JLee's AZ move thread (ETA August 2011)

[Bignate603]

I live near Mesa, we looked at some houses over there when we were in the market for a new place. There are some real deals on homes but most of the really cheap ones were cheap for a reason. For some reason people did some very strange additions and things to their homes. That being said, if you keep on looking around you should be able to find something that's decent for under 100k.

If you have any doubts about the towing capability of your subaru I'd suggest changing your route. If you're going through Santa Rosa NM that makes me think you're going through the northern route, through Flagstaff. Going from Flagstaff down to Phoenix is pretty mountainous, you lose more than a mile of altitude. That could be pretty rough on your car while towing, especially with the summer heat.

You can either turn south at Albuquerque to get down to the I-10 and come through Tucson to avoid most of the mountains (adds and extra 150 miles) or to avoid the mountains completely go south down to Fort Worth and pick up the I-20 West which will connect with the I-10 to bring you to Tucson (extra 300 miles). You'll burn more gas but an extra tank of gas is much cheaper than damaging your car.

Also, just and FYI. When I moved out here I found it was cheaper to buy a cheap van than it was to rent a truck.

 

[CycloWizard]

I'd recommend crossing the Mississippi rather than staying on the east side overnight. Unless you plan on leaving very early in the morning (before 7) or late (after 10), you'll sit in traffic to cross the river. If you drive an extra 20 minutes late at night and make it to southwest St. Louis county, you should be able to find a hotel which is as cheap and save an hour or more on the road. Assuming you're coming in on I-70, which should be quicker than I-64, you won't go directly through Belleville anyway (Collinsville is the equivalent on I-70). I've made the drive you're making before almost exactly, though I started in VT then went up to Vegas before ending in LA. Also, make sure you gas up before hitting the road between Amarillo and Albuquerque - the gas stations in Cuervo aren't open after dark. 😛

 

[olds]

Have Mosh drive the MR2 or is she taking her own car/stuff?

 

[jlee]

make sure to check other places besides Uhaul. Uhaul is the biggest ripoff out there and has the shittiest trucks. Try pricing it with Penske and see.

I did that a while ago - with Penske, I can get a better truck (diesel FTW) and save about $500. Penske trucks also have CD players...still sucks having no aux input, but it's better than AM/FM only!

Truck won't have a weight problem then either, and it should tow your Subaru just fine.

Has your pickup sold yet?

No :\ I may resort to eBay.

I'd recommend crossing the Mississippi rather than staying on the east side overnight. Unless you plan on leaving very early in the morning (before 7) or late (after 10), you'll sit in traffic to cross the river. If you drive an extra 20 minutes late at night and make it to southwest St. Louis county, you should be able to find a hotel which is as cheap and save an hour or more on the road. Assuming you're coming in on I-70, which should be quicker than I-64, you won't go directly through Belleville anyway (Collinsville is the equivalent on I-70). I've made the drive you're making before almost exactly, though I started in VT then went up to Vegas before ending in LA. Also, make sure you gas up before hitting the road between Amarillo and Albuquerque - the gas stations in Cuervo aren't open after dark. 😛

Good to know - thanks!

I live near Mesa, we looked at some houses over there when we were in the market for a new place. There are some real deals on homes but most of the really cheap ones were cheap for a reason. For some reason people did some very strange additions and things to their homes. That being said, if you keep on looking around you should be able to find something that's decent for under 100k.

If you have any doubts about the towing capability of your subaru I'd suggest changing your route. If you're going through Santa Rosa NM that makes me think you're going through the northern route, through Flagstaff. Going from Flagstaff down to Phoenix is pretty mountainous, you lose more than a mile of altitude. That could be pretty rough on your car while towing, especially with the summer heat.

You can either turn south at Albuquerque to get down to the I-10 and come through Tucson to avoid most of the mountains (adds and extra 150 miles) or to avoid the mountains completely go south down to Fort Worth and pick up the I-20 West which will connect with the I-10 to bring you to Tucson (extra 300 miles). You'll burn more gas but an extra tank of gas is much cheaper than damaging your car.

