It is easy to find a low mileage 2012 Mitsubishi EV in the US. Its easy to find one under 3000 miles. There are two trims: ES & SE. SE has a DVD player, GPS navigation, USB connection to audio, two charge ports, bluetooth capable and aluminum wheels. These cars are essentially new. Some were presumably bought strictly for the tax incentive and sold for a profit.
We found an SE for $12,000, with less than 800 miles, in Georgia. CarMax has locations nationwide. They ship from one to another for a fee. From Atlanta to Palm Beach its $300. Exporting to SXM in fall 2014 from Palm Beach cost $2000 and takes 4 to 5 days excluding a 3 day hold for US Customs. We wanted to buy this car while sitting in DC. No unneeded flying. Prior to paying the nonrefundable shipping charge, the salesman assured me that paperwork could be sent from their CarMax to one nearby for signature finalizations.
A few extras would be needed to cover eventualities like a flat tire or carrying extra luggage. This includes spare tires and a cargo hitch plus hitch mount. Window tinting is a must. CarMax will not add items to your car unless its a pre-approved third party. Be careful what you say to a car dealer. According to their rules, they must do the required export paperwork if you mention exporting is the fate of the car. This can save you in taxes registration fees in the US, but it can also take longer to process. Our dealer's estimation is 3 weeks.
If you decide to tell the salesman that you are exporting, be sure to get a manager involved. Salesmen tend to be only familiar with the basics. And exporting is not a basic action in a dealership, even near a port. Our experience has been a comedy of errors due to this lack of knowledge. A manager got involved, but administrators at CarMax headquarters will be required to complete the export process. It makes one wonder what the need is for a salesperson at CarMax in this instance.
CarMax salesmen's flippant nature to sending passports and driver's licenses electronically is disconcerting. If you are familiar with computer security, internet privacy or have just read about hacked celebrity nude photos from Apple's cloud, you should be wary of sending personal federal documents online. They should be encrypted. Email is no different than sending a postcard by regular mail. It is easy to see the contents. Sending something protected is easy from many sources. Send secure Dropbox links which you can set the time length of access. Have the sender and recipient install respected encryption software to encrypt one one end and decrypt on the other.
IDs are not fax friendly items. This is one option they gave for starting the paperwork process. They found out that color photos do not come out via fax. Their only other option besides USPS was to send photo images of my ID by email. After expressing hesitation, they reiterated their secure and professional corporate habits. They didn't seem to hear my explanation of the lack of security before it gets to their inbox.
As of Monday, September 29, 2014, the corporate office in Richmond, Virginia, has been quick with processing our documentation securely. The process of purchase negotiation started September 21, 2014 after a test drive by a trusted party in Miami. The main office has quoted 4 weeks for everything to be completed. Tropical shipping has quoted 4 to 5 days for travel. Customs require a 3 day hold prior to the car leaving port.