Really? Your grown son can’t figure this out? But a car from Carmax. He can research them online and schedule an appointment to test drive it.

Annual registrations are very expensive in CA also.

I'm in LA. I agree with your kid that he needs a car in San Diego.

First, you should buy the car in CA, because CA enacted a law that if you buy and bring a car into CA within (a year of purchase, probably) then CA will tax you on your car, CA taxes! So you'll be taxed twice.

This is because taxes are so high in CA, people were buying from OOS. But the beast must be fed, so this is the state's work-around for the citizens' work-around.

Second, look at autotrader.com and do a search. What you want is a three-year old vehicle with one owner and no history of damage. These are usually new vehicles that one owner leased, and the lease period ends in three years. So there are a lot of those cars on the market. I bought mine in Cerritos, which is a little over an hour south of me, and probably about 1.5 hours north of San Diego, your kid can just drive it back to his college.

Third, in case you don't know what kind of car...I bought my DD a RAV4 and it is awesome--ZERO complaints and a great car. Safe (don't let him talk you into a jeep). Holds surfboards either inside, or on top. It's just a great car.

Good luck, OP! What school is he going to?

If you are a Costco member then I would suggest:

https://www.costcoauto.com/enterzipcode.aspx?gotourl=%2f

Anonymous wrote:So, kid tells me he wants to (more like needs to) have a car in San Diego next year (fall semester of 2021). Without getting into discussion of whether this is wise or not, if I were to do it, what would be the best way to do this? One option is transport our car (we are in MD) and have him use it even though I am not sure if he can drive remaining two years with MD tagged car. Another option is to buy him a car there (used one maybe). I have never done this before so I am looking for any insights - insurance (he is in early 20s), tag, license...etc. TIA

I needed to (more like wanted to) have a car in California when I was in grad school in my early 20s. I bought a used car, figured out tag and license and took care of it, then made car insurance comparisons and chose the cheapest option. Finally I called Mom and Dad to let them know I got a car!

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I agree he should buy a car out there. It would need to be tagged as CA within a month or he'd be fined.

The cost of transporting a car from MD to CA is $1000. We did it (refunded by employer or would never have done so).

He will also need a California state license. He will need to do their 50 question written test and pass it in order to get that license. You can only get 1-2 questions wrong, or you fail. When I took it there was a guy who failed, in his 60's he was like "I've been driving over 40 years" and they were like "we don't care, you need to know current code"

~ Someone who moved from MD to CA to MD.

Just in case we decided to transport, which transporter did you use? Thanks for insight.

- op

according to my emails from 2015 they were called Dependable Auto Shippers or Dasautoshippers - but when I google that now I get redirected to
https://www.carsrelo.com
it could be the company sold and was renamed? I don't know if they are the same outfit but it is worth running a search and asking for quotes from different companies anyway, for comps.

Yeah, I think the learning experience -- for him -- here is what's most important. Want a car? Want it badly? No reason he can't agonize about this. Fine-tune his research skills. Figure out the options himself, and present them to you.

Not saying to resist or impede his request. You just don't need to precipitate it.

Anonymous wrote:Most recent cars (last 10 years or so) will pass California emissions since many states copied the CA requirements, and car companies found it easier to supply a single version that satisfied the emissions. So you could take a local car and have your kid drive it to California or ship it (probably about $1K). I have driven from DC to San Diego in three long days on Rte. 40 through the dessert (but it is a pain Day 1 ends in Memphis, Day 2 ends in El Paso, and Day 3 ends in San Diego).

If the out-of-state car can't pass the emissions test, then your kid would need to take it to an emissions station and have the emissions system changed (probably around $1.5-2K). As others have mentioned, a car residing in California has be registered or will be ticketed, and emissions are required for registration.

3 days to San Diego. Wow... Your back is stronger than mine. Thanks

op

Tell him to get a longboard or a Vespa. It's Cali, brah.

I'd just say no.

Anonymous wrote:Since kids his age are at the highest risk for fatal crashes, be careful about making a wise choice of vehicle:

https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/consumer-reports-iihs-issue-list-of-new-vehicles-recommended-for-teens

https://www.iihs.org/news/detail/vehicle-choice-can-exacerbate-teen-drivers-risk

Thank you.

op

Lordy, after all this doom and gloom, the kid will probably be better off transferring colleges 😃

Most recent cars (last 10 years or so) will pass California emissions since many states copied the CA requirements, and car companies found it easier to supply a single version that satisfied the emissions. So you could take a local car and have your kid drive it to California or ship it (probably about $1K). I have driven from DC to San Diego in three long days on Rte. 40 through the dessert (but it is a pain Day 1 ends in Memphis, Day 2 ends in El Paso, and Day 3 ends in San Diego).

If the out-of-state car can't pass the emissions test, then your kid would need to take it to an emissions station and have the emissions system changed (probably around $1.5-2K). As others have mentioned, a car residing in California has be registered or will be ticketed, and emissions are required for registration.

Anonymous wrote:I agree he should buy a car out there. It would need to be tagged as CA within a month or he'd be fined.

The cost of transporting a car from MD to CA is $1000. We did it (refunded by employer or would never have done so).

He will also need a California state license. He will need to do their 50 question written test and pass it in order to get that license. You can only get 1-2 questions wrong, or you fail. When I took it there was a guy who failed, in his 60's he was like "I've been driving over 40 years" and they were like "we don't care, you need to know current code"

~ Someone who moved from MD to CA to MD.

Just in case we decided to transport, which transporter did you use? Thanks for insight.

- op

Anonymous wrote:Where does your student claim residency? If it is MD, then they will likely need to get a car in Maryland, title it, get the safety/emissions inspection (for which the car must be physically present) and then get it to California either by driving it or by having it transported.

We have two kids out of state with cars. We notified our insurance company about the cars at college and in both cases Geico tried to have us register the cars in the state of the college but that is impossible without the kids switching their residency and drivers' licenses etc (which is impossible to do when your address is a dorm room). In the end, Geico agreed with us and allowed the kids to be insured in MD but with the car out of state.

Very helpful. Thank you.

We have Geico as well.

- op