Hawaiian License Plates in NY‽

August 20, 2011 4:14 PM

I just got back from a 500 mile road trip on the New York Thruway. Spotted three cars with Hawaiian license plates. I have never seen one before. Obviously, they didn't drive to the mainland. Two were older cars, mid-ninety's econoboxes, one a big SUV. About how much would it cost to ship a car from the islands, or did they just bring their plates and buy a car locally?
posted by Marky to Travel & Transportation (13 answers total)

They may have been military personnel. Members of the military are entitled to register their autos in their home state, regardless of where they are stationed.
posted by buggzzee23 at 4:32 PM on August 20, 2011 [5 favorites]

I think the most common reason for this is military personnel. Generally, when you move, you have a couple months or so to re-register your car in your new state, but military families may be entitled to a longer period or may be entitled to keep their "home" registration while on assignment elsewhere. I believe the military will pay to ship a car over under certain circumstances as well when personnel are re-assigned.

Three cars in a trip like that is unusual certainly. Were they all near a military base of some sort by any chance?
posted by zachlipton at 4:33 PM on August 20, 2011

Here is information from the California DMV pertaining to military personnel and vehicle registration
posted by buggzzee23 at 4:35 PM on August 20, 2011

And it seems like it's about $1000 to ship a car from the West Coast to Hawaii. That Pasha Hawaii site is quoting $2,190 from Honolulu to Baltimore, though you could also do the cross-country drive yourself or find a cheaper option for that segment if the government wasn't paying for it.
posted by zachlipton at 4:41 PM on August 20, 2011

I had a car shipped from Hawaii to San Francisco in 2005 and it was $800.
posted by paddingtonb at 4:55 PM on August 20, 2011

And it seems like it's about $1000 to ship a car from the West Coast to Hawaii. That Pasha Hawaii site is quoting $2,190 from Honolulu to Baltimore, though you could also do the cross-country drive yourself or find a cheaper option for that segment if the government wasn't paying for it.

I know someone who did this cross-country drive last week for just that reason.
posted by grouse at 5:00 PM on August 20, 2011

Yep, there's a big submarine base up there near where you where and the only other major port for subs is in Hawaii. You saw some submariners. And to answer the second part, the Navy ships their vehicles and household goods.
posted by snsranch at 5:03 PM on August 20, 2011

I have friends who moved to Hawaii less than a year ago - per discussions with them, shipping cost is by-weight. Their car was trucked across the US (from VA to CA) and then shipped from there - total cost was ~$1500 (this was for a hyundai sedan).

The process was apparently very painless, according to them.
posted by namewithoutwords at 5:04 PM on August 20, 2011

snsranch: "Yep, there's a big submarine base up there near where you where and the only other major port for subs is in Hawaii. You saw some submariners. And to answer the second part, the Navy ships their vehicles and household goods."

There is a sub base in NY? There is one in Groton, CT, but that is not near the NY Thruway. There is a large air base in upstate NY. Was in the ADK last week when some A-10's buzzed the lake I was fishing. Pretty neat show. Also blame them for scaring the fish away.
posted by JohnnyGunn at 6:17 PM on August 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

Interesting! I live in Brooklyn and I saw an SUV with a Hawaii state plate. I haven't seen it recently, but I live right near Fort Hamilton, so it must be a military personnel, I always wondered! Thanks!
posted by Yellow at 6:28 PM on August 20, 2011

$1075 Long Beach California to HI.
My previous askme.
posted by SLC Mom at 7:17 PM on August 20, 2011

There's New London Submarine Base in Connecticut, and of course there's Pearl Harbor Naval Base in Hawaii, which could tie together Navy submariners; but Hawaii also has Ft. Schafer (Army) and a few others, which could mean transfered Army personnel to Ft. Drum or Ft. Hamilton or West Point in NY, one of the bases up in New Hampshire (sorry I can't recall the names offhand) or even Ft. Dix/Monmouth AFB in NJ.
posted by easily confused at 7:44 PM on August 20, 2011 [1 favorite]

My Louisiana-born-and-raised cousin still has Alaska tags on both his cars from when he was stationed there, a few years and two posts later. Military folks can tag their cars pretty much anywhere they have or have had a connection to.
posted by wierdo at 8:49 PM on August 20, 2011