I am interested in moving to hawaii and I had a few questions.... Availability of cheap camaros in decent shape? What island is the best to live on pricewise? Job availability? Average rent? What are the downfalls to living in what I would consider paradise? Does Hawaii have seasons and what temps are they on average? Emmisions testing? I do not have alot of money and would be starting over again with just a couple suitcases and about $6000. Would I be able to do it?

You Have Balls
I'd try to find a job first tho...just me

My girl has a job at Office Max and they say they can give her a transfer is she wants one and as far as me getting a job well I should be able to get one working at an oil change place or somthing relating to cars. I hope!

My responses in brackets [ ]. In addition to my comments above, I should tell you that I am leaving Hawaii because of the reasons above and relocating to Kingman, Arizona so I can go on road trips anywhere I please, etc, etc. Like you are considering, more than 30-years ago I moved to Hawaii from the mainland when I got out of the Army, finally done with Vietnam, and came here single, with a Porsche and a rocket in my pocket. Most places you'll live have maybe 3% "10's" but Hawaii has about 50% "10's" and that fact, along with the great food and friendly people made it my choice of places to live. Keep in mind that anything less than $100K income per couple will put you both in the poverty zone. Probably the most important thing to keep in mind is that living here is extremely isolated and expensive. Fortunately, I am retiring and don't have to consider working again. yes, my Camaros are coming with me, sorry....

I've seen an increase in the ammount of local 3rd gen's for sale recently, and the prices have been getting lower and lower. I'm assuming its due to the gas prices, or maybe people are finally deciding to sell. Few years ago I don't remember seeing many 91-92 Z28's for sale, recently it seems like there is one in the paper every week with under 100K miles for under $5,000. Prices can range from $500 fix er uppers to $8000 fully built cars. Here's an example of what I'm starting to consider common

Island Previews - Classified Ads

There is no emmisions testing in Hawaii, but we do have yearly safety inspections and the dreaded Recon or Reconstruction. The safety inspections are not bad, they just make sure all lights/signals work, tires have tread, no stickers on windshield, and tint is legal percentage (which is 35% +/- 6% in Hawaii). Recon however is a different story. It is considered by many as a "Hot Rod Tax". Recon applies to basically ANYTHING that is not stock, from wheels and tires to suspension, lights, even motor stuff and exhaust. If its not stock then you're supposed to have a Recon sticker. The fine for not having a sticker is $55 and its considered an equipment violation (not a moving violation). To get a sticker you need to goto the Recon Station and the techs will test the car. They make sure both liscense plates are 12" or higher from the ground, front lights are 22" or higher, suspension needs 2" of travel, no bigger then +2 on wheel sizes, current alignment with specs, tint is legal %, and exhaust note is below a certain DB limit (sometimes, not always). The reason people have a problem with Recon is because its a real pain to pass. It'll be different depending on which tech you end up with, some are cool, some are very uncool. Most of the people I know that are into modding their cars are against recon (me included), we refuse to get the sticker because we don't pass for whatever reason, and we pay the $55 fine whenever we get caught by the cops on the street. Not as bad as it sounds however, if you stay out of certain areas and don't speed/race then you're usually OK.

To me the biggest downside to Hawaii is the cost of living. Like Ed said, its really expensive here. The prices of homes has inflated over the past few years, average price is now around $500K, and this has also caused rent prices to go up. Cheap rent is 900-1200/mo, decent places are like 1800-3000/mo. Gas proces are pretty high as well, close to $3/gal for regular alot of times. Jobs really depends on what you do, some jobs are good here, some are not. Another thing that can be considered a downfall would be getting used to the local style of doing things. Because there are so many people and cultures in one place, its easy for misunderstandings to happen, and respect is a really big thing over here. Generally speaking if you don't disrespect anyone then you'll have no problems. But people that move here and act disrespectfull and/or cause trouble find themselves in really bad situations sometimes (talking about street fighting).

But to me the upsides of living in Hawaii far outweigh the downsides. Its expensive but I personally really like it (probably has to do with me being born and raised here). Oahu is the most populated island, so depends on what you want. Living on the outer islands like Maui or others have their advantages, depends on what you prefer (much quieter and laid back in those places). Watersports are a huge plus, if you like beaches or surfing/bodyboarding then this is the place for you. The nightlife is awesome in my opinion, lots of clubs and bars, and stuff. And like Ed said, lots of hotties. Also the food here ROCKS because there are so many different cultures here, american food, chinese, japanese, thai, korean, hawaiian, mexican, the list goes on and on and the best part is that everything is authentic. Trips to the outer islands are fairly cheap, going on a mini vacation in paradise is always a possibility. Unfortunately motorsports took a hit because our local track closed a few months ago. And to be honest its not looking good for any new tracks. Best bet for motorsports right now in Oahu Hawaii is to ship the cars to the outer islands and race there (both Maui and the Big Island have tracks).

Here's some links that might help you get familiar with Hawaii:

Local Newspaper - The Honolulu Advertiser - Hawaii's Newspaper Online
Local Newspaper - starbulletin.com | Hawaii's First Daily Online Newspaper | /2006/07/28/
Local News - www.thehawaiichannel.com
Local News - www.kgmb.com
Local Classifides - Island Previews - Listings & Reviews Of Fine Island Products

Thanx guys! and thanx Crazy I will check out all those links. Wow the jobs out there must pay good to pay rent like that! Average job round here pays 7-12 bux an hour and rent for a decent place is 700-900 bux a month.

pay here aint as good also....lol thats why alot of people cant make it and are barely making it...

