[21Archer84]

Originally Posted by VCheng

That would be when registering the car in Ohio, correct? If a private sale occurs, and the vehicle is taken out of State, what happens?

Right. The sales Tax payment happens when the new owner transfers the title to his name.
When you take a vehicle out of Ohio, local Tax laws are implemented, even if the sale happens with a dealer and not just from an Individual.

[VCheng]

Originally Posted by 21Archer84

Right. The sales Tax payment happens when the new owner transfers the title to his name.
When you take a vehicle out of Ohio, local Tax laws are implemented, even if the sale happens with a dealer and not just from an Individual.

Right. And there is a form that is provided by the dealer stating the amount of sales tax charged. When the vehicle is taken to the state of residence of the buyer, the DMV adjusts the amounts of sales tax owed accordingly, so that there is no double payment.

[aah78]

Originally Posted by VCheng

So no out of state car buying and driving back for residents of Taxachussetts or is there some other way?

You get the car shipped.

[rudra_bvrm]

Originally Posted by MercFan

Moved to CA in February this year and bought the Hyundai 2023 Santafe last month. Basically myself and my wife were in search of our first car here in Folsom. Took test drives at Honda, Toyota and Kia but most of them did not have the version or the trim levels we were looking for. These guys did not even give is an option to pre-book the trim level we wanted and asked to pickup from their stock options. Finally visited Folsom Lake Hyundai and were able to get the Santafe 2023 limited trim level, AWD (HTRAC) with the color my wife liked.

Hi,

I have moved recently to US and looking for a car and felt that Santa FE limited variant as VFM. Can you let me know the out of the door price for this and how you felt the car overall performance, what could have been better after 2 months of ownership?

Thanks,
Sudheer

[ContinentalGT03]

Dear Friends,

After years and years of following Team-BHP, I can wax lyrical about how this forum has helped me on all things cars, travel, and more! But first things first, and this is my first post here

I am looking for a new car purchase in Delaware, USA.

A bit of background:
My wife works in IT and recently moved to Delaware on a H1. Kids and I will join her in a month and our plan as of now is to live there for the next 5-6 years.

I am a retired IT guy and a full time father to my daughters, 7 and 4. Here, I work part-time on a few gigs whenever kids' schedule permits but that may have to take a back seat till I get my work permit over there.

Both wife and I drive (she used to drive a Renault Kwid AMT and I drive a Nissan Terrano) and she has already got her DL in the USA. I shall apply for one after landing there.

Wife will have to drive to office once a week (40 miles roundabout). Kids' school is within a mile and they will take the school bus. Then there would be the regular grocery drives and social calls (quite a few friends and relatives in a 60 mile radius).

So we are looking for a car in the $30-32K price range right now, which can help us get used to the driving scenario over there, after which we will go for a bigger family car (mostly a Toyota Sienna) if need presents itself strongly enough.

Our requirements:
No sedans (Kids feel claustrophobic in booster seats at the back)
AWD (Suggested by friends there as Delaware gets a bit of snow)
5 seats
Good fuel economy
Decent boot space (atleast 30 cu ft)

We've researched pre-worshipped cars both online (carsandbids, autotrader, cargurus, kbb) and with local dealers but dropped the idea as the used-car scenario is mind boggling price-wise.

Current Dilemma:
Mazda CX5 or CX50 (Wife has taken test drives of both and loves them - A clear pick of the heart).
Honda CRV (A very strong suggestion by relatives over there, citing resale and reliability reasons - A clear pick of the mind).

Looking for your pointers in clearing our dilemma or even better suggestions. Thanks in advance.

[mazda4life]

Originally Posted by ContinentalGT03

Dear Friends,

Our requirements:
Current Dilemma:
Mazda CX5 or CX50 (Wife has taken test drives of both and loves them - A clear pick of the heart).
Honda CRV (A very strong suggestion by relatives over there, citing resale and reliability reasons - A clear pick of the mind).

I am fan of Mazda cars , own and drive one here in the US and have absolutely no complaints about the CX-5. CX50 is also fabulous and would have been the first choice if it was available when I purchased in 2022.But, given the stats you have shared, you should consider a EV or a Hybrid ( Tesla, Toyota RAV4) as well.

