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As far as cars are concerned, I am no auto maven myself, but I would urge you to pay close attention to the advice you get from residents with experience who have previously given solid advice on the topic (like mdand3boys and whtviper1) and discount the advice you get from non-residents. There are a lot of things about buying and owning and servicing cars in Hawai'i that are simply different from anywhere else in the country, and sometimes in very surprising and unexpected ways.
I mean, you can say the same about almost everything in Hawai'i, but the differences really show up when it comes to cars. A particular brand could be a good choice on one island but a terrible choice on another simply because of where warranty service is available, and where it is not. We even heard from someone who had shipped his leased Lexus here without notifying Lexus of America, only to find that Hawai'i is not in their sales territory and that he was in violation of the lease. Whoooops!
Never assume!
Is there an echo in here?
Could some light be shed on cars in Hawaii? Is good service available for Toyotas on Maui and the Big Island? I checked the Toyota web site, and there are Toyota dealers on both Maui and the Big Island.
What are the facts about shipping a car to Hawaii? I've read that during the shipping process, the cars are subject to sea water spray while they sit on the deck of the ship during the transport process. Supposedly the exposure to sea water salt causes a rusting process that starts and cannot be stopped. I don't know if this is true or not. I've also read that cars should be shipped inside containers to protect the cars from the sea spray. This would be very expensive, since you would have to also rent the container was well as pay for the car to be shipped. Are new cars that the dealers sell also shipped the same way, on the deck of a ship without containers?
In Minnesota, in the Twin Cities, they use tons of salt on the roads in the winter. Because of the salt and plowing by about 250 large snow plowing dump trucks, a foot of snow is cleared from the freeways by the next day. They heavily salt the roads with those same large dump trucks. The second day, the freeways roads are either wet with a little water or totally dry. Away from the metro area, the plowing is lousy and they don't use as much salt, and take several days to be cleaned up As a result of the heavy use of salt, it used to be common decades ago to see rusted out cars driving around the Twin Cities area. In more recent times, the cars seem to be built better and more resistant to rusting from the salting done to the roads. Also, it's a good idea to periodically get your car washed, including the under body during the winter to help reduce the odds of rusting. Sometimes I get my cars washed, but most winters I slack off and don't wash them because there are long lines at the car washes. I don't see cars rusting around here like I used to about 20 or 30 years ago.
Is rusting a permanent problem as a result of the sea spray problem during the shipping process? Is exposure to salt in the air near the coastline also a problem? I'm guessing that since today's cars are more immune to rusting with the winter road salting done in Minnesota, that they would also be more immune to rusting problems from sea spray or salt in the air near the coastline.
If you've lived in Hawaii several decades, maybe you've experienced the reduced rusting problems over that long time span. Or, maybe car rusting is a serious problem in Hawaii that continues to this day.
Leasing a car is generally a very bad idea. It is especially bad if it is done to reduce the monthly payment for a luxury car. I think it is OK to own a decent car, even a new car. It could be financed for a relatively short term and for low interest. Although, I save up and buy new cars with cash, but keep them for 10 - 15 years. However, I think spending money on a luxury car should not be done unless you are currently living debt free, no credit card balances, no car loans, no student loans, no personal loans, no mortgages, paid health insurance, paid life insurance, and a properly funded retirement account. Furthermore, you should have enough money to buy the luxury car with cash, no leases or loans. If you aren't living debt free and can't afford to buy the luxury car with cash, then I don't think you can afford a luxury car. I suspect that almost all luxury car owners would not be luxury car owners if they managed their personal finances correctly in a conservative and responsible manner.
when I first moved here, after about 2 months I could not look at rice for a good six weeks or so. Put a plate lunch in front of me "two scoop rice" and I wanted to gag. Yes, I grew up eating rice during certain meals, but not every day with every meal, and I was used to liking rice with a sauce (or with chinese food piled atop).
Rice really is a staple here, I've been with local friends who frequently order a bowl and eat it plain along with their meal, Me? I need something on too of it.
Regarding shipping a car, salt on the ship, etc:
Use Pasha. All the cars go inside the ship itself, I use them and they are great. In general, it's a better deal to ship your car to Maui than to buy a comparable car on the island. Someone asked about where to get a used car. There are only so many places, the car dealers or the Maui News/ Craigslist. There is no secret place to get a particularly good deal, comes down to luck and negotiations. Watch for used cars from Wailuku/ Kahului, they often have very few miles on them because of the central location.
As for salt, it's no where near as big a deal on a car compared to in the northeast, Minnesota, etc. If you live very close to the shore, like nearly oceanfront, salt can effect all sorts of things, electronics, appliances, your roof. Most don't live oceanfront, thus it's really not that big of a deal.
Someone wrote: "Also, what are your opinions on living in Pukalani, Kula, and or Kihei? I love lower Kula....took a drive today. Someone told me that Pukalani isn't safe? Really?
