I am a medical professional considering relocating to St. Croix. I have a Toyota Camry that I might want to bring along. Does anyone have an idea what that might cost? It would be shipped from the East coast of U.S. Are there any good mechanics that service Toyotas in the area? .



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/12/2012 07:55PM by wheaties.

I was looking into shipping my Mazda from New Jersey in October and it would have cost close to five thousand dollars. They used to ship from a port in Philly but now the cars have to be hauled to a port in Florida. That added about two thousand. And my car was financed so I would have needed to buy trip insurance for it. When you get here you will have to pay the import taxes and fees (extra for foreign cars). Since Hovensa is closing in June and so many people are leaving it will probably be a buyers market for used cars, depending on when you get here. Good luck!

Hello I am also moving to St. Thomas, we have two cars. We were told the same thing. SELL at home and buy there is cheaper. Plus we thought about buying a scooter too.... Vespa theres a dealer in San Juan

Thank you for your reply. Good point about the addt'l vehicles with the Hovensa closing.

On STX and there are a lot of cars for sale. Most people who I know that have shipped nice cars here regret it.

I'd just buy a beater once I'm here, but try and find one that's already inspected.

I have a car for sale on Stx! Good shape, passed inspection! When are you coming?

Quote
geekgrl1337
I was looking into shipping my Mazda from New Jersey in October and it would have cost close to five thousand dollars. They used to ship from a port in Philly but now the cars have to be hauled to a port in Florida. That added about two thousand.

I wonder when they started that.
I shipped from that port several years ago and they didn't do that. The price was reasonable and a good deal.
It's a shame they implemented that new policy.

I wonder when they started that.
I shipped from that port several years ago and they didn't do that. The price was reasonable and a good deal.
It's a shame they implemented that new policy.

It's pretty recent I think. My husband shipped his car in August 2010 and it went from Philly.

There is a Toyota dealer here, so you can get parts. There are plenty of them on the road, primarily Tacoma/Tundra pickups, Highlander, RAV4, 4Runner, and the rental agencies have a lot of Yaris and Corollas. Plenty of local mechanics to choose from. You very seldom see used Toyotas listed for sale, so I guess people keep them and pass them on to friends. We bought a 2004 Camry from a local rental agency which had acquired it from someone who brought it here, then left the island. We paid a fair price and got a really well-maintained car, so you might want to inquire of the locally owned rental agencies: Olympic, Centerline, Judi of Croix. They sell off cars with low mileage and good service records.

Although the Camry is a good one, I wouldn't recommend buying one or bringing one here. They have minimal ground clearance, and the speed bumps, potholes and oversized parking-space bumpers really play hell with the undercarriage, lower body panels etc. Also, because you are driving on the left, headlights of oncoming cars are aimed right at you, and even low beams present a problem. Think tall. We bought the Camry because we know the folks that sold it to us (Judi of Croix), and because the price/age worked for our situation — we didn't want a beater "island car" but we also didn't want a car we'd have to wash and wax all the time because of sun/salt damage. We're going to leave it sit outside for months at a time.

I think you will see a lot of cars sold off this year from Hovenza, but they might not be the best cars. A lot of the workers who are here on contract can have cars shipped to new locations at company expense, so they'll take the good ones and sell the others.

Rich, thanks for letting me know that there is a Toyota dealer around. That helps!

Yeah, Caribbean Auto Mart, which is a superstore dealer for many brands. You can get a lot of bad opinions on them here, but that's always the way — nobody ever tells you about the good experience, but everybody relates the bad.

true that!

Check with VI Cargo STX or EconoCaribe STT. They ship regularly.
More many having a specific vehicle, the cost to ship and import is not all that bad.
VI Cargo - 340-778-6331
EconoCaribe - 340-774-6099

We just shipped our car last week from Jacksonville and it cost us $2,500 total (we have a Honda so that included the extra tax for a foreign made car). We figured we couldn't buy anything for that price that is reliable and in good condition. I guess it just depends on your situation.

Thanks for those numbers Tropic. And, TX I agree. Can't find a car you can trust for 2G. My old Camry has lots of life left and I will prob bring it.
Just have to finalize the job.

Still have the car for sale? We're looking for Island car...under $5000.

I've done OK with my 2000 Camry on STX. It rides a bit low, and I regularly drive on some crappy roads, but I only bottom out a few times a year when I'm not paying attention, and in 7 years I've never done any real damage as a result.

Right, it all depends on where you drive, how you drive and what you carry. We had five on board for the first time, and bottomed on 3 speed bumps I normally have no problem with. Got to take it s-l-o-w and/or stop for the worst ones. Getting used to the lights at night, too.

Thanks guys. I got you on the slow going. The front wheel drive is not fond of potholes.