POV Selection

[Justin]

First off I want to thank everybody for all the advice I have gathered from this website. I have finally decided to get involved with my own questions.

My fiance and I have 2 options for our one POV. Each have advantages and disadvantages and we are curious is there are any opinion from people already in KMC.

2007 Saturn Ion: small 4 door. Paid off and runs great. However, I am terrified of owning a discontinued GM car in Germany if I run into any problems. Automatic.

2004 Honda CR-V: It is a boxy reasonably sized SUV. Owe the bank about what its worth and need to pay it off before we transport (doable but painful). Still not European, but least it isn't discontinued. 5 Speed.

Gas mileage and insurance quotes are close enough to not really factor into the decision.

Does either option scream no to anyone?

In addition, I will be transporting my 750cc 2001 Honda Shadow motorcycle with the original exhaust, which, according to another post on this site, is a must.

Thanks for any time spent on my question.

[JOFTAA]

I would not worry about the Saturn being a discontinued car. There are plenty of places to find parts, here. I won't swear to it that a Saturn wouldn't require parts to be ordered and delivered, but I'd bet it can be done.

Regarding your Honda. I am not sure why you would have to pay it off before bringing it here. All you need to do is contact the bank holding the title and tell them you are moving over here with the military. They will issue you a letter stating that you are allowed to take the vehicle out of the country. I did it with my car before coming here. If you ask, they will give you the letter with an expiration date of your loan. Otherwise they might allow the car out of the country for a year.

With the price of fuel hitting $5 this summer, the car with the better mileage is going to hurt the wallet, less.

[Brittney]

I have a 2002 Saturn L200 that we brought over. **Knock on wood*** nothing major has had to be done. I get my oil changed on base with no problems, my wipers at the BX etc. My husband ordered my brakes and rotors off of autozone and then put them on.

We just preferred to have something bought and paid for over here so we could be debt free, and put the money towards traveling.

[Justin]

Brittney, I like the way you think.

JOFTAA, to quote the Credit Union, "NO...No exceptions."

Appreciate the advice. We will continue to consider all options, but the Saturn does have a slight lead now.

Always appreciate additional opinion if anyone has experience.

[JOFTAA]

JOFTAA, to quote the Credit Union, "NO...No exceptions."

Which credit union are you with?

I'm asking because that is a B.S. policy if I have ever heard it. If all of the people here had to deal with the same policy, every car on the road here would be paid off. I just don't see this happening.

[Justin]

It's a small credit union based in Dayton, Ohio. I am assuming they just don't have the infrastructure to deal with the car in Germany if our loan went south.

On the scale of things that I think are B.S., this really doesn't rank that high to me. They want the money or they want the car somewhere they can get it.

[JOFTAA]

It's a small credit union based in Dayton, Ohio. I am assuming they just don't have the infrastructure to deal with the car in Germany if our loan went south.

On the scale of things that I think are B.S., this really doesn't rank that high to me. They want the money or they want the car somewhere they can get it.

I understand what you are saying, but imagine if you owed $10,000, $15,000, or more on the car. Unless you have that kind of money laying around, you'd be in a bind because you'd either have to sell the car and hope to get your money out of it, re-finance it with a lender who will let you take the car out of the country, or leave it behind and make payments on something you cannot even drive. I have no idea what your situation is, but it sounds like you are not like the average American who is over extended. The fact that you can pay off the car says a lot about your character and fiscal responsibility. Kudos to you!

From what I have seen in my time here, most people would be up the creek without a paddle.

[JOFTAA]

My son just had a friend at the house. When his mom came to pick him up, she was saying that she had to go to Heidleberg in order to have warranty work done. She said GM only has two places in Germany to take a Saturn for warranty repair work, one being Heidelberg, and the other she did not know.

Either way, if your Saturn is under warranty, it might be a bit of an issue to get warranty repair nearby.

[Justin]

Appreciate the follow up. Warranty work should not be an issue.

We have committed to selling the CR-V and bringing the Saturn. It sounds like it will not be a nightmare for maintenance, which was my biggest concern.