All of Maui is essentially safe. There is nothing inherently unsafe about Pukalani. Pukalani like Wailuku and Kahului, has a larger "local" population - yet Pukalani has expensive haole homes as well, a great climate, and central location. The notion of those areas being unsafe is largely driven by ignorant haole prejudice. I have lived on Maui for 20+ years, trust me, it's the haole's you have to watch out for if its anyone (I'm haole). There are a few lower income neighborhoods or apartment buildings with sketchy reputations. For instance, Rice Camp in Haiku is run down, yet slowly being gentrified. Not dangerous per se. Happy Valley In Wailuku has a negative reputation along with the Harbor Lights apartment building in Kahului. For the most part, an eyeball test is all you need to determine if the neighborhood is for you.
Last edited by Maui Moving Source; 08-02-2013 at 09:41 AM..
I've read that during the shipping process, the cars are subject to sea water spray while they sit on the deck of the ship during the transport process. Supposedly the exposure to sea water salt causes a rusting process that starts and cannot be stopped. I don't know if this is true or not. I've also read that cars should be shipped inside containers to protect the cars from the sea spray. This would be very expensive, since you would have to also rent the container was well as pay for the car to be shipped. Are new cars that the dealers sell also shipped the same way, on the deck of a ship without containers?
Is rusting a permanent problem as a result of the sea spray problem during the shipping process? Is exposure to salt in the air near the coastline also a problem? I'm guessing that since today's cars are more immune to rusting with the winter road salting done in Minnesota, that they would also be more immune to rusting problems from sea spray or salt in the air near the coastline.
Leasing a car is generally a very bad idea.
All the shippers to Hawaii cover the cars one way or another. Also, the trip only takes about 10 days. Cars are not constantly being sprayed by salt water.
All of the car manufacturers use the same shippers to Hawaii as someone moving to Hawaii. I'm guessing Matson gets most of that business as they have the volume to take the most cars - when you come to Sand Island on Honolulu you see hundreds of brand new cars waiting for the dealers to pick them up.
Lets take the issue of rusting cars in general. Modern cars do not rust. Cars are now made of galvanized steel or other composites resistant to rust.
Regardless of rust, you should wash your car on a regular basis to protect your paint.
Finally, leasing is not always a bad idea (but can be depending on the car) - it depends on your habits (how long you keep a car) and the car. Some factors include a low payment and low out of pocket fees. If the car has a high residual, those tend to be the most attractive as the payment is lower. One should always look at the "money factor" which is the equivalent of interest and easy to calculate. If you turn over cars every 3-4 years, leasing should be considered. You can always purchase the car at the end of the lease for the residual value.
See the photo of Pasha's ship MV Jean Anne on this schedule page. It's like a cruise ship for cars, custom built for them as a vehicle carrier about 8 years ago specifically for the West Coast - Hawai'i trade, and small enough to get into the harbors at Kahului and Hilo. The trip takes 5 days San Diego to Honolulu, 7 to Hilo, 8 to Kahului. Then 5 more days back to San Diego. Cars are completely enclosed for the entire trip.
If your car is going to Kaua'i, however, it will be offloaded in Honolulu and then barged the rest of the way, as are all cars, because the harbor can't handle large ships. And that can result in salt spray on the car from being tied down on an open deck.
Cars shipped by Matson are enclosed in a kind of enclosed parking garage structure added to the back of a large container ship. They all get unloaded in Honolulu, then barged "the last mile" if headed for neighbor islands.
Pasha has a second custom ship, the MV Marjorie C, ready to put into service this fall which will combine enclosed vehicle space, rollaboard cargo space, and container space. Presumably they will schedule its sailings between the MV Jean Anne's biweekly schedules, allowing for weekly departures.
There are three companies that ship from the mainland to Hawaii. Two of those were already mentioned (Pasha and Matson). I went with Horizon Lines as I had a better customer service experience with them, they ship out weekly rather than bi-weekly, and their Tacoma location was a little closer than LA was for me. Also, Horizon did not require for me to arrive on a specific day or time, and I could just arrive whenever (during open business hours Monday through Friday by 3:30), and there was no extra charge for parking if it took a few days before they were able to ship. I believe Pasha charged after a few days if I did not time it right. I also believe all three charge the same price. The only issue I had, is there was an error on the website so instead of filling the information out online, just call them. Their number is on the website.
I have talked with many local people and almost everyone here suggested if a person has a car in decent condition that it is a no-brainer to ship it over. There is not a lot of cars to choose from on Maui that are in good condition.
Another option to seriously consider is something that was stated earlier as well: buy a car from the West coast or Oahu, and have it shipped over.
I just went to the DMV today and was missing some needed documents.
For a driver's license (they said I can keep my MN state drivers license until it expires in 2015, but if I switch to Hawaii license I get the local rates at many places). I thought it was a law to change license address within 30 days of moving though. Anyways, I had my MN license and social security card and thought that was enough. However, effective last March a person also needs either a birth certificate or passport as well. I have never needed my birth certificate for anything so it is stored away in MN and I do not have a passport. So, I will need to order a birth certificate if I want the local rates.
