Best Place for an Old Car Guy to Retire?

[victorialynn2]

1 hour ago, Pfeil said:

 

 

That census is old and a lot has changed in Ca.

Please site your sources with links that back up your claims. I for one would really like to see stats specifically about retirees. It’s a topic I’m interested in no matter what the reality is. Thanks. 

Edited November 11, 2019 by victorialynn2 (see edit history)

[STEVE POLLARD]

3 hours ago, SC38DLS said:

Six months ago we moved to Aiken S C the cost of housing is great, taxes again a third of KY, weather is very good. Warm but not overly hot. Akin is in a higher area and we have a breeze most evenings. Car culture is ok especially for A’s and model T’s. 2 hours from ocean, two and a half hours from Atlanta, golf courses everywhere

Just checked out Zillow for that area...some really nice homes !

 

Steve

[mike6024]

Sure is

 

http://www.zillow.com/aiken-sc/houses/

 

$154,900

 

[nick8086]

I saw something on the web  an old guy sold all  his stuff and moved into a holiday inn. Cost was 65.00 a day..

 

free breakfast

free shuttle

free cable

senior discount

long term stay  discount..

Pool

gym.

 

It was 180 less than the nursing home..

 

If he had  a Visa  Hotel point, even better..

 

I know I have points to stay 8 month for  free if a want to burn them... 

 

It is cheap to pay 2K - the homes run around 9k a month..

 

 

 

Edited November 11, 2019 by nick8086 (see edit history)

[Frank DuVal]

Mike, I see nothing to complain about on that menu. Sounds delicious!👍

 

It also looks like every northern Virginia restaurant menu that wants to attract the younger crowd. The ones under 70!😁

 

I just ate at the Tyson's Corner location of:

 

https://www.wearefoundingfarmers.com/menus/

 

Did the money I just spent get back to North Dakota yet?😂 My fork said I helped support 45,000 farmers there. North Dakota Farmer's Union.

 

I will say the blue cheeseburger was very very good! ☺️

 

$154,900, that's less than I will have in materials and labor in building a 2200 sq ft house with full basement (not counting land) here in Virginia!!!!!!!!!!😡

[padgett]

Multi-car garages are harder to find anywhere though a 30x40 or 40x60 outbuilding is fairly common.

[Buffalowed Bill]

OK Padgett you have me hooked, sign me up I'm coming down! Just kidding so don't worry, I'm happy where I live. Over fifty years ago, after graduating from college, I committed to where I grew up. I was fortunate that where I grew up just happens to be a very special place. My choice then was to find a place that I wanted to live and let everything else take care of itself. It just happened that I lived in that place. Happiness is a mindset, and chasing after some pie in the sky when I retired, just seemed like a waste of my time. 

 

Throughout my seventy five years I've been fortunate to do a good deal of traveling. I consider myself a good traveler, because I can find things of value wherever I go. I've seen some really nice places in the US and Canada, and around the world. No place that I have been made me doubt my long ago decision. I did a google search and found the round table discussion, that seemed to speak to my feeling on retirement.

Bill

https://www.cnbc.com/2015/11/06/most-retirees-stay-put-but-those-who-move-head-here.html

[mike6024]

I've never been to Florida. I get the impression it is like Orange County California. Spread out, lots of 4-lane boulevards, malls, strip malls. I lived in Anaheim Hills for a few years.

[SC38dls]

Steve the houses in Aiken are a good deal but they sell quickly and for close to asking price if priced right. There are a few we looked at that were way over priced but that just made the others more attractive. We ended up with a 3 bedroom 2 1/2 bath family room, living, dining and an all weather porch 2800 sq ft with a two car garage and fully landscaped yard on a golf course for a great price. Taxes are 1100 a year. Thats a third of what we paid in KY. Our old 5 acre 3600 sq ft house in Illinois now pays 19,000 a year, when we left they were 9000. 

Aiken is nice besides affordable. We are enjoying the weather and no snow. 

Have fun

Dave S 

[padgett]

errr Mike, while there are places that are "thickly settled" most of it is uninhabited. Have said before that going south from metro Orlando (ST. Cloud) on the turnpike there are two service plazas and one exit (Yeehaw Junction) in the 100+ miles to Ft. Pierce.

 

This time of the year we have lots of land with Cypress trees to sell to the Yankees.

