I am moving to AZ from SC and I need some advice. I have a 2002 Honda Civic LX with 102,400 miles on it – Paid off.
I’m trying to decide whether to ship my car, or just sell it and buy another car in AZ.
It will cost $1k-$1.3k to get it shipped.
I figure I can sell my car to carmax for $3500.
What do you think?
Depends on how much time you have. You will always sell it for more privately, but it will take longer. You can list it on craigslist, autotrader.com and cars.com and sell it locally. If you are shipping your home furnishings, some moving companies will also take your car. Personally, I’d sell it rather than ship it. The shipping cost is 1/3 of the value of your car.
I agree with twotone. Let’s get a fresh start…sell and buy a new Civic LX there. Help their local economy instead of the one you’ve left.
Why sell…Problems?
Only has 102k miles on it…If it’s running good…ship it and keep driving it.
Years of life left in your Civic, I’d drive it, if it were me…easy drive, see some sights along the way.
I think that you should drive it, too. Take a week and enjoy the scenery. It should even cost less than $1200, including hotels, meals, and gas.
Yes, drive it and take your time. A Civic with that low mileage will last another 10 years in Arizona, with no corrosion to worry about.
If you know the maintenance history of your Civic has been good, it currently has few to no problems, and will pass any inspection you may be subject to, you should consider keeping your car. Buying a new car can be stressful and troublesome, and you may end up with a real piece of work in the form of a neglected, abused, or poorly maintained vehicle. If you are tired of driving the car and want something different, the car has a lot of mechanical problems, or you have not maintained the car properly, then it may be better to sell it and move on to the next one in AZ. If you like the car and it has been well maintained and reliable for you, you could slash the shipping costs by taking your time to drive the car across the country. You will get to see the country and will probably enjoy yourself. Personally, I love traveling by car, enjoying the road, and seeing the sights.
As far as selling your car to a used car lot, this is an okay way to dispose of an unwanted car if you are not concerned about how much you get for it or are in a bind and need money fast. I don’t know that you would get $3500 from Carmax for your car, but you will get something since you do have a car that is desirable on the used car market. With a little work and patience, you could probably get about twice what Carmax will give you for your car by selling it privately.
If you drive it, that would be best. If it is a second car, fly back and get it.
Your strategy should depend on where you are going to live in Arizona. if you are going to live 'way out in the tules, bid your Civic a fond adieu and get something with a tougher suspension there. If you are headed for an urban area, drive the Civic. At this time of the year, you can swing south through Georgia, then head due west to Arizona and miss most of the really bad weather. Its a longish but not bad drive.
In 1965, I drove a 12 year old car with a rebuilt transmission and motor over 2000 miles in 50 hours, to Ft. Lewis, Washington. It is scary going so far, especially in winter. That trip broke me of any phobia about long, cross country trips.
Unless there is some health reason you can’t drive that car to AZ, you would probably be surprised how easy that trip is.