Living in the USA - Some life advice for an Australian

[Custom Built]

So work has thrown me a curve ball and is looking to relocate me to the USA for the next 4+ years. I’ll be living in the Charleston SC area (initially) and need some advice about housing, cars and general life. While we both come from “western cultures” the are some significant difference between our two countries.

A few questions I have:

Having just received my 6g Ranger, I am not sure I can go back to the 5g. So I have been looking at broncos on the Ford site, are broncos still impossible to get or have ridiculous markups? There looks to be a lot of available stock on the website.

Looking for somewhere to live I have come across a lot of “community” style apartment complex’s with loads of ammenities. Are these good places to live or should I be looking for houses in regular suburbs.

I have loads more questions to follow.

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[AzScorpion]

Welcome to the USA! ??

Broncos are still somewhat hard to come by but I've been seeing more and more without the ridiculous dealer markups. Starting next year Ford is supposed to be cancelling out all older Bronco orders and starting fresh so right now no one knows at this point how many older reservation holders will try again. Also you can find Broncos in other areas reasonable and you could have it shipped to your new area.

As far as "community" apartments some are usually not in the best areas. Again not all are bad but you really have to narrow down an area and then someone in that area could help you better. The best thing to do is find out where you'll be working (specific area) then look for housing close by. Sometimes you could be looking at very long commutes if you're living and working in two different areas. Here in AZ I wouldn't want to be living in the west valley and working in the east valley. It makes for a very long commute ( 1 hr if there's not accidents) but many do it but it's just not something I would do. Me personally I like living in the suburbs and really hate busy city life. If/when you have more info add it and we'll be bale to help you out better.

 

[OrangeStreak]

Nick,
It will be interesting to hear about your experience and adjustments when you move here. As far as housing it is usually best to stay away from homeowner's associations. With these you contract to pay a monthly fee for your yard and landscape maintenance and upkeep...lot of headaches with these plans.

My nephew Josh moved to Australia in 2012 and graduated from the University of Western Australia in 2018. He mentioned that he experienced some culture shock when he arrived there but got over it after a while. He had planned to move back there or to New Zealand, but sadly ? he drowned in a tragic accident last year and is no longer with us.

 

[Custom Built]

Nick,
It will be interesting to hear about your experience and adjustments when you move here. My nephew Josh moved to Australia in 2012 and graduated from the University of Western Australia in 2018. He mentioned that he experienced some culture shock when he arrived there but got over it after a while. He had planned to move back there or to New Zealand, but sadly ? he drowned in a tragic accident last year is no longer with us.

Mate, that is devastating and I am sorry to hear, my son passed at only 12yo. I live near your nephews university in Perth Western Australia and am sure his passing is felt amongst his Australian peers and alumni.

 

[Crow_of_judgement]

Just remember, it's not the heat, it's the humidity.

 

[Custom Built]

Just remember, it's not the heat, it's the humidity.

Summer is no problem. I'm more worried about the winter. It gets too cold for my liking.

 

[Joeiconic]

Charleston is a great area and has great nightlife and restaurants. It is the epitome of ”southern charm”. Charleston has become a worldwide tourist destination, so it’s a little on the pricey side for everything, depending how close in to town you live. Get out a bit and you are in rural USA and its much more reasonable.

Oh, and be careful about bringing up the Civil War, it’s still a touchy subject there among the natives.

 

[Fawnbuster]

So work has thrown me a curve ball and is looking to relocate me to the USA for the next 4+ years. I’ll be living in the Charleston SC area (initially) and need some advice about housing, cars and general life. While we both come from “western cultures” the are some significant difference between our two countries.

A few questions I have:

Having just received my 6g Ranger, I am not sure I can go back to the 5g. So I have been looking at broncos on the Ford site, are broncos still impossible to get or have ridiculous markups? There looks to be a lot of available stock on the website.

Looking for somewhere to live I have come across a lot of “community” style apartment complex’s with loads of ammenities. Are these good places to live or should I be looking for houses in regular suburbs.