[Pfeil]

5 hours ago, mike6024 said:

I've never been to Florida. I get the impression it is like Orange County California. Spread out, lots of 4-lane boulevards, malls, strip malls. I lived in Anaheim Hills for a few years.

 

 I would suggest that you google the average yearly temp for Florida against Orange County Ca. and they you will see the difference. Pay particular attention to similar temps and their corresponding humidity readings. Humidity, or lack of makes all the difference in comfortability.  

[trimacar]

Remember that San Francisco is about the same latitude as New York City, tempered only by proximity to large mass of water.

 

Florida is much further south.  I agree on checking humidity, being from Louisiana, 90 degrees isn't awful unless it's 100% humidity, you sweat but no place for it to go....

Edited September 8, 2020 by trimacar (see edit history)

[Frank DuVal]

2 hours ago, trimacar said:

San Francisco is about the same longitude as New York City

 

Um Latitude is 3 degrees different, but longitude is 48 degrees different, that's three time zones.☺️ Aren't both cities next to large bodies of water, called oceans?

 

Yep, humidity is way different in these cities!

[padgett]

Biggest difference is if the large body of salt water is to the east you get a lot of rust. If to the west, notso.

 

ps if you have humidity, ,air conditioners work well, if not swamp coolers do same. My issue is that without some humidity I wake up with a sore throat every morning (when travelling west I used to just leave the shower on max hot for a while).

Edited November 12, 2019 by padgett (see edit history)

[Pfeil]

30 minutes ago, padgett said:

Biggest difference is if the large body of salt water is to the east you get a lot of rust. If to the west, notso.

 

ps if you have humidity, ,air conditioners work well, if not swamp coolers do same. My issue is that without some humidity I wake up with a sore throat every morning (when travelling west I used to just leave the shower on max hot for a while).

The prevailing winds on the west coast are onshore and the prevailing winds on the east coast are offshore. I grew up and surfed the Santa Monica bay for over 50 years. To surfers you really don't need a weatherman to know the winds. Generally the prevailing winds are from the ocean on the west coast and the east coast offshore. That means on the west coast, even 5 miles inland you can smell the ocean. That's not to say the west coast does not have offshore winds, in fact in the evenings after the prevailing winds die down and stop when the sea and air temps are the same the whole things turn around in the early hours of the morning because the sea is now warmer than the land-heat rises and the cold air over the land fills this low pressure. Us surfers like this because it makes the waves smoother and hold the faces up longer so we can get better and cleaner tube rides, but always, and Santa Ana conditions aside the wind always turns to onshore flow about 10:00 A.M.

 

 

 

 I think the problem with rust has a lot more to do with what is put on the road after snow which is something that almost never happens on the west coast.

 

Speaking of what is put on the road. Salt on the road is bad enough, but adding small chards of gravel or cinder along with salt is the worst thing you can do. The gravel or cinder first chips the paint, and then the salt can do the damage. 

[Vila]

63RedBrier

 

The best fit for you in retirement will depend on numerous factors:

1.  Do you like mild weather with just a few weeks that are hot mid summer and cold for 3 months in the winter or extremely hot most of the year with milder winters.

2.  We all want to live in a state with low taxes.  Some have State income taxes on every form of income to include retirement and Social Security that will kill you but not much else, some have no state income taxes on any form of income but other taxes (sales tax, property taxes, etc.) that will kill you, and last are the states that may have moderate taxes in some categories that are tolerable and none in others you can live with.

3.  Cost of Living. Take in to account things like the cost of housing, utilities, food, auto insurance on your daily drivers, etc.

4.  I generally drive my antique cars from mid March thru early November, and that gives me time to do other home projects like painting a room or two in the house, rebuilding some car parts in the shop in my basement, etc over the winter

 

I live 25 minutes from Hershey Pa and 15 minutes from the Carlisle Fair Grounds and would not move anywhere else.  I grow up 15 minutes from where I currently  live and plan on retiring, except for 8 years of active duty Air Force from 1972 to 1980 where I lived in Texas, Colorado, Northern Maine, Texas again, California (two locations), New Hampshire, and Washington state in that order.  The only one of those states I would ever consider moving to is New Hampshire, except is gets a little to cold for me in the winter.

