Has ***ANYBODY*** ever tried to transport their car from the US to SABA?

[mmod]

I've read some threads and ppl say its not worth it to transport a car from the US to SABA but that's really not my concern. I want to know if anybody has tried it, how much it costs to transport a car and who I would have to contact to have it done?

B/c I looked at SABA's classified (on this website) and there seems to be not that many vehicles up for sale. seems to be more demand than supply and i don't want to pay more than $2.5k for a car. so i'm thinking it might be easier just to transport to car. this car is fairly old so its not like i'm putting a lot at risk by bringing the car to SABA (its my brother's old 2000 civic with about 100k miles on it but still runs good). also don't want my folks to be paying isurance on a car that's not being used.

[bigkap87]

Yeah, but it is $1850 to ship through Hassel.

[mmod]

Yeah, but it is $1850 to ship through Hassel.
$1850, dang, that's a lot. u sure about that figure? what company is it usually done through?

btw, by 'Hassel' do u mean its going to be a hassle? i kind of expect it to be a bit of a hassle but finding a car for under $2.5 would be a hassle also i think.

[imaknotz]

I don't think i'd bother with it unless it can sail you to St. Marteen. Isn't SABA a dinky island?

[krust3]

i have your solution....

moped (and chicks dig' em too!)

[mmod]

I don't think i'd bother with it unless it can sail you to St. Marteen. Isn't SABA a dinky island?

SABA's a small island but still i don't want to always have to rely on others for transportation (especially hitchhiking), i know myself, i really like to be independent in regards to transportation.

btw, i would like replies & info from ppl who have gone to/are going to SABA. thanks.

[mmod]

i have your solution....

moped (and chicks dig' em too!)

mopeds? no, i've read on these forums they're not the best solution b/c the roads on SABA r thin w/ a lot of blind spots (tight turns and such, look at pics, u'll see). plus, when it rains (something that probably happens often in the carribbean) i'm sure mopeds r unsafe.

[mmod]

i was thinking transportation and also doing a little reasearch. on 2nd thought, i don't think hitchhiking and taking buses around SABA would be too much of an issue b/c the island is really small, only 5 square miles.

and honestly, 5 square miles looks to be a generous figure. looking at a map of SABA (on SABA tourism site), the island looks like its maybe 2.3 miles by 1.5 miles (tiny).

so basically, u can forget my question about transporting a car b/c i don't think i'll bring one. a 5 square mile island is nothing.

[krust3]

mopeds? no, i've read on these forums they're not the best solution b/c the roads on SABA r thin w/ a lot of blind spots (tight turns and such, look at pics, u'll see). plus, when it rains (something that probably happens often in the carribbean) i'm sure mopeds r unsafe.

that's the point. the danger component is what appeals to the chicks;)

[chiro-md]

I just shipped my mazda 626 1993 to saba and it was 1850 at hassel. The reason I shipped the car is the car is in good shape and i will leave the car there after I'am done on the rock. I wanted a reliable car since I have a family.

[camkiss]

Hey mmod-
You have obviously never been to Saba or even seen pictures. The single road on Saba is 19 miles from one end to the other...It takes 5-10 minutes by car to go from the Bottom (where the school is) to Windwardside. Because the island is mountainous, the surface area is much larger then 5 sq miles.
Mike

[miasma]

i don't plan on bringing or buying any transportation to saba, will this be a big problem? or will i be ok?

[mmod]

Hey mmod-
You have obviously never been to Saba or even seen pictures. The single road on Saba is 19 miles from one end to the other...It takes 5-10 minutes by car to go from the Bottom (where the school is) to Windwardside. Because the island is mountainous, the surface area is much larger then 5 sq miles.
Mike
19 miles from one end to the other? that's gotta be total **. i've seen a map of SABA, the island is no bigger than 3 miles by 2 miles. how can ***one road*** be 19 miles on an island that small? sure SABA is moutainous but r u telling me all the hills make up an extra 9-10 miles of road? i don't believe it for one secound.

btw, i read in these forums that SABA only has 10 miles of paved road in total.

[mmod]

btw, does the Bottom (SABA town) have a grocery store. or do you have to go to windwardside for that?

