Shipping a Financed Vehicle?

Doubtful that you will be able to do this.  You would need the permission of the lender, and I'd be surprised if they would permit it.  If you were to default on the loan, they would have to repossess the car from PR -- an unwelcome prospect.

Talk to your bank if they are willing or not to give you clearance in writing. Likely not but it does not hurt to ask. Typically the shipper wants you to bring the car tittle but you do not get that until the car is payed up. I plan to pay off my car before I ship it.

Thanks for the info. I could also likely get a loan from a PR bank and buy the car here perhaps. I may just buy one cash though.

Depending on the timing of the purchase you may be able to get zero percent or some low low percentage. In that case why buy cash if no interest?

Hi! I recently moved out here due to my husband getting a job out here. We were able to ship out his financed vehicle with a letter from the bank/lienholder stating it was ok to ship the vehicle & we had to provide a letter from the car insurance company stating the vehicle was fully covered from port to port and that they would be receiving the check if the car was a total loss if an accident were to happen during transport. In our case it was Wells Fargo & geico, it was a hassle but we were able to get it.

Hope it helps!

When it is my time I will try the same as you justpeachyy. I knew it was doable but I was not aware what the process would be. This is helpful.
Thanks
Rey

Hi, 

I'm new to the board and am planning on moving to Fajardo in April but I have a question about Geico.

I have a financed vehicle I am waiting to hear back from Capital 1 for approval,  and they also require coverage upon arrival.  I currently have Geico here in the states but when I spoke to Geico Overseas division, they told me they do not offer liability in Puerto Rico and so I would have to find another insurance carrier, they only offer comprehensive and collision, so no full coverage.  Now, I'm wondering did I get wrong information?  I'm on pins and needles waiting to hear back from my lien holder even though I've already put money down on a condo (I didn't realize this could be as big of an issue as it is), and reading these replies, I'm getting nervous!  That and the fact that I don't have a job waiting for me in PR, which my lien holder also demands, but I am disabled and receive Social Security payments and payout payments from my previous employer, I'm worried sick about being denied shipping my car.

So long story short,  if I may ask, what coverage do you have with Geico?

Also, this is my first post here so I apologize if this doesn't show up correctly in response to the person who posted about having Wells Fargo/Geico.

Hi! Geico only covered us port to port for the shipping of the vehicle which was needed for the leinholder holder to give us an ok to ship. Once we were on the island and registered the vehicle we  got full coverage with seguros multiples.

Wow thanks for such a quick reply!

It's good to know I can do that with Geico and  I bookmarked Seguros to give them a call later. 

Thanks

Welcome to the forum and Puerto Rico MimiEv. Sounds like you are all set and ready to move.

Thanks!  Almost!  Still trying to find a shipper for some boxes but I've filled out the form on this site for quotes and plan to call Rosa del Monte today.

If you are shipping boxes, we used USPS. Better rates than Rosa del Monte.

I was also gonna say, Rosadelmonte was not a good pick for us, they didn't show up at all in Atlanta. So we had to go with the slightly more expensive u-pack and did the work ourselves. Horrible experience, but mainly from Rosa. I couldn't even give my home a good goodbye because we were literally packing until the minute before we left for the airport to fly to PR, in fact, we missed our flight. Awful, awful experience. On a brighter note u-pack was on time and gave us extra days packing and unloading for free.

Same deal for me with Geico, I am apparently wasting my money now however because I didn't knwo they don't have coverage here in PR, but they did cover me from port to port as well, I asked specifically about that.

I'm assuming you're buying in Fajardo and not renting?

Ok.  I did an estimate on USPS for a large box (24"x16x16) at 20lbs from Philadelphia zip to Fajardo and it came out to like $49 which seems steep to me.  I've been reading that Rosa will come to your home to estimate but that's no good for me either because until I have what I'm taking boxed up, it's hard to guess.  That and the fact that the boxes will be coming from two different households makes it even more complicated lol. 

It's mostly books, some dvds and vinyl )which I realize I can ship that media mail), some heirloom dishes and silverware that must go, a couple small kitchen appliances, a recently purchased vitamix that must also go, artwork of various sizes, family portraits of the great grandparents... that must go,  a bookshelf stereo, and clothes.  I would like to take along two cat towers that are practically brand new but have resigned to leaving them if I must use usps.

  I think my biggest fear with usps is that not all boxes will make it to the other side due  loss, negligence etc, which happened to me once before when I used ups. The driver was clearly bothered at having to pick up several boxes, there were around 10 at the time, and said 'we don't move people' and 3 of those boxes never made it. 

So I was thinking today that I should start boxing as much up as I can to get a better idea because one quote I got back today from a company called Viking was for $2400 and upack was about the same, $2500. 

