<p>How old is this Volvo? While it might be in excellent condition, it is an expensive car to maintain. We have one in excellent condition also…“only” 140,000 miles on it. It never dawned on us to give it to the college grad kid. Too costly to maintain and yes…expensive parts DO fail. We got a newer used Accord.</p>
<p>Unless this is SOME special car…I would sell it, and send him the money. He has a job now…and maybe he would like to pick out his own car.</p>
<p>Also, the kind of car a 20 something might want or like, and the kind of car <em>I</em> would like are radically different…and the costs VERY different. When I replace MY car, it will likely cost me well in excess of $25,000. Our kids are looking at cars well LESS than $20,000…actually in that $18K range posted above. There are plenty of nice options…Hyundai Elantra, bottom line Corolla, Nissan Sentra…etc.</p>
<p>I once shipped my car from Florida to Oahu.</p>
<p>Don’t do it.</p>
<p>It doesn’t make any sense financially.</p>
<p>Okay, here’s one more thing to think about. Your S is a young single guy just starting out in his great career. Unless he’s the very opposite of a ‘car guy’ there’s a very good chance he’d rather be driving something other than a Volvo, a car that screams ‘family car’ or ‘soccer mom’ (no offense intended to anyone). </p>
<p>
That’d be comparing apples and oranges. The cost comparison s/b the cost of buying the exact same year/make/model in DC against the sale price of the car in HI - not comparing selling an older used car vs buying a new car. The result of this like/like comparison indicates whether it’s cost effective to ship the car. Once the decision’s made that it makes financial sense to sell the car then that money could be used against either buying the same type of car in DC or better, something the S would enjoy more (unless he ‘really’ wants to drive around in a Volvo).</p>
<p>Note - it’s pretty common for people to think ‘their’ old car is in great shape versus the same type of car owned by other people. It may be in great shape but one can find the same type of car owned by others that are being sold that are also in great shape. Don’t use this as a reason to spend extra thousands of $$$ to ship it.</p>
<p>I’m on my 3rd Volvo wagon in 22 years. I wouldn’t have any other car as our primary family vehicle, even though I’m not crazy about all the changes to recent model years (bigger engines, lower fuel economy, more bling bling). It’s a durable, comfortable, practical vehicle for someone who drives a lot and hauls a lot of stuff.</p>
<p>For a 20-something without a family and household to worry about? Nah. I agree, there are better vehicle choices. But if you really do like Volvos, and decide shipping is not the best option, they are easy cars to buy (new or used) in the mid-Atlantic region. In addition to dealerships we also have a fair number of garages that specialize in Volvo and other European makes.</p>
<p>My oldest lives in HI and will be relocating back to the east coast later this year. He will sell his car in HI and buy another car once he has moved. Unless there is sentimental value, shipping from HI to the east coast rarely makes financial sense.</p>
<p>I’ve shipped three cars to Hawaii and would only ship my interesting classic truck back. Matson costs from HI to the West Coast are reasonable, but cost from West Coast to DC can be substantial. Beware of brokers who run bait and switch pricing schemes that stick you with up charges after they have your vehicle.</p>
<p>See [Advice</a> for Consumers who want to Avoid Car Shipping Scams | Transport Companies](<a href=“Home - TransportCompanies.com”>Advice for Consumers who want to Avoid Car Shipping Scams - TransportCompanies.com)</p>
<p>I checked Matson for curiosity and the cost is around $1k. If vehicle is drivable across country it should be an entertaining trip, maybe a week, for another $1k if one stays in ho-hum places, So total around $2k, 2.5k tops. If one sells the vehicle and buys something similar, what kind of financial carnage are we talking about? </p>
<p>Just for kicks, I priced out a 2003 XC70 - as we know Hawaii needs 4WD 
with 90k miles. Private sale trade in came to 9500$ using KBB and good condition. Then price a similar XC70 mainland, around $9k$10k on AutoTrader, Carmax, etc. So it does not make much of a difference, and little sense in shipping it… </p>
<p>If it’s a newer car, the numbers may not work out the same way but do them anyway.</p>