Buying A Car in Hawaii: What To Know
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Hawaii is one of the natural gems of the world and provides some of the most breathtaking landscapes imaginable. With this, however, there are some challenges for residents when it comes to getting around.
With its tropical climate and occasional rough terrain, picking a vehicle that can handle the roads and weather is as important as anywhere. If you’re looking into buying a car in Hawaii, you’re in luck! Most of the process is the same to other areas of the country, with some state-specific requirements.
Where Hawaii is different than most states of course comes from its distance to the mainland and even from island to island. This can make availability and cost a factor, but with a little bit of planning in advance you avoid most of the hassle that comes from car buying.
Like many other states, the benefits from buying a car from a dealership are based around convenience, and the option to buy from a private seller revolves around saving money. Both have similar requirements with the state but still a little different. So, what are the options?
Buying a Car in Hawaii from a Dealership
Paperwork:
● A signed and completed Bill of Sale
● Check for “registration stopper” - this basically prevents the owner to renew registration due to outstanding tickets or fines
● Name, date, and signature on the title
● Obtain an updated safety inspection form from the dealer
Once you have the above documents from the dealership, you will need to register with a Hawaii vehicle registration office within a month (30 days) to register your new car and have it listed under your name.
There are some fees with buying a car that can vary based on vehicle type, location of sale, and purchase price. Depending on your county, you can get a better idea of the taxes and fees by calling ahead with your estimated date and price of purchase.
Honolulu county: Use the online inquiry feature on the Honolulu Motor Vehicle Fee website
Hawaii county: Vehicle Registration and Licensing Division
Maui county: DMVL
Kauai county: Contact the MVR - Motor Vehicle Registration
BE CERTAIN YOU’RE GETTING THE BEST DEAL
CoPilot searches your area and lets you know if there’s a better deal on a similar vehicle nearby, so you’re always certain you got the best deal possible. The CoPilot app is the smartest way to buy a car.
Buying a Car in Hawaii from a Private Seller
If you’ve decided to go this route, saving money is probably at the top of your list. This is always a good route to go but living in Hawaii can make it a little trickier if you aren’t looking to pay extra for shipping from the mainland.
There are still some great resources like traditional ad placements, online marketplace groups, and of course the CoPilot app that can help you find your next ride, and doing your research is just as important as buying in any other state.
All of the information listed above for buying a car from a dealer are things you’ll need if you decide to go with a used car from a private seller, but you’ll need to gather most of the paperwork by yourself.
Some additional steps will be required from both you and the state required paperwork, and you’ll want to spend some extra time looking into vehicle reports and getting it inspected by a private mechanic.
The DMV can walk you through the process of buying a car without a title, but mainly revolves around the Bill of Sale and vehicle history. If the seller doesn’t have the original, they can request a duplicate (which is required for your personal records) that you can date, sign, and mark with mileage and damage.
The vehicle report will also help make the odometer document, and to make sure it isn’t currently stolen or was recorded missing in the past.
IS GAP INSURANCE WORTH IT?
Gap insurance can prevent you from making payments on an already-totalled car, but is gap insurance worth it? We break down what gap insurance is, if it’s worth it, and more - simply and with plenty of examples.
Buying a Car in Hawaii and the Associated Fees
There are lots of fees associated with buying a car in the state of Hawaii which are summarized below, but you can get more information here.
Registration Fee: Based on the net weight of the vehicle
Vehicle Disposal Fee: $12.00
Beautification Fee: $1.00
Emblem Renewal: $.50
Emblem Replacement: $.50
Transfer Fee: $5.00 - can also include the required renewal if the vehicle was not licensed in the current year
County Fee: $12
State Fee: $45
Duplicate Title: $5.00
Duplicate Registration: $5.00
Plate Replacement: $5.00
County Weight Tax: Passenger vehicles - 1.25 cents per vehicle pound
Passenger trucks - 1.25 cents per vehicle pound
All trucks over 6,500 pounds have a 2.50 cents per pound charge
State Weight Tax: Similar to the county tax, this operates on a sliding scale.
Vehicles under 4,000 pounds have a 1.75 cents per pound tax.
Vehicles between 4,001 and 7,000 pounds have a 2.00 cents per pound tax.
Vehicles between 7,001 and 10,000 pounds have a 2.25 cents per pound tax.
Any vehicle over 10,001 pounds will have a flat fee of $300.
THE BEST USED LUXURY CARS ON THE MARKET
Buying a used or CPO luxury car is one of the smartest buys you can make - you can get a lot of car for not much money. You can pick up a three-year-old luxury car for about half of what you’d pay new. Check out this list of the best used luxury cars on the market to find the best deals.
A fairly common misconception is that getting a vehicle shipped from the mainland US is a more efficient route to take. This likely isn’t the case unless you can get a GREAT deal on a used car that offsets the shipping costs.
Getting a car to Hawaii can take somewhere between 1-3 weeks and run about $1,500 (depending on your exporting location), and that’s before any shipping insurance, registration, and state taxes.
If you’ve bought a car before in a different state you’ll find that the experience of buying a car in Hawaii is pretty similar. Hawaii is a little unique in the fact that it is the only island group that’s a part of the US, and the taxes, fees, and actual department you work with can change from each individual island.
It might not be the easiest place to get to, but the state does a good job of making the process manageable for car buyers. While this might be a little tedious, it shouldn’t make the process significantly more challenging or time consuming. Just like other states it has its nuances and specific policies to follow but if you’ve read through this article you’ll be in great shape.
Get a Curated List of the Best Used Cars in Hawaii
The CoPilot car shopping app is the easiest way to buy a car. Tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll search the inventories of every dealership in your area to make you a personalized list of the best car listings in your area.
Only looking for newer models? CoPilot Compare is the search engine for nearly-new cars. Only see cars five years or newer with low mileage — CoPilot Compare is the best way to find off-lease, early trade-in, and CPO cars.
The best part? CoPilot is built using the same technology that dealerships use to buy and sell their inventories, so we have more info on each vehicle than competitors. CoPilot doesn’t work with dealerships, so there are no sponsored posts or other shady practices — just the most info on the best cars. Check out our About Us page to see how CoPilot works.
