POV Question???

[luvshack409]

We recently received orders to Kadena and are trying to decide what to do with our two vehicles, neither of which are paid off. We were told that it is possible to take a newer model vehicle to Kadena, but it requires about $4000 in work to comply with Japanese law. Does anyone know exactly what this work is and if that is an accurate figure on the cost?

[Alana]

i dont know anyting about bringing cars, i was told it wasnt possible, and to be honest for 4K you could buy a used car here that will last you three years. shoot you may be able to find two cars for that price. we still owe on our Jeep that is in the states, we put it into government storage. they keep up on it, drive it around the lot once a month, its kept in doors. if there are any problems they will fix them. and its paid for by your government. our car payment is taken out in an allotment so we dont need to worry about that. and when we get back its paid off, and still will have low miles. this worked out great for us.

[socalheart]

tacorice has a great idea. look into that gov't storage deal. cars here in good condition run about $2-4k, unless you want an suv, luxury or sports car. you can search the ju and stars&stripes auto classifieds for an idea of prices.

[Asshat]

Do everything you can to sell them.

[DoctorP]

It is not worth it to store a vehicle...even at gov't expense.

[Asshat]

It is not worth it to store a vehicle...even at gov't expense.

Word up! Devaluation kills you on it. Sell, take a loss, owe the bank, whatever. In the long run it is the best solution.

Edit: And never, ever borrow money on a depreciation asset. ;)

[okisurf]

I agree, I sold my truck before coming here and I couldnt be happier.

Do I miss my 4 x 4? Yes, but as I look outside and see my $1200 Toyota Ed that lasted me 2 years so far with no problems (knock on wood) and on top of that I just JCI'd it again with no strikes against it. Cant complain.

[Asshat]

I agree, I sold my truck before coming here and I couldnt be happier.

Do I miss my 4 x 4? Yes, but as I look outside and see my $1200 Toyota Ed that lasted me 2 years so far with no problems (knock on wood) and on top of that I just JCI'd it again with no strikes against it. Cant complain.

Plus, if you are here under the rent-free plan (accompanied) you can save up a good amount for that replacement truck when you get back. :)

I miss my F-150 4X4. (sniff)

[okisurf]

Plus, if you are here under the rent-free plan (accompanied) you can save up a good amount for that replacement truck when you get back. :)

I miss my F-150 4X4. (sniff)

Plus I just extended here so thats another 2 years that it would have been sitting in storage waiting for my return. Had to find a good home for it, wouldnt have been fair. lol.

And your right Uminchu I now have another couple years to save up for my next one.

[Trail]

Sell the cars/trucks and be free of the worry.

[watzitoou]

My WRX back home is at my Grandma's house its not paid off, it will be paid off this year!! My other car is in Gov. storage that is paid off. While my other paid off cars are at my parents house.. Sorry I have 5 cars.

If you ever go home to visit, you have a car to drive vs renting a car! And most insurance company's you can put you car into storage rate which saves $$$!

[farmgirl]

If you choose to go the gov't storage route, I'm pretty sure they will only pay/store 1 vehicle.

We have 1 vehicle in private storage paid by the gov't and 1 vehicle in the in-laws extra garage. The gov't will only pay if the vehicle is in a business storage facility and not if a relative or friend stores it for you.

[luvshack409]

I know we are going to sell one vehicle.... just can't decide what to do with the truck that we love. It only has about two years left on payments, so we are considering putting it at the parents house and driving on trips home ect. Then when we return we'll have a vehicle that is paid off and still looks great. I've heard vehicles there are pretty much a dime a dozen so I'm not terrible worried on that front. Now I just have to find out more on the housing situation. Any suggestions???

[EmbOKJ]

I'm in the same boat - just bought a new car in Feb, notified that my promotion present from HQMC is orders to Oki. I'm in the process of selling the new car and taking the loss. In the end, it's better to take the loss then have it sit - by the time you get home, the warranty is all but gone, it hasn't been driven (much) and from past experience, will never run the same again.

[Asshat]

If you ever go home to visit, you have a car to drive vs renting a car! And most insurance company's you can put you car into storage rate which saves $$$!

Renting a car for 30 days of vacation is much cheaper than making car payments for a two or three year Okinawa visit- on a car one isn't driving.

The only exception is a collector car...like a Ferrari or a 1970 Hemi Cuda. Those cars appreciate.

One can easily set up a spreadsheet to show interest on a loan, payments and depreciation. Very telling.

[wenjam]

The first time, and this time we are at Kadena we did the Gov't vehicle storage. They are liable up to $20,000 in damage, and you can also de-register your vehicle in the state you are from, so you don't have to pay insurance the whole time it is in storage. All you have to do, is turn it in to the facility, take your tag with you to send back into your State where you reside, and make sure your Bank knows about it first. If you read in the book they give you on gov't POV storage, on one of the first pages it says you are not required to carry extra insurance...After you de-register your car from the state, you are not required to have insurance on it until you return to the States, and re-register it. You also will have low miles on an 'older' car, and that up's the value on it for trade in also.

[wenjam]

I know we are going to sell one vehicle.... just can't decide what to do with the truck that we love. It only has about two years left on payments, so we are considering putting it at the parents house and driving on trips home ect. Then when we return we'll have a vehicle that is paid off and still looks great. I've heard vehicles there are pretty much a dime a dozen so I'm not terrible worried on that front. Now I just have to find out more on the housing situation. Any suggestions???

Very expensive to ship a car here.....We ended up putting both vehicles up for sale, and keeping the one that did not sell first...if you only put one up for sale, you are taking that chance that noone will buy it, and you are stuck with two.

[Niner7]

The driving here can be crazy, I am glad I left my car in the states. Two weeks after i got her some one side swiped my car in a parking lot. the mx was more then the car was worth. If i had my stateside car here, i would have lost it. BTW check out the japanupdate classifieds, there are allways good deals, I have bought all of my cars off of that (since the first car i had was from a dealership, and i had to pay for it while looking for another car)

[proudtobnotpc]

Word up! Devaluation kills you on it. Sell, take a loss, owe the bank, whatever. In the long run it is the best solution.

Edit: And never, ever borrow money on a depreciation asset. ;)

yeah I agree with DocP and Umi on this one your better off just selling them

[luvshack409]

Thanks for all of the advice... it helps to know how everone else has dealt with this... thanks again!