San Diego or Hartford, Conn

I live in San Diego. My daughter will be graduating college in June and I plan on buying her her first car, probably a 2008 or 2009 Honda CRV. However, she will be going to Hartford, Connecticut in September for a job. Hartford has much different weather than San Diego. Would it be better for me to wait and buy the car in Hartford rather than buying it in San Diego?

You can compare prices but I would favor a San Diego Car for 4 or 5 years less of temperature extremes and road salt.

Is the fact that someone has to drive it cross-country a consideration?

Its the same vehicle with the same maintenance requirements for both climates, but a San Diego vehicle will have seen less road salt. A 2008 or 2009 will be due for a coolant system service anyway, don’t flush, just drain and replace.

I’d get it in SD to avoid any rust issues.

How are you going to transport the car to Hartford?
Used cars are cheaper in CT, mostly due to rust. If you buy in CA and sell in CT, you loose money. Also, might want to consider the AWD version for Hartford, not necessary with good tires, but preferred.

There are a few things to consider. What is the cost of identical CR-Vs in SD and CT? If it is cheaper in one place, that might be the place to buy it. How long do you have to find the SUV if you buy it in CT? If she needs it as soon as she arrives, you don’t have much time to make a decision, and SD might make more sense. Can you get temporary tags in SD, drive to CT, and only pay taxes and registration fees in CT? This could amount to more than a thousand dollars, and could negate any savings you might have in an SD purchase. HOw will she move herself and her belongings to CT without the SUV? If your daughter has enough stuff to fill the CR-V, then it might make sense to buy it in SD.

I lived in Hartford and I go there once every year or two. The highways around there are full of hills and curves. That is why sand and salt are really needed. The sand is red and may be corrosive too. I don’t know that for certain but I prefer the lighter colored sand.

Prices are kind of high even in Hartford so you should buy an unrusted car in San Diego where there is no rust problem. Harsh weather causes all kinds of problems. Have the car waxed before it leaves Ca just to give it a good start. Do anything you can to prevent your daughter from going to Hartford. The work traffic there is BAD and the snow has been REALLY BAD these last few years.

Howard Stern seems a little crazy; he was perfectly normal before he went to Hartford. I left before gun sales took off there. I want to retire halfway between Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo. You can get to either location in about an hour from Lompoc. I really, really want to drive 3,000 miles to Santa Barbara and get a piece of carrot cake and a cup of coffee at Nordstrom’s and sit on the balcony where I can see the red tile roofs and palm trees.

If a bus full of people leaves from Balboa Ave on its way to Hartford and one leaves Hartford to go to San Diego, where will they meet? If they’re lucky, somewhere near Poway.

I would think it would be cheaper to buy in Connecticut. I live in Connecticut and what rust are we talking about? I have driven all my cars in the winter and I couldn’t tell you the last time I saw rust. The exhaust systems on the newer cars don’t even rust now.

I would think it would be a lot more practical to buy a used car where you are rather than long distance. So there you go, pick the response you like.

bargainnews used to be the local ad paper for used cars in CT. Might want to google and see if it is still around. Might give you an idea of local prices.