Also, just and FYI. When I moved out here I found it was cheaper to buy a cheap van than it was to rent a truck.

I'm sure it would be cheaper to buy a cheap van, but then I'd be stuck with another vehicle to move - I already have a V8 Tundra which I could use to tow a good sized trailer, but then I'm stuck with a Forester and MR2 on the east coast. I really don't want to pay return airfare and other expenses for two people to drive with me.

Have Mosh drive the MR2 or is she taking her own car/stuff?

Not a bad idea. :hmm:

 

[MotF Bane]

I did that a while ago - with Penske, I can get a better truck (diesel FTW) and save about $500. Penske trucks also have CD players...still sucks having no aux input, but it's better than AM/FM only!

Got a laptop, or even an MP3 player and some speakers?

Not a bad idea. :hmm:[/QUOTE]

Should make for more interesting road stops.

 

[jlee]

Yeah, but my laptop speakers SUCK...I'm not sure an inverter would like running my Z560s either. 😛

 

[xSauronx]

Yeah, but my laptop speakers SUCK...I'm not sure an inverter would like running my Z560s either. 😛

i got a little portable, battery-powered speaker from amazon for 20 bucks. not great, but its ok, and better than nothing. i think mine is a logitech but i cant remember.

 

[uclaLabrat]

I think you're way overestimating....We spent about $2800 total for our move, including a 24' truck, 6 nights in hotel, food and gas along the way.

$1700 for the truck
~$700 for gas (a lot better than I thought it was going to be, for ~3100 miles)
~$350 for hotels (motel 6 is $50-60/night)

 

[Sukhoi]

If you drive the MR2 separate I'd highly suggest taking I-70 W all the way across the plains. Then you don't have to deal with the Chicago traffic on I-80/I-90.

Take I-70 W out of Denver. In Utah take US-191 S. See Arches & Canyonlands by Moab. Hit US-163 S and see Monument Valley. Then US-160 W to US-89 S to I-17 S.

If you really want to go to San Diego take I-40 W from Flagstaff.

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

There are a number of us AT members in Arizona, just ask if you need help with something.

 

[sjwaste]

My brother in law lives in Gilbert. Nice area, got a gigantic house for peanuts. Plenty of vacancies in every neighborhood too!

Kind of funny, my wife is from the Phoenix area and we're looking to move to NH or Portland, ME.

 

[mesthead21]

There are a number of us AT members in Arizona, just ask if you need help with something.

Yeah i live like 10-15 minutes from Mesa. Thats about all i have to add to this thread, good luck on your move OP!

 

[IcePickFreak]

Haven't ever made a big move like this myself so I have no advice to offer than you suck. 🙂 Hopefully I'll be joining you out there and making the move to AZ in a few more years.

 

[Kirby]

I've got a proposition for you.

You fly me to NH, I'll drive the MR2 to AZ. You fly me back, and I'll conveniently take the truck off your hands.

 

[alfa147x]

Good luck! I would help but I'm no where near your route :\

 

[xSauronx]

also, if it wasnt mentioned....drive to the other side of st louis before stopping. traffic there is horrendous. get to the west side of town and get a room, and take off in the morning...traffic wont be bad

/did it once, and was warned not to stop in east st louis under any circumstances
//seriously, make it to the west side of town somewhere before you stop for the day.

 

[olds]

ATOT should form a chain and help jlee drive his car to AZ.

 

[boomhower]

Good luck with the move. Hopefully the PD will pick you up quickly since you have experience and won't BS through a year long hiring process like a lot of places try to do. I can't imagine going through the pain of changing agencies for a long time, plus I like it here.

 

[velillen]

Have you considered a "moving" service? Load up in a semi truck with your stuff, they drive it cross country for you, then you pick it up when you get there. A very quick look showed ~$2k for it. Depending on options (like storing and such). Just another option since you can figure itll save you wear and tear on the Subaru as well as gas (towing=more gas). might be something worth looking into.