 

I like PA because:

1. It does not have extremely hot weather, we have 4 distinct seasons.

2.  Each year PA is usually listed as one of the 10 states for the lowest taxes on retirees.  I like that, I don't like subsidizing the government.

3.  Moderate cost of living.  The cost of everything listed above is in the reasonable range.

4.  Places like Lancaster PA has been listed as one of the top 10 towns to live in for the entire US the last few years.

 

So where you choose to live should depend on what best fits your personal tastes, and of course LOW TAXES.  I would make a list of what is important to you and do some research on each category to see which state has the best fit.

[padgett]

All I know is that once I returned to the Cape (Canaveral) after a TDY and my Red car was white. Cars that live within 5 miles of the east coast (NC through FLA that I know of) develop upper body rust (e.g. around the rear windows) resulting from a combination of salt air and night sky radiation (why dew forms). Have seen pitting on shift levers. Cars from areas with salt on the roads (Michigan, Indiana, Ohio) have low body and floor rust. Orlando has neither.

 

ps cars driven in the surf will loose chassis integrity within three years. I cringe every time a nice car driven on a salt water beach on TV.

Edited November 12, 2019 by padgett (see edit history)

[trimacar]

On 11/11/2019 at 11:49 PM, Frank DuVal said:

 

Um Latitude is 3 degrees different, but longitude is 48 degrees different, that's three time zones.☺️ Aren't both cities next to large bodies of water, called oceans?

 

Yep, humidity is way different in these cities!

I misspoke....meant latitude....

[John348]

On 11/12/2019 at 1:13 PM, Vila said:

So where you choose to live should depend on what best fits your personal tastes, and of course LOW TAXES.  I would make a list of what is important to you and do some research on each category to see which state has the best fit.

 

Well said..........

 

It took 9 pages to point out that everyone has different personal needs, and what is best for them is not the best for everyone else. After reading some of the replies I would swear some of you are in real estate sales

[mike6024]

 

My backyard and my Cat. And the cat's mom.

 

[Mark Gregory]

Saw this headline today

 

Almost 1,000 people move to Florida EVERY DAY as families abandon northern cities like New York, New Jersey and Connecticut - with home sales more than doubling in some parts of the Sunshine State

• Home sales in some parts of Florida have more than doubled since the pandemic 
• Roughly 950 move to Florida a day and many come from high-tax Northern cities like New York, New Jersey and Connecticut 
• In Palm Beach County new single-family home contracts over $1million saw a 268% increase compared to last year 
• The wealthy end of the market swelled 'across the major markets of South Florida' as well as Tampa and St. Pete since the start of the pandemic
• Experts say many people are still moving to the Sunshine State fearing that a second wave of COVID-19 could hit with flu season 

[padgett]

Please go home this is a terrible place to live. Can barely afford my cars/cats.

 

It is hard to find a big enough coffee cup

 

Actually that picture in the previous post by Mike6024 is of my mug. And cat.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 7, 2020 by padgett (see edit history)

[BucketofBolts]

It sure is not California. California has about 7,000 people a day move out. Yes, about the same move into CA  a day but the ones leaving have money to bring with them. SOUTH CAROLINA has I think the best deals on registration of old cars. Further, the property is affordable. However, the humid conditions can be problematic.  

[TTR]

Lifelong real (vintage) car guy here and choosing a place to live, the most important factors/requirements for me are and has always been easy and plentiful, preferably year-round, access to great driving roads and (my) shop. Everything else is secondary.

Fortunate to have found a wife who understands/tolerates and is willing to accommodate accordingly. She has her house, 30+ year local career (though looking to retire within a year or two) hobbies, sisters living nearby, circle of close friends she grew up with, etc and we’re quite content with our chosen location, but should we someday choose to relocate, she knows my above “requirements” are something I won’t compromise..

Edited September 8, 2020 by TTR (see edit history)

[capngrog]

California is definitely the place to locate for retirement.  One can drive from the beach to the ski (snow) slopes in half a day.  World class cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles attract the best of our society ... unmatched by other urban centers.  Florida is full of swamps, mosquitoes, alligators, no see-ums, bats, sink holes,  hurricanes, tornadoes, red tide, etc.  It's a wonder that anyone survives more than a year down here.  Florida is hazardous to one's health and well-being ... nobody survives the experience.

