London To California - Car / Home Advice?
Discussion
Hi all.
I'll be working around LA area for a couple of years later this month.
I've just had to let go of my Aston N400 Vantage Roadster, so will be looking for something similar. From what I can see on websites, Astons are fairly expensive in US!
Any suggestions as an alternative which is more realistically priced in US?
Is there an Autotrader equivalent that could help with my search?
Also if anyone is based in California and has any ideas of where to live, that would be great. I have an allowance of $3,000 per month for rent. What can I expect for that? No kids so only 2 bedrooms needed!
Any comments appreciated.
Paul
I'll be working around LA area for a couple of years later this month.
I've just had to let go of my Aston N400 Vantage Roadster, so will be looking for something similar. From what I can see on websites, Astons are fairly expensive in US!
Any suggestions as an alternative which is more realistically priced in US?
Is there an Autotrader equivalent that could help with my search?
Also if anyone is based in California and has any ideas of where to live, that would be great. I have an allowance of $3,000 per month for rent. What can I expect for that? No kids so only 2 bedrooms needed!
Any comments appreciated.
Paul
Hi Paul,
I live in North Orange County which is about 40mins away from LA depending on traffic. I can recommend you a realtor who works in the LA - North Orange County area. He'll be your best bet for finding something acceptable to your standards and within $3000. It sounds like a lot but $3000 isn't really that much to get a half decent place with secure 2 car garage and good amenities. He has access to listings and homes that just don't turn up on the internet or other websites.
Plus he sells and services Porsches! So he has quite a good network of exotic car dealers at his fingertips.
Pm if you want his details.
Other than that welcome to the land of opportunity, I've been here 2.5 years and have no intentions of leaving.
I live in North Orange County which is about 40mins away from LA depending on traffic. I can recommend you a realtor who works in the LA - North Orange County area. He'll be your best bet for finding something acceptable to your standards and within $3000. It sounds like a lot but $3000 isn't really that much to get a half decent place with secure 2 car garage and good amenities. He has access to listings and homes that just don't turn up on the internet or other websites.
Plus he sells and services Porsches! So he has quite a good network of exotic car dealers at his fingertips.
Pm if you want his details.
Other than that welcome to the land of opportunity, I've been here 2.5 years and have no intentions of leaving.
Go to autotrader.com and use a zip code of 90210. If you are willing to compromise on the marque of car then you can probably find something pretty interesting for the money you sold the Aston for. But then again, it could also be a time to buy a Mustang GT500 and live the muscle car dream.
I would ask people working at the employer you are working for in the US where many people live. Pay particular attention to crime statistics etc and schools if you have kids. Google realtors in the area you are considering to see what you will get for your money.
3K should rent a pretty decent property. But remember, LA is a big place. Think of the analogy of London, you'd not rent in Acton if the job was in Edmonton. That is unless you love your car, because in LA they have world class traffic congestion.
I would ask people working at the employer you are working for in the US where many people live. Pay particular attention to crime statistics etc and schools if you have kids. Google realtors in the area you are considering to see what you will get for your money.
3K should rent a pretty decent property. But remember, LA is a big place. Think of the analogy of London, you'd not rent in Acton if the job was in Edmonton. That is unless you love your car, because in LA they have world class traffic congestion.
Thanks guys.
I've been with Porsche previously, and while fabulous driving tools, I'd prefer a little more 'soul'.
A Mustang GT500 would be interesting, however not sure I could deal with interior on a daily basis [small world - there's a Mustang Dealer 5 mins from my house in Surrey!]
Any views on Corvette or ST10?
I've asked employees for ideas on where to live - each has a different view. For anyone with a knowledge of London, I'm looking for something similar to Wimbledon Village in California. An hour or so commute is fine by me. Does such a place exist?
Paul
I've been with Porsche previously, and while fabulous driving tools, I'd prefer a little more 'soul'.
A Mustang GT500 would be interesting, however not sure I could deal with interior on a daily basis [small world - there's a Mustang Dealer 5 mins from my house in Surrey!]
Any views on Corvette or ST10?
I've asked employees for ideas on where to live - each has a different view. For anyone with a knowledge of London, I'm looking for something similar to Wimbledon Village in California. An hour or so commute is fine by me. Does such a place exist?
Paul
PK1990 said:
Thanks guys.
I've been with Porsche previously, and while fabulous driving tools, I'd prefer a little more 'soul'.
A Mustang GT500 would be interesting, however not sure I could deal with interior on a daily basis [small world - there's a Mustang Dealer 5 mins from my house in Surrey!]
