Thursday, March 26, 2009

What to do with a car when leaving Puerto Rico?


The simplest answer would be to sell it, wouldn't it?


But what if it is the beginning of spring, when both the surfers and the snowbirds leave the island, many of them also planning to sell their cars?


What if it is the middle (I am being optimistic here) of a worldwide economic crisis, a severe credit crunch, AND the biggest glut of cars - new cars, used cars - imaginable?


What if I have been duped into overimproving the car mechanically (practically new everything, high performance, heat resistance etc., low mileage), so it drives like a brand new car, while the outside shows signs of the car being driven in Puerto Rico: a few scratches, a small dent, where someone must have bumped into me on a parking lot... and fled ?


How many thousands of dollars am I likely to lose if I sell this car in Puerto Rico?


And how many if I do not sell it?

What can I do with this car other than sell it?


I do not need it in the US, because I do have another car there. A tad older, true, and with more than twice the mileage, but always driven on US highways, performing well, all services performed on time and without a hint of a problem. I plan to keep my US car - in the US.


But what if I decide to move back to Europe at least for part of the year?


Due to the peculiarities of my country's pension legislation, when I live inside European Union, my European pension income more than doubles. Something to take into account when I am getting older and might soon not want - or be able to - work at all, right?


Since I have owned my PR car for over a year, I am entitled to import it to Europe duty free - so shipping (around $2000) would be my only expense plus adjusting the car to European regulations: asymetric instead of symetric beams, etc.


Of course, I would have to factor in the higher cost of living in Europe and the nonfinancial aspects: both positive, like living in a multicultural, multilingual surroundings, with a plethora of high culture at my fingertips, both old and new; easier access to less processed food, hormone free, antibiotics free... but also an emotional cost of being across the ocean from my only daughter, my practically only remaining close relative...


But if I spent winters in Florida and summers in Sweden, or France (I would prefer Italy, since I know it much better than France, and love it, but in Italy I would be taxed to death, due to the peculiarity of Swedish-Italian tax treaty), it might work, beautifully even... for a while, at least, since the question is: how many more years will I be able to effortlessly hop on a plane and fly over Atlantic twice a year... with cats? And how expensive might it become?


I do not really have time right now, in the moving rush, to factor all these aspects into a meaningful equation, so I guess I'll just have to leave the car here somewhere for a few months or so, until I make the decision what would be the least expensive way to get rid of a car in Puerto Rico. Sigh...

4 comments:

zooms said...

Phew... I'm exhausted just reading about all those possibilities. Think you are right, leave it with someone who will love your car and mind it for you until you decide. Are you going to Guatemala?

Minerva said...

:-) I'd love to, for a while, but my daughter, hearing about it, exclaimed: "Mom, are you really, really, REALLY insane?" So we shall see...

zooms said...

Ha ha, about ten years ago my daughter had a similar reaction to my desire to go on a Saharan adventure, so she booked me a nice little relaxing holiday in Grenada instead.........

Minerva said...

Lol, I wonder if she blaimes herself that you stayed there :-)))