 

California's the place to be.

 

Cheers,

Grog

[Bush Mechanic]

6 minutes ago, capngrog said:

California is definitely the place to locate for retirement.  One can drive from the beach to the ski (snow) slopes in half a day.  World class cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles attract the best of our society ... unmatched by other urban centers.  Florida is full of swamps, mosquitoes, alligators, no see-ums, bats, sink holes,  hurricanes, tornadoes, red tide, etc.  It's a wonder that anyone survives more than a year down here.  Florida is hazardous to one's health and well-being ... nobody survives the experience.

 

California's the place to be.

 

Cheers,

Grog

 

 

Loud and clear.

[TTR]

9 hours ago, capngrog said:

. One can drive from the beach to the ski (snow) slopes in half a day.

Beach, desert, mountains, world class entertainment/dining, etc, not to mention more car events/collections/shows than anywhere in the world, etc. all accessible within one hour drive from where I sit, 12 months a year, but I’m not complaining.

I just wish more would move elsewhere, but unfortunately it doesn’t seem to happen fast enough...

Edited September 8, 2020 by TTR (see edit history)

[8E45E]

My plan is to move to Vancouver Island in the not too distant future.  Not in Victoria, but northwards a little ways on the island.

 

Some think my intention is to move "up in the world", but that is NOT the case with me.  All I want is a comparable size house and garage & shop on a comparable sized lot in a similar neighborhood.  I am happy and content with the size and square footage of my home and garage as it is. (If I could airlift my house & garage to a lot in a decent neighborhood somewhere Vancouver Island, I'd be satisfied.)  

 

The big difference for me with a move is one doesn't have to shovel rain!

 

Craig

Edited September 8, 2020 by 8E45E (see edit history)

[TTR]

15 hours ago, TTR said:

Beach, desert, mountains, world class entertainment/dining, etc, not to mention more car events/collections/shows than anywhere in the world, etc. all accessible within one hour drive from where I sit, 12 months a year, but I’m not complaining.

I just wish more would move elsewhere, but unfortunately it doesn’t seem to happen fast enough...

... and while I’m fortunate(?) not having to deal with (daily) traffic congestions so common around here and prefer enjoy my driving pleasures on the (plentiful) roads less traveled, during hours which they’re even less so, I find this virus making my (limited) road use better by having to deal with a lot less inept drivers usually cluttering the roads & streets around here.

Edited September 8, 2020 by TTR (see edit history)

[padgett]

Did I mention that since Florida has no income tax (not enough people with an income), Politicians have to find other ways to raise money (and they are very good at it). "New residents" are socked the most. For instance each car brought into the state is subject to a "$225 Initial Registration Fee " in addition to all other fees. Total to import & license a car is about $400. Each. Proof of insurance by VIN is needed. And that is if you can get an appointment

[John348]

43 minutes ago, padgett said:

Did I mention that since Florida has no income tax (not enough people with an income), Politicians have to find other ways to raise money (and they are very good at it). "New residents" are socked the most. For instance each car brought into the state is subject to a "$225 Initial Registration Fee " in addition to all other fees. Total to import & license a car is about $400. Each. Proof of insurance by VIN is needed. And that is if you can get an appointment

 

There is no income tax (for now) because there is a surcharge tax on the tourism admission fees, hotel rooms, and car rentals.

 

The initial registration fee is not that bad and was worth it for me to register almost all of my cars in Florida as opposed to NYS for the long term. If you are playing with $1000 used cars it might be a tad expensive, but otherwise I find it to be a good deal

Edited September 8, 2020 by John348 (see edit history)

[padgett]

All of my plates are in use & garage is full no so no more cars.

Guess you missed the point of the current thread.

[TTR]

OTOH, I've never given much thought to retirement and when that day comes, I really don't care what is done with or where my corpse will end up in.

In the meanwhile, I just keep enjoying vintage cars by driving & working on them, along with few other pleasures life has to offer.

 

Edited September 8, 2020 by TTR (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

On 9/18/2019 at 2:36 PM, 63RedBrier said:

In the next six months to three years I plan on retiring... 

 

Red Brier Greg, can you give us an update on

your retirement plans?  Did you decide yet?

 

For us who follow the topic, we'd be interested

in hearing your progress.  We're rooting for you to 

find a satisfying home, a productive retirement,

in a beautiful and easy-to-afford location!

