What do you drive?

[kalakoa]

Still two cars, one of which doesn't make dump runs.

[csgray]

Two adult drivers with 2 different jobs in different places, so of course we have 2 cars. We only need 1 to make dump runs, why pay for 2 dump worthy vehicles when you just need to do a little planning?

Carol

[kalakoa]

Not disagreeing, not even a little. Best tool for the job, absolutely, just ... keep the stinky/messy stuff out of the "nice" car (for some value of "nice").

[csgray]

I hear you Kalakoa, I certainly don't want to show up at work smelling like compost!

Carol

[Bullwinkle]

cant beat a 4 wd low range for stump pulling ... did / do more than I ever imagined. I sleep better at night - knowing that if the road washes out - Im still going to get out ..... still keep a chainsaw and gas as well - old habits die hard - and we aint in kansas

body on frame construction a plus, car or truck - in my opinion

[Guest]

Kalakoa, it seems even if your not "in town", and SUV or car with a decent size trunk can do most of the things you listed. Almost all manufacturers sell trunk liners which can prevent any leaks staining or stinking up the car. IDK, I dont live there yet, just brainstorming.

With the cost of gas, Im starting to think the value of Honda Civic or CRV may be tremendous....

[Guest]

The whole car thing is really bugging me now. I have a 2002 Toyota Higlander with about 190K on it. It will cost me for shipping and renting a car till I get it, about $3,200.

I am having a hard time swallowing paying that for that car to get there.

I also have a 2011 Acura RDX AWD with only 8k miles on it. Should I sell that or ship that ? I have about 17k in equity in it.

DOes anyone car pool with their spouse to Hilo for work ? Im wondering if its simple or difficult to share one car...

[kalakoa]

You "can" use any vehicle for anything, of course, but in my opinion a truck is just more convenient for big and/or messy things.

It's probably a matter of how much "homesteading" is involved -- sure, lumber and roofing might fit the rack on an SUV, but it's not really the right tool for the job... yes, gas cans fit in the trunk, if you roll all the windows down to avoid the fumes, and hope it's not raining...

[csgray]

One of our few regrets about how we planned our move was not bringing one of our cars with us. Used cars here are expensive, often have been abused, and the choices are limited. We could have kept one of our good used cars and still been ahead on the shipping cost. Don't forget you have to rent a car while shopping for a car, and that means you are making your decision under pressure, or spending a lot of money on renting while you shop. If you are buying new it would be different, but there aren't really that many used cars available here at any given time.

Carol

[Cheerio]

quote:

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Originally posted by csgray

One of our few regrets about how we planned our move was not bringing one of our cars with us. Used cars here are expensive, often have been abused, and the choices are limited. We could have kept one of our good used cars and still been ahead on the shipping cost. Don't forget you have to rent a car while shopping for a car, and that means you are making your decision under pressure, or spending a lot of money on renting while you shop. If you are buying new it would be different, but there aren't really that many used cars available here at any given time.

Carol

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Agreed. I was so happy the second time around when we shipped the vehicle that we knew and liked. It was well worth it.

Trying to convince my parents of this (or buying a rig here on the west coast and immediately shipping it) but for some reason they are pretty set on selling their vehicles here and getting something on-island. I think they are anxious to get something now and not have to wait a month for shipping, but with the limited selection on the island, I don't think they are going to have a whole lot to choose from anyway - it could take over a month to find something in their parameters and budget.They currently have a 3/4-ton truck that gets about 8 MPG on the farm, so it's just not reasonable for running into town, going to the beach, etc.