I’m planning to relocate to Seattle from northern California
Is it possible to lease a BMW (3 series) at southern California prices from Seattle?
If yes, I might want to sell my current car & then buy a new one a few months later. I have a pretty good buyout offer for my car, so I’m not losing money there. Plus I’ll save on the DMV renewal fees which is due shortly.
Presently I’m not sure if i’ll need a car in Seattle, since I’m planning to live in or very close to downtown.
I’ve never been successful with Seattle area dealers. There are only two in the metro area (one in Seattle, one in Bellevue) and then one in Tacoma. That’s it.
Folks here have had success (1) trying to shop in Portland or Spokane, or (2) Leasing in SoCal and shipping up here.
May the odds be ever in your favor!
EDIT to add: registration fees in Seattle are very high as well, so you won’t be saving anything. Every year you pay 1.1% of the book value of your car to register. Our $40k Subaru Outback just had a $475 registration renewal for year 2. Year 1 was $515.
Based on this, I would recommend selling your car. I live close to downtown/SLU and I have never “needed” my car for shopping, going to work, etc. I do like having it for when I want to go hiking or to the eastside. You should definitely see what it’s like without a car for a couple of months, and then decide whether to get one.
Just to clarify - I was planning to have the next car shipped over from an LA dealer. I was curious if the mechanics of shipping, registration tax etc were favorable for leasing scenario.
CA reg tax for my 3 series was $500 as well. That appears to be par for the course. By getting rid of my car now, I’d save on the tax in case I don’t get a new car.
I live in Seattle and have always leased from CA. If you’re a solid hackr there’s a 99.9% chance you’ll come out ahead by leasing through a dealer/broker down there and shipping the car north.