[JimKB1MCV]

Here's a small news flash-

 

  Theres a bunch of New York and New Jersey folks who seem to be coming the other way.

The yellow-black NY plates are becoming much more common in Maine this summer.

 

I'm not sure if they are visiting or settling, and the winter may discourage them, time will tell.

 

We do live in interesting times.

[63RedBrier]

Hi, John/All!  At the end of this month I will be exactly 2 years from retiring!  I CAN'T WAIT!  Currently I am only actually going in to the office one day per week, the balance teleworking...  So, I am getting a good taste of what retirement is all about!  Last fall I started installing a new roof on my home.  It was much more involved than I thought.  I added an extra rafter between the original 24" on center rafters on the addition to the house to take the "spring" out of walking on the roof, replaced some sheathing, re-insulated, etc...  Currently, I'm about 1/3 way done replacing the fascia and gutters (with guards!).  So, I'm calling the roof my Pandemic Roof!  I've also been sorting, combining, labeling, trashing, recycling, parts/supplies in the garage/basement/sheds.  The reason I write all this is to show that I am preparing with plenty of time, so there is not a mad dash the week before putting the house on the market.  A house just sold a few houses up from ours and they had NINE offers the first weekend, so it's a sellers market in Alexandria!  My wife and I have made a few weekend trips to various areas we are considering.  I'm a Penn State grad and we stayed in and loved Bellefonte PA, but just a little too far from family.  Looked at a great house in Spotsylvania VA, not too far from Frank DuVal, with a spectacular garage, but the house itself needed everything!  Kitchen, baths, floors, driveway, etc., I'm done with that...  Also spent a weekend looking at four homes in/near Staunton VA, loved two, one was not quite up to our standards, and the other while historic, just needed too much work/maintenance.  I spend an equal amount of time looking at OldHouseDreams, in addition to the AACA forums(!), some great houses pop up in York and Carlisle PA, but the taxes are outrageous ($17k in York!)!  I'm not paying more than I do now 10 miles outside WDC.  The hunt continues for both a retirement home and a possible part-time "old car oriented" job!  I need to look into possibly buying now, using the equity we have in our home of 20 years, and slowly moving over the next two years.  Anyone is welcome to PM me with ideas.  Stay tuned...  Thanks!  Greg 

[John_S_in_Penna]

28 minutes ago, 63RedBrier said:

...some great houses pop up in York and Carlisle PA, but the taxes are outrageous ($17k in York)!  

 

Thanks for the update, Greg, and it is good to hear

your accomplishments.  Property taxes aren't low in

Pennsylvania, but if you are looking at a property

with taxes of $17,000, it must be very large and exceptional.

(It probably has the value of a ranch house in the District of

Columbia.)  Instead, figure $6000-7000 for an upper-middle

class house typically. 

 

York is more built-up and has more than its share of crime.

Carlisle, Penna. is a beautiful town with an exceptional

historic district, and plenty of antique-car activities.

Boiling Springs, Penna. is close by and has nice historic

houses circling a picturesque small lake. 

 

Do you prefer a house in the country on several acres,

or an in-town location?  Do you want outbuildings for storage?

Here is what $475,000 can buy you in Carlisle:  A large

historic house with a 3-car garage, but on a main street in town:

 

Edited September 9, 2020 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[63RedBrier]

I have looked (on-line) at the house above many times...  The taxes are $8535!  I could place a bet that in 5-10 years, the same house will have a $12k a year tax bill!  I would prefer a house in the country on 5-10 WOODED acres!  Not spending my

 retirement MOWING!  I could also live in a small historic town, but I need a garage/building/shop to handle 6-8 vehicles...  I would consider an in town house if I can walk to a garage close by which would require two purchases, two tax bills, two sets of utilities...  

[John_S_in_Penna]

In the vicinity of Carlisle, garages for rent can be

easily found for $75 or less per month.  Looking

harder, $50 a month is possible, as one man with

a 20-car former horse barn charges.  So if you don't

want to own the property and the garage, you

can still enjoy the hobby affordably. 

Edited September 9, 2020 by John_S_in_Penna (see edit history)

[John_Mereness]

Expensive and a pain in the XXX, but for fun car overload the Los Angeles area is GREAT !!!