Car - moving transportation

Hello!

Car... car.. car.. the biggest question.. when you move: should I get a new vehicle or should I ship the car across the country.... do I even need a car at all?

Well... the answer is... it depends on your situation and your budget!

- If you move to a place where public transportation is great and there is no place to park, selling your car is probably the best option because you might have to pay extra for parking and if it is not used very often or useful, it might not be very beneficial to have it. A bike might serve your better :)

- If you move to a place where there is not a lot of reliable public transportation, you might need to own a car there. So should you buy, lease, or ship your car to your new home?

The answer is quite complicated. But here are the pros and cons of each option, you can base on it to choose which fits your situation and benefits you the most.

- For buying car, you can either by a new or used car.

- Buying a new car

Pros: it's new. might not have any defect. still under manufactured warranty for a few years. Could have better mileage depends on the make, model, and year of the car.

Cons: could be very expensive and hurt your budget. Will your new job or career or whatever makes you move can afford this? Would you want to have an extra debt that you might or might not cover? If your budget is great, you can go ahead a buy a new car, if not you might rethink about this option. Insurance might be higher because it's a newer car.

So a few questions you can ask:
- what is my budget?
- do i need a new car?
- how is my current car doing? should I take it to a mechanic to have a look? (preferred that you take to a trusted mechanic)


- Buying a used car:

Pros: Could be less expensive (depends on where you get your car and the condition of the car). Insurance might be a little bit on a lower end.

Cons: You need to spend time and investigate the origin of the car. You have to work through the paper work to make sure the car is in good condition. So basically, if you have time and expertise or know someone who is adept (like a mechanic, or a friend who loves car), this option might work better for you.

If you decide to buy a used car, have somebody going with you to look at the car (someone who is genuinely interested in looking at the car for you) because they might know something that you don't know. In addition, you can ask for the VIN number to run a report on the car. (car is just like people, they have identification number and you will know whether it has been salvaged or not) Carfax.com is a good site to go to.

So here are a few questions that you can ask before buying a used car:

- are you comfortable driving someone's car?
- do i have a budget for it?
- what kind of criteria am I looking into a car?
- do i need a used car?
- does the car have a clean title?
- is it worth it?



Besides buying car, you can also lease your car. Although it is not the best option to choose from, it can have some benefits.

- Pros: It can be easily seen that the car is new and under manufactured guarantee. So you won't have to worry much about maintaining the car.
- Cons: It can be even more expensive than buying a car. Assuming you make a out the door payment (which is usually not refundable) and then making a monthly payment, you still do not own a car afterward because you rent the car, you do not buy it. So although it might saves you a headache of maintaining it, it might cost you a lot more. But if your lifestyle fits in having a new car every few years, this might be a better of option for you.


Here are a few questions that you can ask:

- what is my budget?
- can i afford a monthly payment?
- does it fit my lifestyle?
- the cost?
- how would i feel when i lease my car?

Another option is shipping your car.

This option is quite appealing because it actually costs less than buying a car or leasing a car. However, it all depends on the value of your car. If your car costs about 3,000 at the time and the shipping costs 1200, you might want to consider whether it's worth it to have it shipped to where you want to be.

But if your car is relatively new, in good running condition, and you really like your car and see that you can use it for at least another 5-6 years, it might be a better option for you to ship your car.

Pros: might be cheaper than buy or lease a car. It's the car you've been driving and if you've been keeping track of the maintenance, the car should work fine and you feel more secured in driving it.

Cons: you might have to endure a few days (depends on the shipping time) not to have a car. The car might be a little bit dirty after being shipped.

A few questions you can ask before shipping your car:

- how old is my car? how long can I drive it?
- how much does it cost?
- can i live for a few days without having a car? (you can always rent a week or two)
- does it fit in my budget?



- So buying, leasing, shipping... there is still another option, drive your car to your destination!

if you want to go with this option, here are the few things you might want to consider

- how far is your destination from where you are?
- will your car be able to get there without any problem?
- is it safe to drive that distance by yourself with your belongings in the trunk? should you drive with someone else?
- if your car is in good condition, will the continuous driving cause any problems to the car afterward?
- estimate the cost of driving to see if it's worth to drive
- do you enjoy driving? if not, it might not be a good option

So there are many things to consider when car involves. But it comes down to a few basic questions:


- What is your budget? If money is not an issue, what gives you a peace of mind is probably working best for you. But be sure though, buying a new car might still not give you a peace of mind. So work out what best fits your lifestyle!

- Does it necessary to have a car? (how close are you to everything like work, grocery, and where you usually go to)

- What would make you happy the most?

- What is the most cost effective way to have a transportation?


So good luck! Leave any comments or suggestions if you want to. :)