Any views on Corvette or ST10?
I've asked employees for ideas on where to live - each has a different view. For anyone with a knowledge of London, I'm looking for something similar to Wimbledon Village in California. An hour or so commute is fine by me. Does such a place exist?
Paul
ST10????? What's that?I've been with Porsche previously, and while fabulous driving tools, I'd prefer a little more 'soul'.
A Mustang GT500 would be interesting, however not sure I could deal with interior on a daily basis [small world - there's a Mustang Dealer 5 mins from my house in Surrey!]
Any views on Corvette or ST10?
I've asked employees for ideas on where to live - each has a different view. For anyone with a knowledge of London, I'm looking for something similar to Wimbledon Village in California. An hour or so commute is fine by me. Does such a place exist?
Paul
I'd seriously consider the Corvette, now that you mention it.
Sorry - I meant SR10 [Viper!].
I also should have mentioned that if I were to go for another Aston, it would be 09 Model Year [engine upgraded to 4.7l]. These are all way north of $100k.
E63 AMG would be interesting, however there's already one of these in car park at where I'll be working, so couldn't do that!
I also should have mentioned that if I were to go for another Aston, it would be 09 Model Year [engine upgraded to 4.7l]. These are all way north of $100k.
E63 AMG would be interesting, however there's already one of these in car park at where I'll be working, so couldn't do that!
PK1990 said:
Sorry - I meant SR10 Viper!.
SR 10 is a pick up, hence lack of response and possible confusion
SRT 10 is the Viper
PK1990 said:
E63 AMG would be interesting, however there's already one of these in car park at where I'll be working, so couldn't do that!
I need job at your place, I push a real straight broom
GTR, although the two small back seats look they were copied from Jaguar.
Have a feeling you may be coughing up the one and a half for an Aston.
PS. You could need to add to that 3K rent.
PK1990 said:
Hi all.
Are there any recommended Insurance Brokers in US?
In UK I used AON for 6 years who were always fantastic and prepared to match any genuine quote while maintaining top quality cover.
Any equivalents here? Thanks in advance for anything.
Paul
I would shop the quote between Allstate, Geico, Progressive and State Farm.Are there any recommended Insurance Brokers in US?
In UK I used AON for 6 years who were always fantastic and prepared to match any genuine quote while maintaining top quality cover.
Any equivalents here? Thanks in advance for anything.
Paul
Be warned, insurance is rather expensive in the USA, and it gets worse the more powerful the car and the less credit rating you have. As you will have no rating that will load it up a fair amount.
They do not have an insurance groupings system and many cars that are classed as exotic won't be covered so check before you buy.
I saw from the Corvette forum that you at the buying stage.
An insurance company will not give you a firm quote without the Vin #. ('cos of varying options and models)
It is possible to do it all in one go. IE the dealer can get the insurance for you.
Really not advisable, you will pay lots!
Best approach is to get a ballpark quote that you are happy with, get the name and telephone of the person. When you have selected the car you want give the sales person your insurance contact. They will do the rest, your cover will be faxed to the dealership. You will drive off in your new car.
Easy on the Go pedal for the first 15 minutes
An insurance company will not give you a firm quote without the Vin #. ('cos of varying options and models)
It is possible to do it all in one go. IE the dealer can get the insurance for you.
Really not advisable, you will pay lots!
Best approach is to get a ballpark quote that you are happy with, get the name and telephone of the person. When you have selected the car you want give the sales person your insurance contact. They will do the rest, your cover will be faxed to the dealership. You will drive off in your new car.
Easy on the Go pedal for the first 15 minutes
Thanks for tips Jeff.
Not quite at buying stage yet [been on crutches for 4 weeks so haven't driven anything yet!]
I currently pay 1500 sterling [doesn't seem to be a 'pounds' key on this keyboard!] for an 09 Aston N400 Roadster and an 05 M3 Cab. Lets hope its not too different for a Vette and, say, a C63 AMG
I may PM you to understand detail further if that's ok?
A further point on which I'd appreciate thoughts from anyone on:talking to people here, most cars seem to be leased. I've never done this before - just generally purchased outright. Any thoughts on pros and cons of each? Thanks.
Paul
Not quite at buying stage yet [been on crutches for 4 weeks so haven't driven anything yet!]
I currently pay 1500 sterling [doesn't seem to be a 'pounds' key on this keyboard!] for an 09 Aston N400 Roadster and an 05 M3 Cab. Lets hope its not too different for a Vette and, say, a C63 AMG
I may PM you to understand detail further if that's ok?
