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Since we had decided to purchase a Fifth Wheel type of RV we needed to procure a truck for towing. From reading RV magazines it seemed the choice was between a Ford and a Dodge. This was confirmed by nearly all RV dealers when we visited Washington & Oregon on a fact finding holiday.
We had decided to buy a Sunnybrook Fifth Wheel and so we needed to buy a tow truck. We decided on a Ford F250 or F350 as they would allow a good safety margin for towing the weight of the Fifth Wheel. Should we have Petrol or Diesel? Should we have 4 wheel drive? How do we cope with Car/Truck dealers in the USA? Salvation was at hand!
We asked various companies, one of whom was Pickfords, for a quote for shipping our household effects to the USA. Pickfords introduced us to a company called International Autosource.
The big three US vehicle manufacturers (GM, Ford,Chrysler) allow members of the expatriate or Foreign National community to purchase a vehicle at factory base price (no dealer mark-up). Sounds too good to be true? Well it is true but you must order and pay a deposit before entering the USA. You specify what vehicle, what options, what colour, where you want to collect it and what finance arrangements. The consultant at International Autosource can help with information regarding the vehicle you choose although for a specialist application like we had (truck for towing Fifth Wheel) we needed expert advice from elsewhere. Our original intention had been to purchase a 2 year old truck but with this deal we could afford a new truck for the same price and no dealer hassle!
We only found out about International Autosource in February/March and it takes between 6 and 12 weeks for delivery in the USA. We would be arriving in April and would need to hire a car for the first few weeks. Had we known earlier we could have had the truck waiting and saved the car hire cost. We corresponded with Autosource by telephone and FAX. They were very reliable and phoned when they said they would, fulfilled all their promises and generally were a dream to do business with. Since we knew little about US Trucks (the magazines etc. were a technical/buzzword minefield to us) we telephoned Sunnnybrook RV dealers in Oregon and asked what equipment we required on our truck to tow a Sunnybrook Fifth wheel. These guys were really great and spent some time giving us the information we required.
Now the nervewracking part of the experience we ordered a Ford F350 truck by phone and FAX, paid a deposit of $750 and we hadn't even seen it! We arranged to have it delivered to Eugene Oregon. They said it would be delivered to the local Ford dealer and we should be able to collect it by May 3rd.
They kept us informed of progress all the way, Truck left factory, Truck on railway system, Truck arrives in Eugene on April 27th. When we call at Kendall Ford (local Ford dealer) the truck has no rear bumper? This is an option? we are astounded! Carey Walters of Kendall Ford says look we can fit one for you and you can pick the truck up tomorrow. We decide we have done very well out of this deal and won't make any fuss we will pay the $334.70 bill. Have a previously arranged call with Gail Wynter at Autosource and in conversation mention the rear bumper casually. She is equally astounded that it is an option! She calls back later that day to inform us that Autosource feel somewhat responsible for the problem and will reimburse the difference between what the dealer is charging and what we would have paid had we ordered via Autosource!
We eventually settled on a Ford F350 petrol (Gasoline) truck as it was $2000 cheaper than an F250 Diesel We decided we had no need for 4 wheel drive (extra $4000) as we didn't really feel we wanted to go Off road with our fifth wheel and the truck solo would cope with forest roads just fine. We ordered the most luxurious interior package for comfort as this was to be our Car as well as a tow vehicle. Two items are worth further comment:
International Autosource - This company is a dream to do business with. In an age where Customer Care has become a corporate buzz word but not a company fact, many so called "caring companies could learn a lot by studying their performance. If we had not experienced it personally we would have been a bit sceptical. We cannot praise or thank them enough for their professional yet friendly handling of the whole deal.
Ford F350 Truck - A pleasure to drive when towing or solo. If only it wasn't so big, and guzzled petrol we would bring it home with us at the end of our trip.
All states require the Truck to be licensed (Taxed in UK terms) and display a license plate. The cost varies from state to state. Oregon charges a fee of $43 for 2 years! The cost of licenses vary across states (Oregon one of the cheapest) but we read that it is best to have Address, Driving, Tow vehicle and RV licenses all from the same state. Many states will not issue licenses unless you have a resident address in that state.
There are numerous companies which provide truck insurance but only a few who will insure drivers with no USA driving history. The two major RV'ing organizations have their favoured companies, offering discounts to members but they would not entertain us. We arranged our Truck and RV insurance through an Insurance broker in Oregon (Miller Insurance Agency). When you do not have any USA driving history insurance is very expensive. The first essential is a USA driving license - when only one of us had a USA license they would have charged us $200 extra, but Linda passed her test just before the insurance was needed. Miller managed to obtain a reduction in our insurance on production of a letter from our UK insurance company showing our clean driving record.
This is probably the most important piece of paper you will collect in the USA! It allows you to drive in the USA, it reduces car/truck insurance significantly, it is accepted as proof of identification for paying for goods by cheque and proof of residence. Although at first we were led to believe we would not need to take a test this turned out to be untrue. Because of the misleading information we delayed in taking our test and this caused some problems of identification when trying to arrange some other things.
The test in Oregon consists of two parts - a theory test with multiple choice answers (pretty easy) and a practical test lasting approximately 20 minutes. This was mainly concerned with manouvering the vehicle, around turns, at lights, in lanes and attention to pedestrians and hazards (railway crossings etc.). It was more about emphasizing use of mirrors and looking in blind spots etc. On passing we were issued with a license valid for 3/5 years depending on your age. Cost was less than $30.
Hyperlinks that may be of interest:
AUTOSOURCE
Email - intlauto@aol.com
Phone - 516 496 1816
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