I have loads more questions to follow.

Welcome to the USA! I am in Indiana, our local ford dealers near me have several Broncos (both sizes) and Rangers. Once the interest rates went up and inflation kicked in, the car market dropped and all n the lots are full of both new and used vehicles.

 

[OrangeStreak]

Mate, that is devastating and I am sorry to hear, my son passed at only 12yo. I live in Perth Western Australia and am sure his passing is felt amongst his Australian peers and alumni.

I feel your pain and so sorry for the loss! We are never ready to lose close family members. It was devastating when we got the news that a fisherman found his body in the Rio Grande river last April. Age 34.

I wish you the best in your move here and hope that this will work out to be the ideal situation for you. America is a land of opportunity, and you will enjoy the friendliness and acceptance by the people here!

 

[Fawnbuster]

For some reason a greedy person at my local dealer is adding 5k as Market adjustment here in Greenwood. (Rayskillmanford.com) but the Avon dealer about 30 minutes away has no markup and has Broncos in stock andymohrford.com

 

[Frenchy]

Talk with your work to get an exact amount of time for how long you will be out here. Depending on that length of time you may be able to bring the Ranger out here due to work. For us already out here importing a vehicle can be an interesting task. Since you already have the vehicle and not a US citizen you may have an exception.

 

[Jacob]

Not sure on the culture of Aussies so I can’t speak on any culture shock however, don’t make the same mistake a coworker did when it came to moving. See if you can get a hold of a local PD in an area you want to move through a non emergency number. They’ll be straight up if an area is known to be a $#!? hole. My buddy moved to a really bad area and got his dog stolen from his apartment the first week lol

 

[Nellieg]

Not sure on the culture of Aussies so I can’t speak on any culture shock however, don’t make the same mistake a coworker did when it came to moving. See if you can get a hold of a local PD in an area you want to move through a non emergency number. They’ll be straight up if an area is known to be a $#!? hole. My buddy moved to a really bad area and got his dog stolen from his apartment the first week lol

Another option is if you are replacing someone heading back to Australia is to ask them your questions as they would be familiar with the issues at hand. Is there any such assistance from your employer... Since it's work related they may have advice. You can figure out areas and commute times by using Google maps then look for neighborhood or location advice... Realty sites like redfin or Trulia provide basics on community... Just because it's on the other side of the planet and they speak a form of English much slower with a thick accent things work pretty much the same way. Folks just move slower and talk slower in the old south. I have only visited Charleston but work has had me for a few months in the general area...been a few years. Football is like rugby soccer is your football I understand.

 

[TJC]

So work has thrown me a curve ball and is looking to relocate me to the USA for the next 4+ years. I’ll be living in the Charleston SC area (initially) and need some advice about housing, cars and general life. While we both come from “western cultures” the are some significant difference between our two countries.

A few questions I have:

Having just received my 6g Ranger, I am not sure I can go back to the 5g. So I have been looking at broncos on the Ford site, are broncos still impossible to get or have ridiculous markups? There looks to be a lot of available stock on the website.

Looking for somewhere to live I have come across a lot of “community” style apartment complex’s with loads of ammenities. Are these good places to live or should I be looking for houses in regular suburbs.

I have loads more questions to follow.

Having been born in the South Carolina Low Country, I must warn you of the incredible heat/humidity index. 95+F with 95+% humidity is a regular occurrence. Winter and Spring is fine, summers are hell. Takes time to acclimate. If you are an outdoors type stay hydrated and watch your electrolytes.

The closer to the coast, the better the breeze. Go inland 20 miles and the air is thick and stifling!

Look around carefully before considering purchasing a home.

There is a lot of history in Charleston, both US Revolutionary War and Civil War.

And great Christmas lights at the James Island Christmas Festival each season.

 

[bRaptor]

Summer is no problem. I'm more worried about the winter. It gets too cold for my liking.

It won't in Charleston. That far down on the coast generally stays warm. Just be prepared for hurricane season. I would live in apartments in Charleston. It gets you closer to downtown and the amazing food.

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