So has anyone had any boxes come up missing from usps when they shipped them out all at once?

Thanks!

Agreed with Adlin, if all you are shipping is boxes and not furniture you can just ship it via post office. Obviously weight and size makes a difference. Depending on your condo, you may or may not get mail there. You may need to ship it to a friend unless you got yourself a PO box ahead of time. You could ship it to general delivery at the post office but need investigate that, don't want someone else to be able to walk away with your stuff. I never used that option that is why I say to investigate it.
Ship a day or two at most before you get on the plane or you can have someone in the states hold the boxes for you until you have an address to ship it to, then you can call them and have it shipped.
If you fly first class I think some airlines let you take something like 3 large suitcases with you for each person, this will hold you off until the stuff arrive.

Hmmm... I'm seeing so many negative reviews from Rosa so I really need to shop around more, and I suppose there is a reason they're the cheapest 😏

No, we're renting at least until we decide if we want to remain in Fajardo or move elsewhere.

I got a call today from an insurance company with a full coverage rate of around $500/yr which is what I'll go with once I get the go ahead from the lienholder.

So many moving parts, still need to book the cats on a specific evening flight in mind... , get shots and then 10 days before takeoff another vet visit for health certs.   At least the car shipper is already lined up and I'm working with a really cool realtor so I hope there'll be no surprises there either! 🤞 sheesh I will be so glad when we're on the other side of this and able to relax!

I was wondering about the post office box option.  Is it possible to get a post office box without being in person?  I don't have anyone trustworthy in the other end but I do have the option to leave a few boxes with a couple of different friends here in Philly.

What about the realtor?
If he/she is nice may receive the stuff for you.
High value items like computers that you do take with you, have your friends hold it and ship it once you have a PO box. Make sure put a 100 dollar insurance on it so they have to track it. It is a dollar or two for the insurance.

Good idea! I will ask though Im thinking his office is elsewhere and not Fajardo and since my car is tiny, if I can get t shipped locally might be best.

Thanks for the reminder, I do have some camera equipment that will need insuring, one camera body along with my laptop will be flying with me, the other and lenses will have to be shipped. 

Thanks so much for the ideas!! Sorry for the thread hijack 😌

We ship boxes all the time and never had any issues with USPS. Make sure you wrap up any delicate stuff. Media mail in cheap, for the rest I would say it will depend on weight. You can take with you 2 suitcases for under $100 plus a free carry-on on most airlines. I would use that for most important stuff and mail the rest. We use tote boxes instead of regular suitcases, as long as you don't go over the weight the airlines don't care. And you can fit more stuff in the boxes.

I love the tote idea!  Thanks for putting my mind at ease about the USPS.  I'll check with the airline about the luggage limit too.

MimiEv wrote:

I was wondering about the post office box option.  Is it possible to get a post office box without being in person?  I don't have anyone trustworthy in the other end but I do have the option to leave a few boxes with a couple of different friends here in Philly.

Go to the Post Office website and register an account. From there you can rent a box online.  They usually cost $1/week.

Thanks I'll check that out. I was told you need to present ID in person but I'll definitely investigate it.

Renting is definitely a good idea! As for my photography equipment I did the same. Brought two bodies with me on the plane and put the other two in a Pelican case with other accessories on the boat.

I had a few problems with the car shipper, based on your username I want to assume you have a plug-in hybrid. Do you? If not, are you aware of the taxes you'll need to pay?

MimiEv wrote:

I love the tote idea!  Thanks for putting my mind at ease about the USPS.  I'll check with the airline about the luggage limit too.

May want to consider using zip ties on the tote boxes to ensure they do not open in transit, make some holes
that go from lid to lip and insert and secure with zip ties.

Totes cannot be lock for airlines, TSA will open then to inspect. We usually tape ours, if they have to open it, they will re tape it.
If you are mailing then, using zip ties around the totes is a good idea. The good thing is that you can re use them as storage boxes.

chrishamrick103 wrote:

Renting is definitely a good idea! As for my photography equipment I did the same. Brought two bodies with me on the plane and put the other two in a Pelican case with other accessories on the boat.

I had a few problems with the car shipper, based on your username I want to assume you have a plug-in hybrid. Do you? If not, are you aware of the taxes you'll need to pay?

If you are taking a hybrid car to the island, be aware that you may not find charge stations away from the metropolitan area. They are not as common is the island.

Haha did my username unintentionally give it away? You're good! I have a 2014 Prius c, so hybrid but no plug in.  I calculated my taxes based on the table on the website since I couldn't reach anyone personally, and based on KBB value  came up with around $1500 in taxes.