Nope, most service-type jobs pay as little as possible. Hawaii is a very high cost of living area, which means businesses cut all expenses to the bone -- including payroll. Goods cannot be transported here by rail or truck, which means expensive air freight, unless time doesn't matter and then ships can deliver. There is also a cycle of poverty caused by increasingly higher prices that has gotten a lot worse in the past few years -- it has forced lower income people out of "good" neighborhoods into lesser desirable areas. Honestly, Hawaii has changed a lot for the worse in the past 10 years ... I don't advise people to move here unless they have family here they can sponge on, make at least $40K a year, or are in the military -- otherwise there's a good likelihood you'll end up in a neighborhood with crackheads breaking into your crib every week. Sort of takes the luster out of "living in paradise" but believe me, money talks in this town.

I think both Shawn and Ed have pretty well hit the nail on the head. The cost of living is high, but there are always the "perks" of "living in paradise". I like it here though now after 3 1/2 years am ready to move on. I am in the military and we do ok for ourselves, though my paid income still puts me below the poverty level with a wife and two kids. Again it all depends on what you really want. The whole laid back island attitude is great, but then there is rush hour traffic that blows. Sure it is not Los Angeles but the highways are much narrower too.
I am in no way trying to sway you, just giving you things to look at. I would definately try and have a job or atleast many interviews lined up before you get on the island though if at all possible. No matter what you decide to do, I wish you the best of luck if you do come. L8RS!
Dave

Thank you guys for the realistic look into living in hawaii. We do not live in a good neiborhood right now and that is what I want to escape. It looks like I will have some finances to figure out before thinking further about a move there. If I have any more questions I will ask you guys cause you will give it to me straight

Honestly, it's sad but living on Oahu has changed so much for the worse in the past 10 years that I can't recommend anyone moving here bare-bones unless their suitcases are stuffed with money. Best thing to do is come out here for a vacation and scope it out. Then you'll know if you wanna dive in to a little rich town in the middle of nowhere with great food, hotties, and all the social problems associated with living in a pressure cooker. FYI the Honolulu mayor wants to spend 3 billion bux to build a monorail system to ease transportation gridlock for the estimated 650,000 people in the Honolulu area living in 139 square miles. That's something like 4,500 people per square, a population density more than New York City. Oh, and keep in mind there's actually close to a million people living on Oahu [an island about 30 miles wide and 40 miles long] where the jobs are ... that's why it's gridlock city here. Man, I just can't wait to rev-up on Arizona highways!

Holy crap thats alot of people in such a small area!

Just FYI, traffic isn't really that bad. It's far from good or even decent, but unless there's an accident or road work (extremely likely) it's manageable.

Also, lots of roadwork here while we're on the subject. And it's not much more enjoyable without roadwork because of the crappy roads. Not the worst, but they could afford to fix a lot more of it if they threw a few billboards up. We don't need 100% ad-free roads if the roads are garbage to drive on. We just can't have the best of both worlds (great, smooth roads plus gorgeous ad-free scenery) on the whole island.

Also, you might want to forget how to drive because most of the population here never learned....

Seriously though, I like the advice about taking a trip down here first to see if you like it. For thousands of us, it's a tradeoff we can take. I would be just as happy living in the northwest, but for entirely different reasons. All it takes a nice drive around the island (without traffic) to melt away your issues. (And keep your eyes of the gas gauge while you do this!)

One last note- hawaii has the LOWEST unemployment rate in the nation.

Scott

[edit] Climate - upper 60's on a "cold" night to mid 90's on a "hot" day. NO SEASONAL CHANGE. Doesn't exist here. Go to the beach 365 days a year, give or take a couple!

I am thinking maybe I should go to school and pick up a trade before moving there. What are the success rates of new buisnesses down there. Maybe like a performance automotive shop? Would that even be worth it with no track any more?

Lack of a legal and safe racing venue would make that a bad investment.

Check out University of Hawaii System and look around for out-of-state dorm costs. Not the greatest but kills a couple birds with one stone. Sort of. Just trying to leave some options on the table for ya!

Resident costs for the (public) trade school was like $600 per semester + about $150 in books (per semester) + tools. I don't know exactly how the dorm system works since I live within 5 or 6 miles of 3 UH campuses.

K thanx for the link. Is everybody in Hawaii this kind helpful and straight forward? Im really diggin all the help you guys are giving me

People in Hawaii generally are more pleasant and easy-going than those in mainland cities. A case in point are some of the quirks of driving here, such as most people always giving the other driver the "right of way" and an almost unbelievable reluctance to use the horn -- even in the face of an impending head-on collision.

But I think the most important reason is here at TGO you're part of an extended family with a special interest that acts as a social binding force. As an example, the TGO people in Kingman, AZ have been extremely helpful with planning my move there, including purchasing a house and all the myriad of details of relocating. It's awesome!

It would take some getting used to most of the people here in wisconsin are as cold as the winters are

We might have a lasting venue for soloII. More reason to move/stay here.

Now we just need a roadcourse, dirt track, and dragstrip....

What is soloII?

Racing around cones in a parking lot. Here's the link: http://www.thirdgen.org/techboard/pa...a-stadium.html (SCCA at Aloha Stadium)

Oh yeah, and can't forget a dual mountain course for the drifters and hill climbers!