Car for Aliens

We are a German family coming to the USA for vacation each year.
Four times we bought a car for the time of our vacation and sold it at
the end.
Now I am thinking about buying a car and store it at the end of the
vacation and use it again the next time, but I am uncertain about some
things:
Can I register the car in my name with my German address?
If I have to use a US address, any idea what kind of address I could
use?
Do I have to pay a yearly registration tax, or is this a one time fee?
Is there a yearly technical inspection I have to pass (we have that in
Germany)?
Where can I store the car for the time I am not in the USA, I would
buy insurance only for the time of my vacation?
I know that these things differ from state to state, I would buy the
car in Nevada and leave in Illinois, so I probably register the car in
Illinois?
Any hints that would help me are welcome!

Thomas

Roughly 2/29/04 06:15, tom's monkeys randomly typed:

> We are a German family coming to the USA for vacation each year.
> Four times we bought a car for the time of our vacation and sold it at
> the end.

Isn't that a bit expensive, compared to just renting a car?

> Now I am thinking about buying a car and store it at the end of the
> vacation and use it again the next time, but I am uncertain about some
> things:
> Can I register the car in my name with my German address?

Maybe. Contact the dealer you'll be buying it from, or the state
where you plan to buy the car.

> If I have to use a US address, any idea what kind of address I could
> use?
> Do I have to pay a yearly registration tax, or is this a one time fee?

In most states you'll pay a sales tax on the car plus a tax for the
registration. If you stay more than a year, you'll pay the
registration every year.

> Is there a yearly technical inspection I have to pass (we have that in
> Germany)?

Some states have a yearly safety inspection. Some states have a
yearly emissions inspection.

> Where can I store the car for the time I am not in the USA, I would
> buy insurance only for the time of my vacation?


> I know that these things differ from state to state, I would buy the
> car in Nevada and leave in Illinois, so I probably register the car in
> Illinois?

It would be easier [and very likely cheaper] to buy the car in
Nevada.



--
Boys are stupid, throw rocks at them...

"L0nD0t.$t0we11" > wrote in message news:<PKv0c.86198$Xp.398727@attbi_s54>...
> Roughly 2/29/04 06:15, tom's monkeys randomly typed:
>
> > We are a German family coming to the USA for vacation each year.
> > Four times we bought a car for the time of our vacation and sold it at
> > the end.
>
> Isn't that a bit expensive, compared to just renting a car?
>
> > Now I am thinking about buying a car and store it at the end of the
> > vacation and use it again the next time, but I am uncertain about some
> > things:
> > Can I register the car in my name with my German address?
>
> Maybe. Contact the dealer you'll be buying it from, or the state
> where you plan to buy the car.
>
> > If I have to use a US address, any idea what kind of address I could
> > use?
> > Do I have to pay a yearly registration tax, or is this a one time fee?
>
> In most states you'll pay a sales tax on the car plus a tax for the
> registration. If you stay more than a year, you'll pay the
> registration every year.
>
> > Is there a yearly technical inspection I have to pass (we have that in
> > Germany)?
>
> Some states have a yearly safety inspection. Some states have a
> yearly emissions inspection.
>
> > Where can I store the car for the time I am not in the USA, I would
> > buy insurance only for the time of my vacation?
>
>
> > I know that these things differ from state to state, I would buy the
> > car in Nevada and leave in Illinois, so I probably register the car in
> > Illinois?
>
> It would be easier [and very likely cheaper] to buy the car in
> Nevada.


I guess all the details could be worked out for buying and storing.
Storing the vehicle is not a great idea. Insurance must still be kept
up to protect your investment. This is all going to be quite
expensive. The decision somewhat depends upon how long your vacations
are as leasing can be expensive also. If you have friends and contacts
here, maybe you could make some arrangement to borrow a car. You might
even work something where you help them buy the car in exchange for
your using it while here.
Keep exploring options. You will hit on something that works.

snip
----
> I guess all the details could be worked out for buying and storing.
> Storing the vehicle is not a great idea. Insurance must still be kept
> up to protect your investment. This is all going to be quite
> expensive.
Why do I need insurance when I put the car in a storage? If it's a
private parking lot, the car doesn't need to be insured, right?
I would only buy insurance for the time I'll be in the states.