 

[Svnla]

..... I'd also be happy to stop along the way to meet a fellow ATOTer. 😀

I am below your routes so no can do. I am interest in your thread because I am planning to move soon, but not as far, about 500 miles to the next state. Have a safe trip and let us know your progress.

 

[Soccerman06]

Well since I use to work for Uhaul and have moved on to better things, ill give you a few tips on how to save money.

First, uhaul price matches and will do almost anything to get your service. My center had a rule, we can discount anything all the way down to $.40/mile on any one way vehicle because that is cost for us. You may or may not get it that cheap but its worth talking to a manager about it (avoid the random csr and call center). They will not tell you their lowest price and sometimes require proof of competitors price, but you should ask.

Second, their vehicles are hit or miss. You should always ask for a specific vehicle when you get there. Scope out the parking lot prior to rental and say you want vehicle xx1111x, it doesnt hurt to ask. August is a busy moving season so asking doesnt mean youll get what you want.

Third, get there early, ideally 7am (9am sunday) at opening because you have a better chance of a good vehicle.

Fourth, when renting through uhaul, go to centers, avoid the small non center locations as they tend to be terrible with customer service and dont do shit to clean or maintain vehicles. If you can, insist on renting from a center unless you know the small location's quality.

Fifth, any rental vehicle is going to be terrible with gas mileage. The new 10-17ft vehicles use Ford's 6.xl engine. As a result, a 14ft truck will only get 10mpg, probably less with towing. Also, the 10ft vehicles do not always have hitches installed on them. Most do but not all, so if your planning a 10ft vehicle and towing your car, make sure they hook your trailer up prior to leaving.

Sixth, Do not use any of the uhaul sponsored moving services, they are usually small business/family owned and can be good or bad, but why risk it.

Seventh, All uhaul vehicles are gas. In the past, we had problems with idiots putting the wrong kind of gas in the vehicles and then we find out later costing us/them $400. So since the late 1990s/early 2000 models, we converted to all gas engines. Hell I remember some idiot putting kerosene in a vehicle.

Eighth, through uhaul one-way rentals you get a free month of storage at any sponsored location, so if thats a plus for you go for it.

Edit: if you plan on towing, the 5'x8' trailer will NOT fit a queen box spring. So upgrading to a 6x12 trailer or vehicle will be required.

 

[IronWing]

Speaking Spanish is a good skill to have for the Mesa PD. If you don't already speak it, you might want to start learning.

 

[BoomerD]

Just one quick warning about the cheap motels...the thieves keep a close eye on cheap motels near the interstates looking for u-hauls and other vehicles that will be loaded with easy-to-sell consumer goods. They disappear all the time while the owner/driver is sleeping.

 

[Aikouka]

Well since I use to work for Uhaul and have moved on to better things, ill give you a few tips on how to save money.

How about I give better advice and say don't suffer a terrible move and rent a U-Haul!

I made the mistake of renting a U-Haul (their name is practically synonymous with moving vehicles after all), and it was one of the worst experiences of my life driving that God-forsaken vehicle. No cruise control... fantastic if you like regulating your own speed for hours upon hours. It got so bad that my foot was literally convulsing from driving for that long.

I hope you also like listening to yourself talking or finding random radio stations, because the U-Haul has absolutely no modern technology... not even a God damned 8-track.

When my brother was moving from IL to GA, I recommended that he go with Penske after looking up the major rental companies. Their trucks are actually new, have cruise control and other entertainment amenities. They're also diesel!

 

[olds]

Just one quick warning about the cheap motels...the thieves keep a close eye on cheap motels near the interstates looking for u-hauls and other vehicles that will be loaded with easy-to-sell consumer goods. They disappear all the time while the owner/driver is sleeping.

When I moved back to CA from OK, I slept in my car on the way back. I was towing an enclosed trailer though.