[camkiss]

mmod-
First of all, I lived there for 2 years. My first comment to my wife when we stepped of the plane was, "we're gonna need a car" as I looked up the road from the airport to Hells Gate. I thought the same way you did before I got there.
A medical analogy for you... the villi in the intestines have microvilli on them (aka the brush border). The purpose is to increase surface area for absorption. Think of Saba as a huge, 2000ft-tall villi. The hills on Saba are microvilli. The road weaves its way up and around the mountain from the airport to the distant beach at Well's Bay (the furthest length of the road).
Regardless of if you believe me or not, if you think you can walk your way around Saba because "a 5 sq mile is nothing"...just bring good walking shoes. I give you 2 days before ou start hitching rides and wishing you had a car.
Wish you the best. Remember...I told you so.
Mike

[mmod]

mmod-
First of all, I lived there for 2 years. My first comment to my wife when we stepped of the plane was, "we're gonna need a car" as I looked up the road from the airport to Hells Gate. I thought the same way you did before I got there.
A medical analogy for you... the villi in the intestines have microvilli on them (aka the brush border). The purpose is to increase surface area for absorption. Think of Saba as a huge, 2000ft-tall villi. The hills on Saba are microvilli. The road weaves its way up and around the mountain from the airport to the distant beach at Well's Bay (the furthest length of the road).
Regardless of if you believe me or not, if you think you can walk your way around Saba because "a 5 sq mile is nothing"...just bring good walking shoes. I give you 2 days before ou start hitching rides and wishing you had a car.
Wish you the best. Remember...I told you so.
Mike

Of course ur going to get a car if u have a wife/family, that's common sense. but i don't ha ve a wife or family so that makes getting rides from others much easier.

i've seen plenty of pics of SABA, i've seen the roads. very different from the US but i know generally what they're about.

btw, a 2000 ft villi? i think that's a bit of an exaggeration. i read somewhere the highest point onf the Netherlands antilles was on SABA but it was only like 850ft up.

[mmod]

btw, can u comment on whether there's any grocery stores in 'The Bottom'? or do i have to go to Wandderwind for that?

[mmod]

Of course ur going to get a car if u have a wife/family, that's common sense. but i don't ha ve a wife or family so that makes getting rides from others much easier.

i've seen plenty of pics of SABA, i've seen the roads. very different from the US but i know generally what they're about.

btw, a 2000 ft villi? i think that's a bit of an exaggeration. i read somewhere the highest point onf the Netherlands antilles was on SABA but it was only like 850ft up.

i just checked my source, i was wrong, it said 880 m, so 2000 ft is accurate. actually its 2900ft. that's pretty darn high.

but i'll visit SABA to see what mode of transport is viable for me and my finances.

[camkiss]

There is a grocery store in the Bottom called My Store. It is across from the government building. The bigger stores are in WWSide.
Mike
PS- let me know what you think of the car situation after you visit the island.

[mmod]

There is a grocery store in the Bottom called My Store. It is across from the government building. The bigger stores are in WWSide.
Mike
PS- let me know what you think of the car situation after you visit the island.


is there a good supply of off campus housing at The Bottom??? i'll probably just try to live at The Bottom my 20 months on SABA (that's why i asked about the grocery store, i want everything to be close if i can help it), try to stay close to school to minimize the issue of transportation.

[rdecastro]

i was thinking transportation and also doing a little reasearch. on 2nd thought, i don't think hitchhiking and taking buses around SABA would be too much of an issue b/c the island is really small, only 5 square miles.

and honestly, 5 square miles looks to be a generous figure. looking at a map of SABA (on SABA tourism site), the island looks like its maybe 2.3 miles by 1.5 miles (tiny).

so basically, u can forget my question about transporting a car b/c i don't think i'll bring one. a 5 square mile island is nothing.

Saba is small, but very, very steep. I live about 1/2 mile (road distance) from the airport. The airport elevation is 136 feet above sea level. My cottage is at (according to my GPS) 996' above sea level - so you gain 850 feet of elevation in 1/2 mile.

It's further up to get to Windwardside. Then, up and down to St. John, and then down to the Bottom (800 or so feet above sea level) then down to Ft. Bay.

Having a car isn't essential in first semester. If you don't want to live in the Bottom after that, transportation of some sort is either very, very handy or essential.

And, it might be a small island, but when it rains you'll get wetter than if you're in a dorm shower.

[mmod]

Saba is small, but very, very steep. I live about 1/2 mile (road distance) from the airport. The airport elevation is 136 feet above sea level. My cottage is at (according to my GPS) 996' above sea level - so you gain 850 feet of elevation in 1/2 mile.

