hope to get some help in deciding best options for a car need: Daughter is going to be in Burbank, CA for a 8-month temporary training at Disney... family is in upstate NY. I have looked long term rental, short term lease, car subscription, Turo, etc. they all cost more than $8000 for the duration... also checked swapalease.com... not sure that's the route, location, terms etc are difficult to find. For some of you that had similar experiences, what do you suggest? what worked/did not work for you? Thanks in advance.
need help: need a car for 8 months in Los Angles
- Thread starter windeye
- Start date
Does she current have a car or will she have one after the training is over? If so, ship it or drive it to Burbank? How will she commute to her new job if no car?
JHZR2
Staff member
Me personally…. I’d take the drive and see the country, if I could at all swing the time. Get another driver - the round trip airfare for the second driver will likely be far cheaper than anything else.
How much she is getting paid may come into play too. If not much, frankly, public transit and uber may be a better bet, and beggars can’t be choosers. A car could always be rented for a short time if really needed.
Otherwise, get a car to flip, register it in SD or MT, sell or trade it at the end. Maybe a low cost special at carmax or similar, who will buy it back…
How much she is getting paid may come into play too. If not much, frankly, public transit and uber may be a better bet, and beggars can’t be choosers. A car could always be rented for a short time if really needed.
Otherwise, get a car to flip, register it in SD or MT, sell or trade it at the end. Maybe a low cost special at carmax or similar, who will buy it back…
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After the 8 months is up, what is she going to do for transportation?. If it were me, I would just buy a car for her to use while she's out there ,and can still use it when she relocates to where ever.,,
Paint a more complete picture, please.
Where is she now?
Does she have a car now?
WOULD she drive it cross-country?
ANY idea of what kind of vehicle she desires vs. what she NEEDS?
Is it 8 months in an office building...where she could take a cab or Uber?
Will she be trained in different hotels, different restaurants, various class rooms....need mo info.
Have you any idea about where she'll live for those 8 months?
What's the budget?
One balance you need to strike involves purchasing a car vs. some short term rental/lease involving excessive insurance.
I'm guessing this situation can be handled simply or become laden with fabulous complications.
Where is she now?
Does she have a car now?
WOULD she drive it cross-country?
ANY idea of what kind of vehicle she desires vs. what she NEEDS?
Is it 8 months in an office building...where she could take a cab or Uber?
Will she be trained in different hotels, different restaurants, various class rooms....need mo info.
Have you any idea about where she'll live for those 8 months?
What's the budget?
One balance you need to strike involves purchasing a car vs. some short term rental/lease involving excessive insurance.
I'm guessing this situation can be handled simply or become laden with fabulous complications.
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8 months is long time purchase a car and then sell it
if selling at that time makes sense.
I like the used prius option.. efficient transportation with the higher $$$ gas prices.
But a Car may not be needed or wanted.. what is traffic like there?
if selling at that time makes sense.
I like the used prius option.. efficient transportation with the higher $$$ gas prices.
But a Car may not be needed or wanted.. what is traffic like there?
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Can she just use lift or whoever?
Thanks all for your kind replies. Here are some details:
She is currently in Estoria (Queens, NY), she does not have a car (does not need a car in NYC), she won't drive across country (time constraints, starting in late Jan in Burbank). No preference on cars, mainly driving from apartment to work, because there is no affordable apartment near work in walking distance. We are hunting for apartment as well right now. It's apprenticeship job, pay is not great. But there might be future opportunities. She currently wanted to come back to NY, but who knows.
My current thinking:
1) lease a toyota corolla, currently toyota offers $199/month for 39 months, afrer 8 months in CA, we can bring the car back to NY and continue to use, in case she comes back, otherwise, she can just keep the car whereever she goes.
2) buy a used car, 10-12K range, and sell it after 8 months, but hassle with selling a car
3) ship one of my cars to CA. But my cars are older cars, and NYS inspection sticker will expire during the 8month period, I have not figured out what to do on that yet
She is currently in Estoria (Queens, NY), she does not have a car (does not need a car in NYC), she won't drive across country (time constraints, starting in late Jan in Burbank). No preference on cars, mainly driving from apartment to work, because there is no affordable apartment near work in walking distance. We are hunting for apartment as well right now. It's apprenticeship job, pay is not great. But there might be future opportunities. She currently wanted to come back to NY, but who knows.
My current thinking:
1) lease a toyota corolla, currently toyota offers $199/month for 39 months, afrer 8 months in CA, we can bring the car back to NY and continue to use, in case she comes back, otherwise, she can just keep the car whereever she goes.
2) buy a used car, 10-12K range, and sell it after 8 months, but hassle with selling a car
3) ship one of my cars to CA. But my cars are older cars, and NYS inspection sticker will expire during the 8month period, I have not figured out what to do on that yet
$8000 paid out and gone after the 8 months versus $8000 for a good used car that after 8 months you sell for $7500. Tough decision. Good luck with it all.
expensive on a daily basis...
Ca does not have safety inspections so that won't matter here.
Thanks Jeff. This is a good option I am exploring.
No-but it does have emissions.
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Assuming your older car is reliable, #3 is the most cost effective option and holds the lowest risk. Can you renew the NYS inspection early (i.e., in January 2025) before she leaves?
Personally, I would take a week long cross-country sightseeing road trip to CA and fly back as suggested by @JHZR2 in Post #3.
Yes. thanks. car is reliable. but it's an old car afterall, and we'll be taking a risk of unexpected repair. I can get it inspected in Jan, 2025 while in NYS (sticker due in July), so won't have to worry about stickers/inspections in CA.
Can you pick up a lightly used vehicle? Shipping via commercial (Insured see vinwiki stories) from NY to California shouldn't be more than $1400-1500 if the shipper is shipping multiple vehicles. I'd call some local car dealerships to see who they reccomend as they don't like new vehicles or cpo to be damaged in transit.
Cali are jerks about out of state plates spending too much time there.
Cali is a plate-stays-with-car state, FWIW. You buy a car, it has plates already, send in the paperwork for it to be truly yours. You're supposed to have a recent passing smog inspection when you transfer.
A NY inspection sticker is only needed in NY, really! Unless they invalidate your registration for it being incomplete like MA does.
You can use out of state plates for undergrad studies but an internship doesn't count.
I 3rd the idea of getting a gently used Toyota out there, using it, and dumping it at the end of the term. Or even driving it back to NY where it could be worth more.
You can sometimes "break" a lease before the contract is up at any dealer of its brand. The terms will be their terms, though. Leasing a brand honking new car at 199 a month will have you very upside-down at eight months. Better to buy and finance brand new at the newspaper special loss-leader price then sell to Carmax, probably.
Cali is a plate-stays-with-car state, FWIW. You buy a car, it has plates already, send in the paperwork for it to be truly yours. You're supposed to have a recent passing smog inspection when you transfer.
A NY inspection sticker is only needed in NY, really! Unless they invalidate your registration for it being incomplete like MA does.
You can use out of state plates for undergrad studies but an internship doesn't count.
I 3rd the idea of getting a gently used Toyota out there, using it, and dumping it at the end of the term. Or even driving it back to NY where it could be worth more.
You can sometimes "break" a lease before the contract is up at any dealer of its brand. The terms will be their terms, though. Leasing a brand honking new car at 199 a month will have you very upside-down at eight months. Better to buy and finance brand new at the newspaper special loss-leader price then sell to Carmax, probably.
