Rental Car

Do you need to park the car in the garage every night? I understand wanting to (I'd love to have a garage), but is is necessary? That could be a solution. Just park your present car in the driveway until the Prius comes in. Then sell the other car after you get the Prius.

 

I think selling your car in the U.S. would depend on what state you were living in. They all have different DMV regulations.

 

If you don't use a car that often, can't you just rent one on an as-needed basis instead of having it for four months? Or depending on where you live, Flex-Car or Zipcar might be an option.

This was a long time ago, but back in the late '80s I needed a car for 3 months while I was working at a summer internship, so I got one on a "mini-lease" from Avis. It cost a few hundred dollars. Maybe it's still possible to get that kind of agreement from one or more of the rental car companies.

 

have you considered a scooter? like a vespa or something?

 

What I meant was just renting a car for a day or two when you need one. When I lived in Chicago I didn't have a car, so every month or so I'd rent one for the weekend from a local Avis so I could run errands. Similarly, here in DC I know a guy who sold his car and rents one occasionally when he needs it for a weekend trip.

 

Phone the DMV in WA (or whatever state you intend to sell the car in). The question is probably not whether you can sell the car, but whether a new owner can register it.

Here's a possible solution: Sell your oversized car (I am surprised you have a car that will not fit in a garage!) and buy a smaller used car. Then sell that car when the Prius arrives. If you buy an older used car in good condition it should lose much less value while you own it than the cost of renting a car.

If you cannot sell the Canadian car in the U.S., consider selling it in Canada. It would be a nuisance, but if you cannot sell it here at least you would not be stuck with it.

What kind of a car won't fit in your new garage?

 

Daniel has the best solution.

 

Err... is that supposed to be for cars, or is it just a storage space?!

That looks to be a Honda Odyssey, which is "only" 70 cm longer and 30 cm wider (with mirrors folded) than the Prius. Will the Prius even fit in there? If it does, will you be able to use the door, or will you have to crawl out back through the hatch?

As for selling the car, I suspect the process is not too much more difficult to sell a Canadian car in the US than it is to import one from there to here, though there are probably a number of individual state agencies instead of the RIV. However, you might want to sell the car in Canada anyway because you will probably be able to get more for it in Canada (perhaps worth a weekend trip back up to BC and a train/bus ride back to Seattle) -- while the prices in Canada have been coming down to reflect the cheaper cars available in the US with our dollars at par, they're still lingering higher. Plus, you probably wouldn't be able to get full book value for it in the US because it's a Canadian model (e.g.: the odometer might "annoyingly" be in km, or if there's warranty left on it, it will not apply for Hondas taken across the border, etc.).