Buying a Car Overseas? Here’s a Few Tips.
It was a bright and sun shiny morning when I got the call. “Hey, honey. We need to talk when I get home.” My heart sank into my stomach as I hung up the phone. I knew what that call meant… orders.
Don’t get me wrong. I was not, by any means, in love with our current duty station. But I also wasn’t head over heels for a PCS in the middle of a global pandemic. The news was much worse than I had imagined. It wasn’t simply the impending doom of a last-minute move, or the possibility of another deployment. Nope.
Over coffee, I sat and cried into my hands. After nearly a year apart last year, my husband was being sent to Korea this year…alone. Now, he will be missing two consecutive holiday seasons, all of the kids’ birthdays, my birthday, and our 15-year wedding anniversary. Boo.
So, we began the process of moving money around and making all of the decisions. A million questions whizzed through my mind. Would the family stay put or move to the follow on? Would he ship a car to his new duty station or buy one over there? How much is this PCS going to cost? Where do we start?
I really began writing this article as a result of our own frustration with finding answers.
So, here are a few things to think about:
Option One: Shipping a car is possible, but you might have substantial wait times on both sides. We had the option to ship one of our vehicles ahead. We would have to coordinate travel to a “port” site and drop the vehicle off several weeks to a month ahead. The shipping may also take several weeks to a month in order for the vehicle to arrive. So, your service member may be stuck on the other side without access to a vehicle.
Option Two: You can by a car from a dealership, just like you can here. I have heard numerous horror stories about buying a car from the used lots right outside of the gates. But I have also heard of several people who purchased their dream car overseas. If you have the disposable income, go for it and snag a brand-new car. At some installations, you can even purchase a new car through AAFES.
Option Three: Check the Lemon Lot or the local Swap Shop pages on Facebook. We opted for this one. My husband’s sponsor shared that there were a ton of affordable cars that were available. Most people buy a cheap used car, drive it while they are stationed overseas, and then sell them when they leave. We budgeted a modest amount (around $1,000 bucks) and planned to purchase something that would get him from point “a” to point “b.” We figured we would skip the shipping hassle and bypass the expense of a new car.
Any one of these options could work for you. Everything really depends on how much money you want to spend or how long you would be willing to wait for transportation. I know, for us, that my husband would want to get there and get settled in quickly. He wouldn’t want to be stuck, or dependent on anyone else to get where he wanted to go. So, we are going grab a budget friendly option and recoup the cost when he comes home. Easy peasy (hopefully).
When looking at these three options, maybe sit down with your spouse and weigh the options. Which one fits best? Is there one option that is more affordable or economical? Or, if money is not an issue, maybe it is time to grab that Mercedes or Honda you’ve always wanted.