question for those who bought out of state

costs

I bought my silver 9 in WY and drove back to Chicago. At that time, April to be exact, the estimated cost to have the car shipped via FedEx Ground was about 750-800. So I just used some FF miles and the dealer met me at the airport, drove back to the dealership, stayed for about 30 min, wrote a check and drove home.
Was a great process, the dealer had everything buttoned up and the scenery on the way home was fantastic.

 

Interesting info about FedEx. I guess I never thought about FedEx-ing a car. The whole concept is intriguing...I wonder what kind of box they use?

And if you're not home when they deliver, would they leave it on your front porch? No, they MUST require a signature, right? :lol:

 

The scenery was fantastic? last time I took I-80 through Nebraska and Iowa it was nothing but corn and that stupid arch...

Nate

 

Was that serious? Can you really Fed-Ex a car?

:?:

 

As many of you know, I bought my '04 BC from a Sacramento dealer on July 29th. I had two options...

1) have it shipped across country for about $1,200

2) Take delivery at the dealer and pay the CA local sales tax of 7.75% of which Michigan would "credit" me our 6% sales tax and I'd be out about $400.

3) Take delivery out of state.

I chose option 3 and turned the delivery of the car into the family summer vacation. After filling out all the paperwork and writing the check (paid CA$H 'cause I got that kinda dough), I rode in the passenger seat for an hour and a half to just outside Reno, NV. I thought I was going to hate having someone drive MY car first but I made sure to take a little test drive before we left and I had so much fun fooling with the GPS and display that I did not mind the trip one little bit!

Another guy FOLLOWED us to Reno to take MY driver back home. We met a notary public in the parking lot of a grocery store and she wrote down all this information certifying to the State of California that you in fact did take delivery out of state and were exempt from taxes.

Now, there are a couple of interesting legal reasons that prevent you from LEGALLY returning to California in that car for something like 90 days.

So unfortunately, I had to return directly to Michigan, leaving my kids at the Super 8 in downtown Sacramento. Gee I miss 'em.

 

Well, I live in Ohio but bought in Indiana (about an hour away; there weren't any shipping issues). The dealer in Indiana did not charge Indiana tax; I paid the Ohio sales tax when I transferred the temporary Indiana title and the Ohio plates off the car I traded. Perhaps that's some arrangement between Ohio and Indiana?

 

I bought in Wisconsin and live in Michigan. The dealer simply contacted the MI secretary of state and had the title and registration established for the vehicle in Michigan. To take delivery, as I was 550 miles away, I evaluated several car delivery companies ($450 if you are flexible, meaning you might get your car in 6 - 8 weeks, $750+ if you want it in a week), trailer options, as in renting a truck and car trailer and picking it up (incredibly, this was the most expensive option, at over $1400 whether it was one way or two way), driving to pick it up (2 - 14 hour days required), flying and driving back (regional airports involved, thus price was $600 to fly anywhere close to the dealer), and dealer delivery options. This last category is where to really look into. Many dealers make weekly trips to auto auctions, other dealers for dealer trades, etc. My dealer had a person who did double duty picking up and delivering auction cars as well as delivering new cars. After understanding his driving record, demeanor, etc., he drove the car to me. I paid him for his time and bus ticket back home, and I had my car. $300 delivered. Sure, I had 550 miles on my new car, but it was well taken care of, had to be driven conservatively the first 300 miles due to the types of roads, and I had minimal inconvenience. The dealer really helped me here. I got the car I wanted which was unavailable in our area due to low allocations (2+year wait at dealers in surrounding 60 miles), I got it within 8 weeks at MSRP after finding out that my orders at the local dealers would not be filled until the 2006 model year, and I love the car.

If you have a good dealer like I did, they will help you investigate delivery options.

 

Out of State

I bought my Prius in West Virgina and the dealer brought it to me in eastern Pa. for $200. Two guys came and they went back in another one of the dealers car. Since the dealer is close to western Pa. and sells to alot of Pa. customers anyway he did all the motor vehicle work and i got my Pa. plates in about 6 weeks. In the meantime i drove around on temp. West Va. plates that were good for 60 days. So it was a very easy transaction!

 

I got mine in Montana. Flew to Helena $227. I was picked up at the airport and drove home to Washington. They sent me the title information so I had it taken care of. Paid the sales tax in Washington that varies a bit city by city. You pay according to where you live not where you get the license and title. For me a bit over 2k. I flew in with the plates. No sales tax in Montana. Everything went very well. I guess some would say I paid 227 over MRSP. I my case I got to visit my son who goes to school and works in Helena and that really put me over the top in my decision to buy out of state. I am glad I did what with the price increase on the 05s.

 

I like your attitude. Matches mine.

3 cross country tickets on AMTRAK with accomodations... $ 1,040
Food, Fuel, and lodging for return to Michigan................... $ 500
One Salsa Red Toyota Prius with BC package.................. $26,000

Spending two weeks traveling cross-country with your
teenage daughters before they leave the nest.................Priceless.

 

It cost me 868 dollars to have the car shipped from SoCal to DFW. Well worth it for me.
(Dependable Auto Shippers)

 

Amen to that. :wink: I stayed up past my bed time last night to pick my daughter at the airport so I could spend an hour with her alone on the drive back. She wants to redesign the display for Toyota. She is a graphic designer and lives in Ohio. Grab the time while you can. One other thing on my trip to Montana check out the fish! http://priuschat.com/forums/album_personal...hp?user_id=1818
One of the things my son and I now share.

 

I'm going to be driving from Stockton back to LA (339 miles according to mapquest). One-way plane ticket will cost me $109 after taxes. Dealer is picking me up from the airport (what a guy).

I'm actually looking forward to the drive, although I wish my wife would have come with me too (she's about 5 weeks away from delivering our first child!)

 

Just use some Scothguard before you let her get in.

Just in case.

 

yikes.... I didn't even think about "that" (it's our first child)!

hmmm.... she may be offended if I ask her to sit on top of a tarp in the Prius...... LOL

 

count me as one who enjoyed every minute of the 600 mile, 10 hour drive back to long island from west virginia. a great way to get to know the car, and it was so easy and fun to drive that i drove straight through with just a couple of stops long enough to grab a sandwich!