Moving in 2 years

[AuntPeggy]

We know we move much more slowly than ever. I just bought 100 packing boxes so we can get started. 20 years ago, it cost $1500 to rent a u-haul to move here. It has probably gone up. The U-Haul store down the street is selling a 16 foot truck for $3000. We are thinking we could just park it beside the house and start putting boxes inside for the next couple of years. Then, fly to Tulsa, pick up a couple of kids and tell them to drive it back there for us. Then when we get to Tulsa, we won't have to buy a pickup to start fixing up the "new" house.

We could probably sell it for around 1/2 what we pay for it.

What do you think?

 

[Jeanie]

I like the fact that it's yours and you can spend however much time packing/moving that you want and then use it for whatever and sell it... if you have the 3K I say go for it

 

[tonycondon]

Is the box sealed so your stuff can stay in there 2 years and not get wet?
will it stay sealed?
hopefully you will occasionally drive the truck to keep things lubricated.
if you have a HoA i encourage you to buy and park it in the street for 2 years. the neighbors would love that.

 

[Missa]

Only drawback is it's probally an old truck. It will be good IFF it doesn't break on you.

 

[pmanton]

We moved from Tacoma, WA to an airpark in AZ with an intermediate stop in San Diego to fix up our rental there. We spent WAY more then 6 K for truck rentals. We did buy an enclosed 12' trailer for 3K and never regretted it. We now us it for storage.

Cheers:

Paul
N1431A
2AZ1

 

[murphey]

Consider the 24 month rental on a storage locker. Then compare to the costs of buying the truck now as opposed to when you need it. You'll need some sort of registration & insurance. Do you have someplace to park the truck long-term where you won't be hassled by neighbors or the police? Is it in long-range drivable condition now?

 

[Jim Logajan]

We are thinking we could just park it beside the house and start putting boxes inside for the next couple of years.

Um, if you have "stuff" that can go "missing" for up to two years, do you really need it to live your life now or in the future? Why move that "stuff" and not get rid of it instead?

 

[Everskyward]

Um, if you have "stuff" that can go "missing" for up to two years, do you really need it to live your life now or in the future? Why move that "stuff" and not get rid of it instead?

That's what I was thinking too...

But as people have told me, I'm a minimalist and not into complicating my life by buying, owning and selling. Especially vehicles.

 

[AdamZ]

Is the box sealed so your stuff can stay in there 2 years and not get wet?
will it stay sealed?
hopefully you will occasionally drive the truck to keep things lubricated.
if you have a HoA i encourage you to buy and park it in the street for 2 years. the neighbors would love that.

Good Point.

Um, if you have "stuff" that can go "missing" for up to two years, do you really need it to live your life now or in the future? Why move that "stuff" and not get rid of it instead?

Better Point.

 

[ClimbnSink]

Buying an old truck in lieu of renting one makes sense. I did it once and came out way ahead. But 2 years in advance? That is way too much planning.

 

[SCCutler]

Too soon.

 

[AuntPeggy]

Is the box sealed so your stuff can stay in there 2 years and not get wet?
will it stay sealed?

Good point. I wonder whether we could just get some spray foam or some other easy-to-apply sealer and seal all the seams just to be sure.

hopefully you will occasionally drive the truck to keep things lubricated.

Like making sure to fly the plane every month? Good idea.

if you have a HoA i encourage you to buy and park it in the street for 2 years. the neighbors would love that.

No HOA, but we do need to answer to the county, the town, the hamlet, and the village. To say nothing of the village idiot.

Only drawback is it's probally an old truck. It will be good IFF it doesn't break on you.

I should get a pre-buy from the local mechanic. It might have a run-out engine or transmission.

We moved from Tacoma, WA to an airpark in AZ with an intermediate stop in San Diego to fix up our rental there. We spent WAY more then 6 K for truck rentals. We did buy an enclosed 12' trailer for 3K and never regretted it. We now us it for storage.

Cheers:

Paul
N1431A
2AZ1

That is a slightly longer trip, I'm imagining. By road, Tulsa to White Plains is just over 1500 miles.

Consider the 24 month rental on a storage locker. Then compare to the costs of buying the truck now as opposed to when you need it.

Well, Hubby did comment that they will probably have more trucks for sale later. No need to jump on this one right now.

You'll need some sort of registration & insurance. Do you have someplace to park the truck long-term where you won't be hassled by neighbors or the police?

Didn't think of that, but you are right. We have two off-road places where we could park, one in the back of the house just outside the basement door. The other is alongside the house, also next to a basement door. Both doors open to ground level.

Is it in long-range drivable condition now?

See the comment about the pre-buy. I wouldn't buy it if we thought it couldn't make the trip.

Um, if you have "stuff" that can go "missing" for up to two years, do you really need it to live your life now or in the future? Why move that "stuff" and not get rid of it instead?

I'm starting to pack up the books. We have too many to count and my plan is to cull them as they get packed, but we know that the new house will (like this one) have at least one entire wall of books. Certain furniture that we can get along without temporarily can go in the truck and we can live out of boxes in the house instead. For example, I can dismantle the beds and put the mattresses on the floor until we are ready to leave. Then, there are the things we want to hand down to the kids that we don't really NEED, but want to take back for them.

Buying an old truck in lieu of renting one makes sense. I did it once and came out way ahead. But 2 years in advance? That is way too much planning.

I'm not nearly as young as I once was. It doesn't take much lifting and carrying to stop me. Gotta plan on being the tortoise.

 

[Eamon]

Every time I buy a car & place it in my Driveway, the town sends me a notice within 48 hrs that I am in violation of code by having an unregistered car on the property. I never get a second notice because they can't prove if it is or not without coming on my property.

A truck parked for 2 years is going to draw some attention from the town & possibly crooks.

Check you local code for parking.

Also check what class the truck is & see if you can legally drive it. Some larger ones require a special license endorsement.

 

[Ted]

Way too soon. And in the two years that the truck is sitting, it will deteriorate. Ultimately, it will cost you more time and hassle than it's worth.

We just went through this, and I was looking at different options from buying a used moving truck to buying a used bus (similarly priced, more space). Ultimately, the best value was renting a Penske 26' diesel truck, which was a fraction of what your $1500 UHaul cost 20 years ago in today's dollars. If you take care of the packing, you can pay people on either end to help do the loading and unloading. It sounds like you would benefit from doing this on the loading side anyway, and on the unloading side you may have other help.

I used to be of the mindset of buying anything that I might need, even if I was only going to use it once. The reality with something like a moving truck is that it's been abused, but the ones you rent are typically going to be new enough that you shouldn't have any problems. The last thing you want is to be halfway to Oklahoma and have something go out, then pay a bunch to fix it. The small cost savings is not worth the risk or hassle.