[ashwin1224]

Hi guys, I am looking to buy a Subaru Outback in Atlanta. I recently moved to the US and this will be my first and primary car here. Ive finalized the Outback after much contemplation on majorly the following parameters:

• Space. Since its the primary car, it needs to be able to cart stuff around. We will also be setting up a new home, we're outdoorsy and hopefully welcome a dog in our life too so the extra space in the car will definitely be utilized.

• Reliability and build Quality. Subarus are known for this and IMO because of this they hold value better too. This would also mean less trips to the shop in the super expensive service industry here.

• Wagon. I simply love wagons! I would have gotten a Volvo V90 T6 had it been in my budget.

• AWD/Off-Road prowess. I love camping and would definitely love to take a car down dirt roads to secluded camp grounds and also run errands during the week. The outback seems to be the perfect mix of both.

Do let me know if I should consider anything else too. However, coming to the reason for this post. I have written the same on reddit so I'm simply gonna cross post it here:

I can do monthly payments $450 and 2-4k down payment is fine by me. A 2017 Outback costs around 22k with $425 EMI for 6 years. There are plenty examples for more or less but this is the general trend from what I can see. In 3 years I'll have paid $15.3k while the car would have depreciated by at least 20% to ~17.5k. At this point, should I choose to sell the car, I'll have around 10k loan still left however the average price for 10 year old Outbacks is around 12k, so that's a profit of around 2k bringing the total cost to own the car for 3 year at 13.5k (=Total EMI-Selling profit)

If I get a new outback Wilderness, it costs 41k. With 6k down, EMI comes to $411 for 3 years. The cost to buy it back is 28.9k according to Subaru, comparing it to the 2017 Outback with 20% depreciation, the actual price comes to 31.4k, which more or less what the price of a 3 year old top of the line Outback is at this point. So after 3 years, I can choose to sell the leased car for a 3k(ish) profit making my total cost to own to 12.7k(=total EMI-Selling profit+1k in misc leasing fees)

Ofcourse the above calculations are all hypothetical and the real world situation might vary a bit and this will affect the actual numbers slightly but largely I feel this should hold. At the same time, I'm absolutely terrible at both math and economics and this is my brain at it peak trying to figure out car ownership and survival in a foreign country. So help me out guys, do you think leasing makes more sense here??

[theMAG]

Originally Posted by ContinentalGT03

..

Looking for your pointers in clearing our dilemma or even better suggestions. Thanks in advance.

Since you did ask for alternate suggestions and you have 2 kids who will likely be in various after-school extracurricular programs (sports, music, martial arts etc) over the next few years, you might want to think out-of-the-Indian-box and consider one of the best family haulers out there - the Chrysler Pacifica. I have nothing but superlatives on its capability and build quality - the shuttle from the RAM dealership I leave my truck for scheduled maintenance at is a Chrysler Pacifica, and the ride experience is amongst the most luxurious. A buddy down the street and his wife couldn't be happier with their recently-leased Pacifica for their 4-member family.

The other alternate suggestion I would do is to avoid new cars - since they are pricey as you've noticed. While used cars are also pricey, to me, when researched right, they still can represent a better VFM proposition than new cars. Example - this Certified Pre Owned (CPO) Pacifica in the Delaware area I randomly searched now:

https://www.carfax.com/vehicle/2C4RC3BG3LR278265

I do not work for Stellantis. I have particular affinity for certain American manufacturers that still know how to build good automobiles.

[Foxbat]

For people who moved to the US from India whats the process for getting insurance for your first car? Do you have to get a US driving license first? I tried getting a quote online but all companies are saying they cannot generate a quote for me online. Not sure if this is because I recently changed my address or lack of a US driving license.

[amitoj]

I know it is too early but July next year my WRX STI's lease will be getting over. I do not intend to continue with the car as I would like to try some other FTD car before it goes extinct. I had almost set my sights on the 2023/24 Honda Civic Type R but going through its reviews, I discovered that it is a 4 seater only. That's a deal breaker for my family of 5. So, now I am back to dilly dallying/ daydreaming between VW Golf R, GTI (if VW still offers a manual transmission), Toyota GRC and what else? Maybe go down a step and look at Civic Si, Veloster/Elantra N? What else can I consider in the category of small to midsize hatchbacks/sedans with a manual transmission? Preferably below $50k.

