flownosaj
Flashlight Enthusiast
I've been given an opportunity to move to and work in Landstuhl Regional Army Medical Center, Germany for 3 years this upcoming Spring.
It means leaving behind my house and home, my friends at work and a fairly nice working environment. I'd have to move from here eventually--we had expected to stay here for 2-3 more years before the Army decided to uproot us.
My wife is working on obtaining a transfer to get over there a few months after I would.
We're thinking of renting out our house during that time and putting most of our things into storage. We may decide to return to the area after this move, but that's all dependent on the military. Due to the govt's base realignment and closures, we're expecting 8,000 additional troops in the next two years. We're just south of Colorado Springs and just to the east of Ft. Carson, so we're hoping that getting a renter will not be difficult.
My one big concern is what to do with my vehicle.
We wanted to sell my wife's car before moving and get a new one in Germany, but we're debating on what to do with my '04 Toyota 4Runner Limited.
The military allows free transport, but I honestly don't know if it would be worth it to just sell mine as well. It's not yet 2 years old, we still owe 3 years on it. What I could get in it's place for the remaining amount could be a very nice car.
With the price of gas, the premium for parking, better public transportation and not needing to haul things to the house, a small car seems to make more sense. The only thing I can think of is transporting my road and mountain bikes on my 4Runner's hitch rack. Are hitch racks even legal over there?
If we wind up buying two cars over there, what do we do when we get ready to return to the states? Can I take a European spec vehicle back to the states? Do I have to pay a butload of taxes? What about leasing a car for the 3 years so I don't have to worry about it?
I have no idea if we'd be living on the military post or somewhere in the surrounding area. I'm assuming that we'd be in a small 2 bedroom apartment or very small house. If anyone has any pointers on that, let me know.
Sorry if these questions seem so silly, but pretty much everyone I work with and around have been only stationed outside the US in places like Korea, Iraq and such (and had govt vehicles if any at all).
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It means leaving behind my house and home, my friends at work and a fairly nice working environment. I'd have to move from here eventually--we had expected to stay here for 2-3 more years before the Army decided to uproot us.
My wife is working on obtaining a transfer to get over there a few months after I would.
We're thinking of renting out our house during that time and putting most of our things into storage. We may decide to return to the area after this move, but that's all dependent on the military. Due to the govt's base realignment and closures, we're expecting 8,000 additional troops in the next two years. We're just south of Colorado Springs and just to the east of Ft. Carson, so we're hoping that getting a renter will not be difficult.
My one big concern is what to do with my vehicle.
We wanted to sell my wife's car before moving and get a new one in Germany, but we're debating on what to do with my '04 Toyota 4Runner Limited.
The military allows free transport, but I honestly don't know if it would be worth it to just sell mine as well. It's not yet 2 years old, we still owe 3 years on it. What I could get in it's place for the remaining amount could be a very nice car.
With the price of gas, the premium for parking, better public transportation and not needing to haul things to the house, a small car seems to make more sense. The only thing I can think of is transporting my road and mountain bikes on my 4Runner's hitch rack. Are hitch racks even legal over there?
If we wind up buying two cars over there, what do we do when we get ready to return to the states? Can I take a European spec vehicle back to the states? Do I have to pay a butload of taxes? What about leasing a car for the 3 years so I don't have to worry about it?
I have no idea if we'd be living on the military post or somewhere in the surrounding area. I'm assuming that we'd be in a small 2 bedroom apartment or very small house. If anyone has any pointers on that, let me know.
Sorry if these questions seem so silly, but pretty much everyone I work with and around have been only stationed outside the US in places like Korea, Iraq and such (and had govt vehicles if any at all).
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