A further point on which I'd appreciate thoughts from anyone on:talking to people here, most cars seem to be leased. I've never done this before - just generally purchased outright. Any thoughts on pros and cons of each? Thanks.
Paul
PK1990 said:
Thanks for tips Jeff.
Not quite at buying stage yet [been on crutches for 4 weeks so haven't driven anything yet!]
I currently pay 1500 sterling [doesn't seem to be a 'pounds' key on this keyboard!] for an 09 Aston N400 Roadster and an 05 M3 Cab. Lets hope its not too different for a Vette and, say, a C63 AMG
I may PM you to understand detail further if that's ok?
A further point on which I'd appreciate thoughts from anyone on:talking to people here, most cars seem to be leased. I've never done this before - just generally purchased outright. Any thoughts on pros and cons of each? Thanks.
Paul
The way I do it. I phone my insurance company and tell them I'm going to buy a car, not sure what or where from! they say ok, call us from the dealer. Not quite at buying stage yet [been on crutches for 4 weeks so haven't driven anything yet!]
I currently pay 1500 sterling [doesn't seem to be a 'pounds' key on this keyboard!] for an 09 Aston N400 Roadster and an 05 M3 Cab. Lets hope its not too different for a Vette and, say, a C63 AMG
I may PM you to understand detail further if that's ok?
A further point on which I'd appreciate thoughts from anyone on:talking to people here, most cars seem to be leased. I've never done this before - just generally purchased outright. Any thoughts on pros and cons of each? Thanks.
Paul
It's really that easy.
I pay $850 pa for an 07 Vette, my neighbour pays $1,250 pa for his 07. Both on multi car policies with a house but no business or commute use.
Commuting loads a policy, as does living in a trailer park with bad credit
How a US lease works.
Example;
A new car costs 40K, after three years they estimate the value will be $26K.
So for a three year lease you pay $14K plus interest, plus sales tax in 36 equal payments.
After three years you can buy the car if you wish for 26K or they put it up for around 28.5K in their used lot.
You basically buy the depreciation.
Advantage of a lease is that it is fully tax deductable for business owners. Whereas if I bought it, only the interest would be deductable and I would need to straight line depreciate the prin over 5 or 7 years.
I didn't lease my Corvette but have leased before.
If you are here for two years a lease might suit you even if you can't deduct it as an expense.
Some dealers even lease used models. So you could probably pick up a 09 or 10 with about 8,000 miles full warranty and just hand it back, no hassle trying to sell it when you leave.
PM or e-mail is fine.
Jeff
Edited by jeff m on Tuesday 15th March 04:34
As people have said, insurance is expensive and is based a lot on your credit report, which means it'll be worse for you since you won't have a US credit history. They also don't really have no claims bonuses over here.
Do not live in Orange County unless you work in south LA and you like living among really really rightwing fundamentalist Christians. LA traffic is horrible and the city is huge, so I'd suggest living at least somewhere near where you'll be working. There are some great driving roads around there, and also further south in San Diego and Riverside counties. Most definitely make plans to take whatever you buy up and down the roads on Palomar Mountain. It was huge fun in my MX-5 when I lived in SD a few years ago, and was back in town last week and rented a Corvette, which was even better. The interior leaves quite a lot to be desired, certainly not a patch on a 911, but the noise on overrun made me giggle like a schoolgirl.
http://www.lateralg.org/roads/sandiego/1.htm
http://www.northcountycruisers.com/palomartrip.htm...
The 74 to Palm Springs across the San Bernadino state park is another fantastic drive.
Oh, another warning. Since CA is so completely f
ked budget-wise, traffic violations are now horribly expensive - about $500 a ticket, so watch out for the fuzz.
Do not live in Orange County unless you work in south LA and you like living among really really rightwing fundamentalist Christians. LA traffic is horrible and the city is huge, so I'd suggest living at least somewhere near where you'll be working. There are some great driving roads around there, and also further south in San Diego and Riverside counties. Most definitely make plans to take whatever you buy up and down the roads on Palomar Mountain. It was huge fun in my MX-5 when I lived in SD a few years ago, and was back in town last week and rented a Corvette, which was even better. The interior leaves quite a lot to be desired, certainly not a patch on a 911, but the noise on overrun made me giggle like a schoolgirl.
http://www.lateralg.org/roads/sandiego/1.htm
http://www.northcountycruisers.com/palomartrip.htm...
The 74 to Palm Springs across the San Bernadino state park is another fantastic drive.
Oh, another warning. Since CA is so completely f
ked budget-wise, traffic violations are now horribly expensive - about $500 a ticket, so watch out for the fuzz.jeff m said:
How a US lease works.
