UK Expat looking for a SoCal deal

Ask the Hackrs
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1

LA, CA - very happy to have found this forum as I was running around in circles with Google.

Just moved across from the UK and whilst I have a great credit score and driving record there I am now back at zero here.

I am only posted for 24 months so looking at that as a lease. Budget is $500-1k monthly.

I like the look of the Jeep Wrangler 4xe but no one seems to be knowledgable about the Expat Program at local dealerships.

I have a call setup with international autosource later on and have some quotes in from expat rider (very expensive IMO initially) with leases for mid range SUVs coming out a $30+K for 24m/10k.

Is there anything else I can do in the meantime? I have the option of asking a local friend if they could co-sign. Would that be a pain or my best bet at this point?

I searched the forum and last mention I could find was 2021 for a similar scenario but wanted to know if anything had changed since then!

Any help much appreciated.

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BMW and Toyota have Resident Alien programs but I donā€™t think Jeep does.

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You are linking my original post so I will add/share brands that other expats used with none to minimal credit score:

  • Mazda (myself)
  • Audi
  • Nissan
  • VW

A lot of dealerships wonā€™t even know what you are even talking about. Your best bet is to call directly the corporate finance companies for each brand.

For example, if you call Mazda Financial Services they will probably be able to tell you their policy for approval. In my case was an offer letter, paystubs and us visa. They ran credit report and came back as ā€œn/aā€. So they cleared me for Tier 1 with all documents presented. Also this will depend on how high your income is, but in my case was not too high anyway.

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Thanks for this. I originally found this link but have been unable to find anything that references it online so as you mention it might be easier to look elsewhere.

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Okay, good to know Iā€™m not going crazy! I feel like trying to understand the dealership scenarios in the US is a minefield in itself.

Iā€™ll have a search for corporate finance brands and see what I can come up with.

From a budgeting perspective were you offered the same lease(ish) as a local or was it vastly more expensive?

Thanks for the responses, already has me feeling more in control of the situation.

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You can check if your employer has any partnership with First Tech Credit Union.

They have an expat program that offers good rates for personal, car (new and used up to 10 year and below 200k miles) sand house credit and will ā€œassumeā€ you have A-tier credit in the first 12 months of your stay.

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As I am the employer (travelling on an E2 visa) I can confirm we donā€™t have anything like that setup! :wink:

Iā€™ve just chatted with International Autosource and it seems the only two brands that they said will accept an E2 visa are VW and Audi.

Can any one confirm that is the case? (If so Iā€™ll say good bye to my wrangler dreams!)

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E2? Then that isnā€™t an Expat is it? Thatā€™s a business visa As far as I know.

But wow only VW and Audi? Maybe you can get a porsche then, same company.

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I just took expat to live abroad away from place of birth but yes it is a work visa with a two year entitlement.

Iā€™ve found this documentation saying that Chrysler Capital will honor an E2 visa within their expat program but I canā€™t seem to find a number for anyone who can give me more information about it.

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Most of those docs are older, for example Chrysler is moving to Stellantis Financial.

But the key is E-2, I think International Autosource (Which appears to be a middle man for exactly this) would probably be the best source. If you are a Normal visa, there are more programs as their site shows (THOUGH BMW is missing, thatā€™s odd)

You might be stuck as an E-2 and wanting to lease.

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Thanks for your added insight.

At present the only option from international autosource is a VW Tiguan or Audi Q3 (in my price range).

MSRP on both around $42k and then monthlys at ~$700 with $1000 down.

Not really the cars I want to be driving but not completely awful all the same.

12

Wow a quick google of Expat leasing came up with a bunch of dead links.

Check Sixt and see if you can ā€˜rentā€™ a vehicle you like instead of leasing one.

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You can buy my 2017 Focus ST for 9500 if you wantšŸ¤£. Does have a dent on the rear pass door and a couple scrapes.

There is some fun stuff you can find on fbook marketplace in LA if you are open to the used car option.

SIXT monthly rentals are still pretty expensice.

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Hi, I moved to TX in Feb 2018 also from the UK. I got my first car 4 months after living in the states. It was not a lease but I financed it through a credit union. I donā€™t even know what my credit score was. I had no credit score however credit union approved me for credit card with $5,000 credit line and approved me for auto finance loan worth $38,000 with 4.5% APR. I kept the car for 1.5 years and then traded it in for a lease. You will never be able to get such an APR or lease deal as you can see here at this site without having some car history on your credit report.

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I am in E2 (employee) and Mazda accepted it even if they terms said they wouldnt

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Not true, check my deal from 2021. I didnt even have a US license

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Thanks everyone for you help and comments.

International Autosource are saying rules around E2 changed around 12 months ago but I canā€™t find anything online in reference to this.

Iā€™m going to ask around at a few dealers this weekend but I wish it could be a simpler process!

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Good luck with the searchā€¦ and donā€™t be surprised if dealers canā€™t provide info. Immigration matters and niche programs are not their forte, and highly unlikely a regular salesperson will know. Even if they bump it up to a finance director or GM, they may defer the question to corporateā€¦ who arenā€™t working on weekends :crazy_face::joy:

Anyhoo, not trying to be a downer but more along setting expectations.

19

Thank you!

Iā€™ve opted for using a co-signer and looking to just get a traditional lease as I was jumping through hoops with the expat programs!

20

LA based and finally looking to get a car after moving.

Hyundai IONIQ 5 is seeming like the most cost effective and Iā€™m looking at the one-pay option to be done with it and know that it will be set for the 2 years Iā€™m posted.

I am looking to understand if there are any other costs associated with the one-pay (other than say broker fees) and looking at what the best option is - So far I see that Jeff City Autos has $7100 incl. tax + 595 broker fee.

For the deals that are offered outside of one-pay how do I calculate the sales tax on them? And am I right in thinking this is 9.5% for LA?

As this is a all a bit different from how it operates in the UK any guidance would be appreciated.