It's further up to get to Windwardside. Then, up and down to St. John, and then down to the Bottom (800 or so feet above sea level) then down to Ft. Bay.

Having a car isn't essential in first semester. If you don't want to live in the Bottom after that, transportation of some sort is either very, very handy or essential.

And, it might be a small island, but when it rains you'll get wetter than if you're in a dorm shower.

Thanks for the info. is off campus housing readily available at The Bottom? i know Windwardside is SABA's biggest town so it would probably have the most available housing but how about The Bottom?

[rdecastro]

mmod-
First of all, I lived there for 2 years. My first comment to my wife when we stepped of the plane was, "we're gonna need a car" as I looked up the road from the airport to Hells Gate. I thought the same way you did before I got there.
A medical analogy for you... the villi in the intestines have microvilli on them (aka the brush border). The purpose is to increase surface area for absorption. Think of Saba as a huge, 2000ft-tall villi. The hills on Saba are microvilli. The road weaves its way up and around the mountain from the airport to the distant beach at Well's Bay (the furthest length of the road).
Regardless of if you believe me or not, if you think you can walk your way around Saba because "a 5 sq mile is nothing"...just bring good walking shoes. I give you 2 days before ou start hitching rides and wishing you had a car.
Wish you the best. Remember...I told you so.
Mike

You've got that right. Last Saturday I walked from my cottage (about half way from the Gate House to the airport) to the airport to catch a flight to SXM. I didn't want to leave my car at the airport, and figured it's not too far.

My knees (both having been worked on, one replaced) and quads were hurting for three days. My glutes for two. Getting back on the Fortress of Solitude I looked up the hill from the airport, found my cottage, and thought "What the F was I thinking of?"

I'm from California, and hiked from the lowest place in the contiguous US to the highest (Badwater, Death Valley to Mt Whitney). I've travelled (driven) all over the US, and been to 90+ different countries. I can't believe how steep this rock is. It may be only 5 square miles but it's the highest point in the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands, not just the NA's. It's the top of a volcano, and looks like it.

Also, I heard (not sure if it's true or not) that Saba was the Island used as "Kong Island" in the original movie King Kong (with Faye Wraye). It's steep. Steep, I say, Damned STEEP! The road has places that are way steeper than in the US, steeper than most places would allow a driveway to be built.

And for all you flatlanders that think you can handle it, well......fine. Just don't bitch and whine when you get here, and please identify yourselfs so we won't offer you rides: After all, it's only 5 sq miles and you can handle it.

[rdecastro]

Thanks for the info. is off campus housing readily available at The Bottom? i know Windwardside is SABA's biggest town so it would probably have the most available housing but how about The Bottom?

There is quite a bit - you should be OK. Start looking after 2nd block exams. However, the Bottom is kind of ... lacking. It has a couple of grocery stores, a couple of restaurants (Family Deli and the Chinese rest), and thats about it. It's also hotter than anywhere else on the island, with less breeze. But, there are lots of places you can find.

[skandinavian]

Why dont you just buy a car? It'll cost you the same amount as the shipping is. Then you can always sell the car once you get off the island. Shipping your car is a high cost with no real benefits in my opinion.

[Experienced]

Why dont you just buy a car? It'll cost you the same amount as the shipping is. Then you can always sell the car once you get off the island. Shipping your car is a high cost with no real benefits in my opinion.
I'll second this. I've said it before... don't ship a car to Saba. There are cars here that you can buy from 5th semester students that will do you just fine on this tiny island.

[wolfvgang22]

I second all of that! Buy a car sometime during or near the end of first semester (sooner if you're not living in the dorms). You can buy a car on Saba for around $2,500 and up for a decent ride. I got a nice Hyundai for $4,000, and I know I overpaid. If that doesn't work out, you can buy a car on St. Maarten and have it shipped over for a relatively reasonable price. Also, some students have had pretty good results getting a moped shipped over from St. Maarten. It's not worth it to ship a car from the states.
A final word about vehicles: foreign models like hyundai, nissan, toyota, etc. are easier and cheaper to get parts for here than for domestic american vehicles like Jeeps. Just something to think about when shopping.
Merry Christmas!

p.s. - license stickers for your vehicle are only good for one calendar year, or 6 calendar months of the year, NOT one year or 6 months from the date of purchase. It's the opposite of how it works in most of the USA. This is an important distinction to keep in mind so you don't buy a sticker one day and get your car impounded the next due to an out-of-date sticker. Trust me, it sucks.