Hi Frugal! I am moving home to Oregon from Michigan next winter after attending grad school out of state. I have a decent amount of things to move with and am looking at how to make moving affordable. I am still doing my dissertation and get paid a very meager stipend so I can't spend thousands to rent a big moving truck.
I am currently driving a station wagon that has some mechanical issues and probably isnt safe to move across country. I am going to sell it before I leave and get something more reliable. I was considering the possibility of buying a truck with a large enough towing capacity that I could pull a trailer with my stuff loaded on it. I would then plan to sell if after I have been in Oregon for a bit and buy something smaller/more fuel efficient.
This may seem crazy because of the costs associated with buying and selling vehicles but it may work out for a few reasons.
1). Vehicles cost more in Portland than they do in Michigan. I can probably sell it for more than I paid. However, this benefit may go away when I buy a replacement car that is also more expensive than a similar car from Michigan.
2). No sales tax in Oregon. I can buy and register it as an Oregonian and save the sales tax that one would pay if they bought and registered in Michigan.
3). If I bought (and later sold) a truck and or trailer I could break even or make a small profit. Any money spent on renting moving equipment is obviously gone forever.
What are your thoughts Frugal??
Thanks!!!
May 18, 2018 at 09:44AM
