucks are a premiam, no scooter to camp!
Posts: 22
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Joined: May 2013
Posts: 5,640
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Joined: Dec 2008
Yes, that is one thing worth bringing.
Posts: 1,455
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Joined: Mar 2010
We brought our 2002 Toyota pickup and it is perfect for us. It's our only car. We also have 2 scooters (a Kymco People 150 and a SYM HD200)and use them a lot. 80 mpg is a good thing. Both of these scooters can handle the highway at 50-60 mph too. I love having a truck, even though it's a small one with standard cab.
Jon in Keaau/HPP
Jon in Keaau/HPP
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Scooter people Yay! I have a pretty supped up vespa 150 that I am thinking of bringing. Not so sure I would ride on the 130 as people drive crazy, but maybe the side streets, yes.
Dave
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Joined: Aug 2012
I would ship that truck, even though I prefer Toyota.
Before you do, get new wheels/tires, and all your preventative maintenance; everything is more expensive here, and it might be a while before you find a shop you trust (or have a garage built out to work on it yourself).
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If you are bringing a scooter over, you might consider buying and bringing a couple of extra tires for it. My People 150 that I bought new here needs a new rear tire. I could buy one for like $35 and have it shipped...if I didn't live in Hawaii. I have to pay $109 to get one from the dealer in Kona. Mine isn't worn out, but is getting small cracks in the sidewall from the sun. The People uses a 16" tire.
I order stuff from Amazon and they honor the free shipping of their super saver stuff even if it's getting shipped to Hawaii and Alaska. Many mainland sellers won't ship to us period, and if they do, well, shipping me a tire would end up as much as the $109 I am buying locally. Strange, because I bought 2 26" bicycle tires through Amazon for free shipping. These tires were shipped in 2 large boxes and were not folded up to use smaller boxes.
Jon in Keaau/HPP
Jon in Keaau/HPP
Posts: 566
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Joined: Mar 2012
bring your truck!
I brought my Toy. 4-Runner, 4WD, and I am amazed at the strangers who come up to me asking if I was interested in selling it. On the mainland it's value was $4500, here it is $7500+ which is a moot point because I am not selling this car![8D]
Guess I should mention, fuel is about 25% higher in cost over the mainland average so gas mileage is a downfall with my car.
But I'd move it again. One thing! Please put a good wax on your truck before you put it on the ship!! I didn't cuz of ignorance. Also, I was told the truck would be driven into a container and shipped but considering the major clear coat damage I had within one month of having it here, I don't believe the company spoke honestly with me. I suspect it was driven into the belly of a ship and had salt coated on it daily for three weeks.
He who hoots with owls at night cannot soar with the eagles in the morning.
He who hoots with owls at night cannot soar with the eagles in the morning.
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If you get decent gas mileage, bringing the truck over makes sense. Otherwise, it might be better to sell it. We shipped our truck over 4 years ago and it came in handy for carrying big loads. Unfortunately, it guzzled so much gas that we hardly ever use it any more. For camping, we use a 1990 Jeep we purchased used after we arrived. With the addition of a hitch, it pulls a boat trailer easily.