Dealing with my car is also an issue. There is a checklist. I have my title. However, I left my registration with my receipt for when I paid for my tabs in my tax folder and that is in MN stored away. I need to see if the Hennepin County DMV will send proof of registration for me. Hawaii also requires a safety check (many local companies will do this). Lastly, if you ship your car over, you will receive a document called "bill of lading". Do NOT throw this away once you receive your car in Hawaii!!! They want this at the DMV. I am trying to get a copy of it from the port.
Rice Rice Baby is not really Weird Al, but that video and song were definitely entertaining.
Indeed, it turns out that the artist is actually Mark Jonathan Davis. His style of parody song is similar to Weird Al, and somebody just posted that with a misattribution. I see another version posted that is attributed to the Black Eyed Poos.
There are three companies that ship from the mainland to Hawaii. Two of those were already mentioned (Pasha and Matson). I went with Horizon Lines as I had a better customer service experience with them, they ship out weekly rather than bi-weekly, and their Tacoma location was a little closer than LA was for me.
I'm glad you had a good experience, because generally the customer reviews, as well as previous posts here have tended to rank the three as 1st Pasha, 2nd Matson, and distant 3rd Horizon. To be accurate, for those who may read this later... Matson also ships from Seattle and Oakland, and Pasha also ships from Oakland. And as of the present they all charge the same $1,100 tariff to or from Hawai'i from any port.
For an extra $500 or 600 you can get a guaranteed delivery date from Matson, if that's important to you, and I think Horizon offers that service as well. Otherwise your car can take as long as three weeks to arrive, per this little disclaimer buried in the boilerplate on Horizon's website... it's something previous customers have bitched about.
Quote:
Delayed Shipments -
All vehicles are subject to delayed shipment in the event of a full ship environment and could be assigned to a ship leaving later than the requested sailing date
With Pasha it's no extra charge to know exactly when your car will arrive. You book a specific sailing, the way you book a passenger ticket for yourself. With the other two you request a particular voyage, and then if it goes, it goes.
Quote:
I have talked with many local people and almost everyone here suggested if a person has a car in decent condition that it is a no-brainer to ship it over. There is not a lot of cars to choose from on Maui that are in good condition.
Generally a late model car will gain $2,000 or more in value in Hawai'i, and even older cars in good condition will gain $1,000 or more. (Works the other way, too, versa the vice. If moving back to the mainland it's hard to justify paying shipping AND losing value. Just sell it if you are headed east!) But do a little research before shipping to Hawai'i to be sure you can get dealer service for your car on the island you are moving to. For example there are a couple of brands that have no warranty coverage at all on the Big Island, and those cars need to be barged over to Honolulu and back, which is both costly and time consuming. If you've got an old beater that's just hanging on, no, don't bother shipping it. Save the $1,100 towards buying something locally.
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I just went to the DMV today and was missing some needed documents.
Oh, no, Mr. Joe... I found this cool website you really should have checked first, because all this Auto Registration and Driver's License stuff has been extensively discussed there, and quite recently, too. Just use the Search function to pop it up.
For a driver's license (they said I can keep my MN state drivers license until it expires in 2015, but if I switch to Hawaii license I get the local rates at many places). I thought it was a law to change license address within 30 days of moving though.
Yep, you need to put in a change of address with the MN DMV if you want to keep that driver's license. Check their specific rules, but many states require you to add a sticker to the back with your current address as well.
Quote:
Anyways, I had my MN license and social security card and thought that was enough. However, effective last March a person also needs either a birth certificate or passport as well. I have never needed my birth certificate for anything so it is stored away in MN and I do not have a passport. So, I will need to order a birth certificate if I want the local rates.
It's the new Legal Presence Law, resulting from a Homeland Security initiative, to prove you are in the country legally. Many states are implementing this, even Minnesota.
Honest, you should have checked out that City-Data site I mentioned before. All this was explained in detail there. Or you could have looked at the Maui County Motor Vehicles and Licensing site, but it isn't as much fun as the City-Data one. The Maui County site doesn't have any recipes.
Dealing with my car is also an issue. There is a checklist. I have my title. However, I left my registration with my receipt for when I paid for my tabs in my tax folder and that is in MN stored away. I need to see if the Hennepin County DMV will send proof of registration for me. Hawaii also requires a safety check (many local companies will do this). Lastly, if you ship your car over, you will receive a document called "bill of lading". Do NOT throw this away once you receive your car in Hawaii!!! They want this at the DMV. I am trying to get a copy of it from the port.
Holy Cowabunga, dude... you're so into doing massive research, how could you miss these two?
But wait, all three shippers say you need to show registration papers at the port in order for them to accept the car for shipment. Are you sure you're sure you don't have the registration papers with you?
Last edited by OpenD; 08-02-2013 at 07:18 PM..
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