Originally Posted by Foxbat

For people who moved to the US from India whats the process for getting insurance for your first car? Do you have to get a US driving license first?

Hope you've gotten your answer by now. Yes, I think you need to have a US driver's license to get an insurance.

[guyfrmblr]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

For people who moved to the US from India whats the process for getting insurance for your first car? Do you have to get a US driving license first? I tried getting a quote online but all companies are saying they cannot generate a quote for me online. Not sure if this is because I recently changed my address or lack of a US driving license.

Originally Posted by amitoj

Hope you've gotten your answer by now. Yes, I think you need to have a US driver's license to get an insurance.

US license is not required for getting an insurance. Looks like you are trying to get the quotes online where there will be a mandatory field to enter the US license number. But you must be able to get it through an insurance agent with your Indian driving license. Both the times when I moved to US in the past, I got the insurance with my Indian driving license and later updated the insurance company with my US license details once I got it. The only criteria is that your Indian driving license must be in English. I actually have the old, book type Indian license from Karnataka but I didn't face any problem with it anywhere as it has details both in English and Kannada.

[aah78]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

For people who moved to the US from India whats the process for getting insurance for your first car? Do you have to get a US driving license first? I tried getting a quote online but all companies are saying they cannot generate a quote for me online. Not sure if this is because I recently changed my address or lack of a US driving license.

Most major companies will quote you with an Indian license. Rates will be higher than if you get a quote with a US license. Call them, or walk into a local office / contact a broker. Address will only affect the rate you pay (e.g. your location -> NYC rate is higher than the suburbs).

Get a US license and your rates will still be high for a while (depending on US credit history, driver age(s), how many insured per household, etc.) but will eventually stabilize.
(You're probably aware but if you've moved here - there's a limit on how long you can use your Indian license to "legally" drive within the US.)

[amitoj]

Originally Posted by Foxbat

For people who moved to the US from India whats the process for getting insurance for your first car? Do you have to get a US driving license first? I tried getting a quote online but all companies are saying they cannot generate a quote for me online. Not sure if this is because I recently changed my address or lack of a US driving license.

Originally Posted by guyfrmblr

US license is not required for getting an insurance.

Thanks for correcting me. I did not know that.

Originally Posted by aah78

Get a US license and your rates will still be high for a while (depending on US credit history, driver age(s), how many insured per household, etc.) but will eventually stabilize.
(You're probably aware but if you've moved here - there's a limit on how long you can use your Indian license to "legally" drive within the US.)

Also, the rules vary from state to state. Some states explicitly say for how long you can drive on a non-US license, and some states do not mention this at all (like New Hampshire). So, check the DMV website of the state you are in.

But having said that, acquiring a US license is a pretty straightforward process, if you know the basic laws of driving here.

[Foxbat]

Originally Posted by aah78

Most major companies will quote you with an Indian license. Rates will be higher than if you get a quote with a US license. Call them, or walk into a local office / contact a broker. Address will only affect the rate you pay (e.g. your location -> NYC rate is higher than the suburbs).

Get a US license and your rates will still be high for a while (depending on US credit history, driver age(s), how many insured per household, etc.) but will eventually stabilize.
(You're probably aware but if you've moved here - there's a limit on how long you can use your Indian license to "legally" drive within the US.)

Thats interesting , insurance rates with an Indian License will be lower? I always thought it was the other way around. My friends say without US driving history it will be > $200 per month(for about a $50k car) and combined with my exorbitant parking charges here buying a car is a pricey affair.

[vj123]

Originally Posted by amitoj

I had almost set my sights on the 2023/24 Honda Civic Type R but going through its reviews, I discovered that it is a 4 seater only. That's a deal breaker for my family of 5. So, now I am back to dilly dallying/ daydreaming between VW Golf R, GTI (if VW still offers a manual transmission), Toyota GRC and what else? Maybe go down a step and look at Civic Si, Veloster/Elantra N? What else can I consider in the category of small to midsize hatchbacks/sedans with a manual transmission? Preferably below $50k.

3 car seats or adults in the rear of GTI/R can be challenging especially with the high transmission tunnel. I have not sat in the MK8s but i would assume interior space isnt drastically different from the MK7 (owned a couple of them in the past). Also there was an update last week that 2024 would be the last year for manual GTI/R in the US.