Observations from a Mid-Coast Trip

[maureenb]

Originally Posted by starwalker

Or, like we do... EXPLORE! Taking the camera is a good excuse, but often times I don't need it. If I'm headed from here to there and not in a hurry -- or coming back home -- quite often I'll pick a road I have not yet been down and see where it goes. Sometimes I just wander, but if I have a destination, I choose turns based on the general direction I am headed.

Of course, the older I get and the more I explore, I often find myself in the "gee, I've been here before" place, but unsure of when, or what I was doing, which may make it hard to remember where "it" goes. LOL

It helps to have limits to the area -- such as water -- to help give references and such. When I first moved to the down east area of NC, I worked on a project, indexing all of the many small and home-based businesses in the little towns there. Doing this meant that I literally drove down EVERY road on the down east peninsula between their North River bridge and the literal end of the road (at the ferry to the Outer Banks.)

But, boy, did I know my ways "around"!

You're an inspiration to going out & getting to know one's way around! Getting to know your locale is a good thing! Reminds me, too, that it often takes a visitor to get me to appreciate my own town - Thanks!

[coastal_photographer]

Originally Posted by deerislesmile

The rate goes down every year... Here is the explanation of the Vehicle Excise Tax:

http://www.maine.gov/REVENUE/propert...axbrochure.pdf

Oh ok. Thank you for the link. I thought the rate was the same as it would be if I just purchased it. The office told me that the rate will be the same for the life of my car, but I moved here after it was six years old.

Still, the rate should continue to go down instead of stopping at year six. A lot of people keep cars much longer than six years and it doesn't seem equitable to charge a 6-year-old rate on a car that could be 15 years old.

I think the best way would be to factor in the mileage to the MSRP.

[221B]

Originally Posted by deerislesmile

The rate goes down every year... Here is the explanation of the Vehicle Excise Tax:

http://www.maine.gov/REVENUE/propert...axbrochure.pdf

Thanks for the great link explaining the excise tax! Now I know what to exactly budget for as opposed to making an educated guess.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by coastal_photographer

Yes, can someone explain what that's about? I'd understand if it was based on the value of your car NOW, but it seems ridiculous to be paying taxes on a $20,000 car that was purchased 8 years ago. Shouldn't they be factoring on mileage or something into that instead of charging the same amount every year over the life of your car?

With all due respect it is not the same every year.

Your vehicle's MSRP stays the same, the percebtage charged drops every year.

[Submariner]

Originally Posted by 221B

We just returned from a trip to the Mid Coast area, and thanks to all of your great input, I think we made very good use of our time.
Our purpose for this trip was to make a final decision on whether or not we could make a go of moving to Maine from Southern California.
In summary, I think the answer is 'Yes'.
We've done a fair amount of research, and this is our third trip, so we definitely tried to not get bowled-over (too much) by all the beauty, great folks and more relaxed atmosphere! We tried to look for 'potential negatives', and be realistic about the prospects of life in Maine.
There are some higher costs than CA such as health care (about double what it is here); and the automobile excise tax (what's up with that!).
But there are also lower costs, primarily the cost of housing. Property taxes vary so much by the local region, so you just have to be aware of the local mil rate.
Again, the folks who live in Maine are, by and large, very, very cool. It's similar to anywhere else; you need to be a friend in order to have friends. It just seems that people there are more approachable and open.
We went in mid-Feb hoping to see the worst of the winter, but were disappointed to find that it has been very mild for a couple months. So we'll just have to visualize a bit on how severe the snow and cold can be. That shouldn't be too hard, having visited other snowy locals before.
We visited Waldoboro, Pemaquid, Owls Head, Friendship, Rockland, Rockport, Camden and Lincolnville. All fine areas. Lot's of home possibilities. A very helpful realtor helped guide us through a lot of questions and home visits. He was a good listener.
Well, as I have any additional thoughts, I'll try and get them posted. In the meantime, I'll try and add any insight gleaned that may assist others in a similar search mode.

So glad that you had a good trip.

Everytime that I must return to California, I do see things that I miss. However once I get into conversations, it all comes back, just how much more they pay for things, the crime, and the pace of it all.

I am so glad that we found Maine

[coastal_photographer]

Originally Posted by forest beekeeper

With all due respect it is not the same every year.

Your vehicle's MSRP stays the same, the percebtage charged drops every year.

According to the town office and the website link someone else provided me, it stops dropping after your car turns six. Since I moved here when my car was older than six years, the town office told me the percentage will stay the same. I didn't know about the six year thing until today and just assumed she meant years one through five were the same as well.

Still...overall, I think that is an unfair system to not continue to drop after year six. As I said previously, a lot of people keep a car after six years (actually, a lot of people BUY a car when it's older than six years) so it doesn't make sense to pay the amount of a six year old car when your vehicle could be ten or twelve years old.

[AustinB]

Originally Posted by coastal_photographer

According to the town office and the website link someone else provided me, it stops dropping after your car turns six. Since I moved here when my car was older than six years, the town office told me the percentage will stay the same. I didn't know about the six year thing until today and just assumed she meant years one through five were the same as well.

Still...overall, I think that is an unfair system to not continue to drop after year six. As I said previously, a lot of people keep a car after six years (actually, a lot of people BUY a car when it's older than six years) so it doesn't make sense to pay the amount of a six year old car when your vehicle could be ten or twelve years old.

The upkeep of the roads costs the same, no matter if your car is six or 12. I don't like taxes either, but some of this one actually benefits the towns and cities.

[island mermaid]

Ya, check out the new Cribstone you use every day to get back and forth from home to town. That's your tax dollars hard at work and I will say that project was well worth it. I'm sure there were other state funds used on that project, the bridge was in dire need of repair and I'm happy that it has been historically preserved.

Bailey Island Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[AustinB]

Originally Posted by island mermaid

Ya, check out the new Cribstone you use every day to get back and forth from home to town. That's your tax dollars hard at work and I will say that project was well worth it. I'm sure there were other state funds used on that project, the bridge was in dire need of repair and I'm happy that it has been historically preserved.

Bailey Island Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Our state aid roads are terrible. The local roads are far better. Peachie and Steve were here last week, and they couldn't believe how bad our roads were. The roads down east are much better.

[coastal_photographer]

Originally Posted by island mermaid

Ya, check out the new Cribstone you use every day to get back and forth from home to town. That's your tax dollars hard at work and I will say that project was well worth it. I'm sure there were other state funds used on that project, the bridge was in dire need of repair and I'm happy that it has been historically preserved.

Bailey Island Bridge - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I never said there was anything wrong with the taxes. My point is that it should be more proportionate to actual car value if they're going to go that route.