Thanks for the zip tie tips!!

I would certainly call and call and call to get a real estimate. I shipped my 2006 Dodge magnum with a salvaged history and paid just under $1,200 for taxes. This was December 22, 2016. With that said I don't know if it's going to be only $1,500. PR doesn't go by KBB AT ALL. KBB with the salvaged history says my car has no value, lol. PR disagreed and said my car was worth about $11,600. No way in heaven I'd get that for my car, heck I only paid 8K for it back in 2008!

I just checked for a Prius base model and got an estimate of $3,458.60. Now that wasn't a C which is cheaper but I would definitely triple check to know for sure.

I don't mean to scare you or anything but I'd HATE for you to pay to ship that car here and when you go to Crowley to pick it up hear you have some crazy fee. We were going to buy and ship a Prius V but it didn't come in plug-in so we passed. I didn't see what the tax would've been on that but I assumed something ridiculous. We ended up just buying a second car here for $7,500. It's clean, runs great and had low mileage.

Depending on your situation it may be cheaper to buy here, or maybe not.

Also, I'm dealing with the worst landlord of all time. From what I now know, that's a common thing here in PR. There are no real landlord tenant laws here, so your lease is law. Make sure any repairs that are promised before signing the lease are in writing! And make sure the lease is fair! My lease was completely on my side so I have this guy by the you know whats, but still, it's stressful to deal with.

Thanks for the heads up.  I had been going by the base rate you quoted above, for the past few months until When speaking to someone from an insurance company down there who told me the rate they use for car insurance in PR is the Private Party Value which for my car is $11472.  Then when speaking to the shipper representative he said that value is the one id use to calculate their tax rate as my contributary rate.  So 1292 + 23% of the excess of $10690.   I do hope he's right because I was ELATED to find out its less than half of what I'd been expecting to pay, but he also told me he'd make a call himself to the Hacienda using my VIN to be sure.  Havent heard back yet but I'm think worse case scenario would be the $3400, although I know my car sells for several thousand less than even the basic Toyota Prius. The c makes all the difference in the world. Here's hoping?

Also, yes after reading some of your earlier posts and updates when I first came to the forum, I've taken serious notes on what to demand in the contract and the questions I've been asking. I'm sorry you've gone through so much drama but your experience has been invaluable to many of us passing through from a google search.  Thank you.

Unless you hear directly from Hacienda, don't assume anything. PR follow it's own rules and usually they don't benefit the consumer. Honestly, they don't encourage to ship cars, specially since they're more cars than people in the island. We end up purchasing a car in the island and having USAA finance it. The difference in price was not as much as it would had cost us to ship the same car.

Yeah I'm really getting nervous since the formula I used comes straight from their website. (The tariff table)  so I thought I finally had a dollar amount to go on, but now I'm doubting even that.  I really can't get out of my current car loan without my credit taking a hit so I guess I'll just have to wait and see if the shipper can get a hold of them via phone.


http://www.hacienda.pr.gov/arbitrios/ar … -vehiculos

That actually made my day you have no idea! I have been stressed about my situation since I moved here. I haven't been working well or feeling good at all. I've even gotten grey hairs since I've been here! My only real gripe with PR thus far has been my living situation which is really a hit or miss, and if you hit, I'd assume you'd enjoy yourself. We just haven't gotten to that point yet. But your comment has given me a boost to keep pushing because I really considered moving back to the states yesterday, I really, really did.

Use this calculator though for the tax. It was pretty spot on for me. https://siscon.hacienda.gobierno.pr/Sis … 1Form.aspx

Just an update for anyone who may be viewing for future reference.  My taxes today came to $2700, so not quite the $3400 the online calculator stated, but definitely not the formula amount either.

Mimi,

Do you mind sharing what year your vehicle is? The reason why I ask when we went in person ours matched the online calculator. Hoping we can the same break you did.

MimiEv wrote:

Just an update for anyone who may be viewing for future reference.  My taxes today came to $2700, so not quite the $3400 the online calculator stated, but definitely not the formula amount either.

So does that mean that you just pickup the car at the port and made the move to PR?
If so how about giving us a run down on how things went and how you did the shipment of your household items and how well they arrived?

Where you end up, Fajardo?

Rey,

We are using U-Pack, We have a moving company coming to load the truck for us. They said it will take about 10-12 business days for the shipment to arrive. For the car transport we are using Puerto Rico Car Transport.

Frankie1adrian wrote:

Rey,

We are using U-Pack, We have a moving company coming to load the truck for us. They said it will take about 10-12 business days for the shipment to arrive. For the car transport we are using Puerto Rico Car Transport.

Sounds like a winner. When are you moving?