> are as leasing can be expensive also. If you have friends and contacts
> here, maybe you could make some arrangement to borrow a car. You might
> even work something where you help them buy the car in exchange for
> your using it while here.
Unfortunaly we have no close friends how would do that for us.

Thomas

Ummm, let me see if I've got this right...you have enough money to come to
the States for vacation each year, and stay long enough that you would
consider *buying* a car rather than renting one, and putting the car in
storage until you return the next year. Assuming that you have a
considerably large disposable income, one would also have to asume that you
*are not* going to buy some cheap little Asian tin box with wheels, but
rather a more luxurious automobile priced somewhere between US$25k-70k. One
must further assume that if you aren't worried about carrying Comprehensive
insurance (which covers Fire and Theft), then you must be paying cash for
this vehicle and *not* taking a loan one it, which bolsters the supposition
that you have a hefty amount of money to throw around.

Most storage facilities that I know of require the renter to purchase their
own insurance for their property, which is considerably less expensive than
Comprehensive auto insurance since the vehicle isn't being driven around.
The cost of the storage facility would probably range somewhere between $100
to $500 per month. If you were in the States for say, 2-4 months, you would
require storage for 8-10 months at a cost of $800 on the low side to $5000
on the high side.

This represents a total investment of anywhere from around $26,000.000 to
$75,000.00 or more, and you are questioning the wisdom and cost of a couple
of hundred dollars, an insignificant fraction of your initial outlay, to
insure your vehicle while it is stored in a foreign country thousands of
miles from your home?

Are you for real?

Seems to me that a short-term lease or long-term rental of a luxury
automobile such as a Caddy, Lincoln, Jaguar, Mercedes or BMW would still be
much less expense and hassle, possibly even less then the expense of storing
such a vehicle for a large part of the year.


"tom" > wrote in message
m...
> snip
> ----
> > I guess all the details could be worked out for buying and storing.
> > Storing the vehicle is not a great idea. Insurance must still be kept
> > up to protect your investment. This is all going to be quite
> > expensive.
> Why do I need insurance when I put the car in a storage? If it's a
> private parking lot, the car doesn't need to be insured, right?
> I would only buy insurance for the time I'll be in the states.
>
> > are as leasing can be expensive also. If you have friends and contacts
> > here, maybe you could make some arrangement to borrow a car. You might
> > even work something where you help them buy the car in exchange for
> > your using it while here.
> Unfortunaly we have no close friends how would do that for us.
>
> Thomas

"Arthur Dent" > wrote in message >.. .
> Ummm, let me see if I've got this right...you have enough money to come to
> the States for vacation each year, and stay long enough that you would
> consider *buying* a car rather than renting one, and putting the car in
> storage until you return the next year. Assuming that you have a
> considerably large disposable income, one would also have to asume that you
> *are not* going to buy some cheap little Asian tin box with wheels, but
> rather a more luxurious automobile priced somewhere between US$25k-70k.
No no, I used to buy cars for $800 to $1200 and they where big
american old cars.


> Most storage facilities that I know of require the renter to purchase their
> own insurance for their property, which is considerably less expensive than
> Comprehensive auto insurance since the vehicle isn't being driven around.
> The cost of the storage facility would probably range somewhere between $100
> to $500 per month. If you were in the States for say, 2-4 months, you would
> require storage for 8-10 months at a cost of $800 on the low side to $5000
> on the high side.

This is very good information, because spending $1000 on storage would
ruin my plan. It's cheaper to buy a car each year of my vacation.

> Are you for real?
Yes, in fact I know the USA better then most americans, and I usualy
save thousands on my vacation, because I know my way around...