Example;
A new car costs 40K, after three years they estimate the value will be $26K.
So for a three year lease you pay $14K plus interest, plus sales tax in 36 equal payments.
After three years you can buy the car if you wish for 26K or they put it up for around 28.5K in their used lot.
You basically buy the depreciation.
Advantage of a lease is that it is fully tax deductable for business owners. Whereas if I bought it, only the interest would be deductable and I would need to straight line depreciate the prin over 5 or 7 years.
From my experience having worked in sales for a BMW Dealership, we would have a 07 335i come up for it's lease and we could sell the car to the back to the owner for say $30k but we would buy that car for $26K, and if the owner decided not to buy the car it would go on the forecourt for around $35k with an internet price of $33k, but if you hadn't seen that internet price the negotiating would start at the $35k.Example;
A new car costs 40K, after three years they estimate the value will be $26K.
So for a three year lease you pay $14K plus interest, plus sales tax in 36 equal payments.
After three years you can buy the car if you wish for 26K or they put it up for around 28.5K in their used lot.
You basically buy the depreciation.
Advantage of a lease is that it is fully tax deductable for business owners. Whereas if I bought it, only the interest would be deductable and I would need to straight line depreciate the prin over 5 or 7 years.
Edited by jeff m on Tuesday 15th March 04:34
We tried to close the deal with a $4K profit in the vehicle, but that sometimes never happened!
my best sale was on an 06 M5 and had $15k profit in it, a nice commission for me.
My advice is when you go to buy a car try and hang the process out as long as you can to keep knocking them down and throw in the odd "I'm not sure" most "client advisers" like a quick easy sale and hate having to work for their commission.
In the US generally speaking the newspapers have ads every week openly showing the lease and purchase deals. That enables you to make a lease or buy decision. Look out for deals - you can pay unbelieveably small amounts for leasing in the US.
I lease the car I commute in and choose the payment that gives least financial risk to me if I am in an accident. Personally I prefer the 'zero down' approach - because of the way my insurance works if the car gets crashed into before the lease is up, the lease company is paid by the insurer and I go out and lease another car. If I put let's say $2400 down on a 24 month lease and the car got wiped out after 6 months, I'd have benefitted from paying around $100 less a month for 6 months, but in all likelihood I'd not get the remainder of the downpayment back so I'd be $1800 worse off.
I lease the car I commute in and choose the payment that gives least financial risk to me if I am in an accident. Personally I prefer the 'zero down' approach - because of the way my insurance works if the car gets crashed into before the lease is up, the lease company is paid by the insurer and I go out and lease another car. If I put let's say $2400 down on a 24 month lease and the car got wiped out after 6 months, I'd have benefitted from paying around $100 less a month for 6 months, but in all likelihood I'd not get the remainder of the downpayment back so I'd be $1800 worse off.
Some pointers...
First, as others have said, insurance is based on different factors over here than the UK, the performance and value of a vehicle come into play a bit more, as does whether or not you are currently insured.
Anyhow...
For buying a used car, run a Carfax or Autocheck report, and be wary of any car that shows an accident report on the Carfax/Autocheck report. The reason is, you don't know what happened, my Lexus has an accident on the report, the bumper still has a 4" scuff on it, but had the car had $20,000 worth of damage, it would probably say the same thing. These reports can miss a lot, Autocheck is more accurate, Carfax is more commonly used.
It's worth mentioning because it takes an awful lot for a car to get written off over here, I have had 2 cars wrecked on me that might very well have been Cat B writeoffs in the UK yet the insurance companies here elected to repair them.
I'm in the car business over here, I'm on the wrong side of the country though, but I can help ya with advice/pricing if you need it.
First, as others have said, insurance is based on different factors over here than the UK, the performance and value of a vehicle come into play a bit more, as does whether or not you are currently insured.
Anyhow...
For buying a used car, run a Carfax or Autocheck report, and be wary of any car that shows an accident report on the Carfax/Autocheck report. The reason is, you don't know what happened, my Lexus has an accident on the report, the bumper still has a 4" scuff on it, but had the car had $20,000 worth of damage, it would probably say the same thing. These reports can miss a lot, Autocheck is more accurate, Carfax is more commonly used.
It's worth mentioning because it takes an awful lot for a car to get written off over here, I have had 2 cars wrecked on me that might very well have been Cat B writeoffs in the UK yet the insurance companies here elected to repair them.
I'm in the car business over here, I'm on the wrong side of the country though, but I can help ya with advice/pricing if you need it.
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