BTW Here a small calculation Buying vs. Renting:
4 Weeks of vacation

Renting:
$400 a week for a midsize
$400 for a one way rental (assuming Las Vegas to Chicago)
$2000 rental cost

Buying:
$1200 for a old car
$250 for insurance
$200 for repairs
-$500 for selling the car after vacation
$1150 buying cost

So you see, I save alot of money and I drive a real car (not that
modern crap)

Thomas

Ah, I see. Travel on a budget. Still, it seems to me that the hassle of
buying an old car with potential problems, possible repairs, and then
selling it later is considerable. Unless you enjoy the sense of adventure
associated with it, and the possibility of being stranded somewhere with a
car that no longer runs?

Have you tried Rent-A-Wreck? They might be more suitable for your budget...

http://www.rentawreck.com/index.htm

Or, a quick search on www.travelocity.com picking up in Las Vegas, NV and
dropping off in Portland, OR (just a representative example) for a one month
period gives prices of $1176.00 from Hertz and $1184.00 from National for a
Ford Taurus. A Lincoln Town Car from National would cost you $1584.00.
Similar costs, less hassle.

Much easier than buying, fixing and selling, eh? And considering the added
cost of registration, sales tax (if applicable) and insurance, for about the
same money you could ride in style and comfort in a Lincoln Town Car.

Good deal, eh?

(tom) wrote in message . com>...
> "Arthur Dent" > wrote in message >.. .
> > Ummm, let me see if I've got this right...you have enough money to come to
> > the States for vacation each year, and stay long enough that you would
> > consider *buying* a car rather than renting one, and putting the car in
> > storage until you return the next year. Assuming that you have a
> > considerably large disposable income, one would also have to asume that you
> > *are not* going to buy some cheap little Asian tin box with wheels, but
> > rather a more luxurious automobile priced somewhere between US$25k-70k.
> No no, I used to buy cars for $800 to $1200 and they where big
> american old cars.
>
>
> > Most storage facilities that I know of require the renter to purchase their
> > own insurance for their property, which is considerably less expensive than
> > Comprehensive auto insurance since the vehicle isn't being driven around.
> > The cost of the storage facility would probably range somewhere between $100
> > to $500 per month. If you were in the States for say, 2-4 months, you would
> > require storage for 8-10 months at a cost of $800 on the low side to $5000
> > on the high side.
>
> This is very good information, because spending $1000 on storage would
> ruin my plan. It's cheaper to buy a car each year of my vacation.
>
> > Are you for real?
> Yes, in fact I know the USA better then most americans, and I usualy
> save thousands on my vacation, because I know my way around...
>
> BTW Here a small calculation Buying vs. Renting:
> 4 Weeks of vacation
>
> Renting:
> $400 a week for a midsize
> $400 for a one way rental (assuming Las Vegas to Chicago)
> $2000 rental cost
>
> Buying:
> $1200 for a old car
> $250 for insurance
> $200 for repairs
> -$500 for selling the car after vacation
> $1150 buying cost
>
> So you see, I save alot of money and I drive a real car (not that
> modern crap)
>
> Thomas


I think he's "playing us". He knows so dam much about America. Why is
he asking all these questions?

> Have you tried Rent-A-Wreck? They might be more suitable for your budget...
Yes, I've tried them a couple of years in Florida, but the cars sucked
and where expensive too.

> Or, a quick search on www.travelocity.com picking up in Las Vegas, NV and
> dropping off in Portland, OR (just a representative example) for a one month
> period gives prices of $1176.00 from Hertz and $1184.00 from National for a
> Ford Taurus. A Lincoln Town Car from National would cost you $1584.00.
> Similar costs, less hassle.
Well, with renting cost alone you might be right, but you have to add
tax and fees, and for me as a German citizen, I cannot use my car
insurance for a rental car. So the figure I stated before, where
right!


> Much easier than buying, fixing and selling, eh? And considering the added
> cost of registration, sales tax (if applicable) and insurance, for about the
> same money you could ride in style and comfort in a Lincoln Town Car.
Actualy I rode in style before, Lincoln Continental, Chevy Caprise,...

Thomas

>
> I think he's "playing us". He knows so dam much about America. Why is
> he asking all these questions?

No no, I know very much about the states, but the question I asked are
things I don't know.
So why don't you start answering my questions, I really appriciate it.

Thomas