Driving across the US, hire or buy a car?

[jaydee]

My son who is 21 and a mate same age are going to the US in a few months.
They plan on driving from LA to New York and take a week or so doing it checking out what ever looks worthwhile.

Has anyone had any experience in something similar, should he hire a car or buy a cheapie and sell in New York.

He's not very mechanical so they will be buying something reliable like a Mazda or Corolla for a few grand.
Problem is on selling hit when you get to your destination.

The pitfalls with hiring can be bad too, getting ripped off for damage you didn't do, travelling too many kays, cash deposit's for insurance excess that may or may not be refunded at the end of the line.

So for a few grand is it better to buy or hire? I'm guessing hiring would be a couple of grand for a week to 10 days.

Oh yeah, and I hate him, because I can't go, and it's a trip I would love to do. Kids have got it made these days.

[Jock260]

I'm the same age and will be doing the Route 66 thing very soon, and myself and two other mates have decided it would be better to buy a car, rather than a Rental. We are young, and will probably get up to no good at some points over there, and would rather damage something we own, rather than something somebody else owns. I'm pretty much the only car fanatic out of my mates, but they seem okay with getting a X-Police Crown Victoria or an mid 90's Mustang for about 6 grand (2k each), but I've looked at prices of other cars, and your son and his mate will be able to get something like you mentioned very cheap, so i would defiantly go down that avenue.

Too risky in my opinion, over the 4000 or so km's you are bound to do something to it, whether it be your fault or somebody else's.

[westoftown]

Jaydee, i agree 100% with Jock260. I'm also 21 and have looked into doing the east - west road trip across the US with some mates. Having a brief look on a few car sites in the US, you can easily buy a clean 10 - 15 yr old large car/SUV/people mover for about 3k (which is the same as the dollar is about parity). The rent money you dont get back, but if you bought a car, even if you had to practically give it away to get rid of it, you'd still get something back.

[vbvbvb088]

http://www.youtube.com/user/vbvbvb088?feature=guide

Here is my trip....

[79FordEsky]

Do what topgear uk did, Buy a car it is cheaper and also you will get money back as stated above, plus you can get an 90s car what is coller then one of the new ones you get from the rentals.

[Ben73]

I plan on doing similar thing in a few years but I plan on going San Fran - LA- NY - Miami stopping in at places on the way. But I think It will take me a month.
I haven't even started to consider buying vs renting. I would love to rent something big and luxurious (Escalade), but I doubt I could afford it.

Good luck seeing LA - NY in 1 week. I didn't even get to see all of LA in 5 days. But I guess it depends on how much you want to see.

[last fairlane]

Had a friend went to England for a month bought an old Cortina for
200 pounds($400) and drove it every where on the last day he drove to the airport and just parked it in the carpark and flew home thats way cheaper than renting

[Jastel]

No correct answer for this one depends on how much $$ you want to spend and how much you want to risk.

Being 21 will limit (or make way more expensive) some of their rental options anyway.

Cheap rentals ($1 -$10 a day excl insurance) are often available from the 4 major companies from popular spots like Las Vegas, Disney, Florida and Grand Canyon areas but you have to drive the cars to a certain spot within a certain time.

Buying a car can have problems with no addresses for paperwork and insurance purposes unless you know someone in the USA. There are plenty of stolen cars and they may need proof of ownership if they get pulled over. Plenty of people just write hotel address on the forms and dont get caught but it is a risk.
Do not skimp on the insurance, US loves litigation. Plenty of people end up in the US court system and jail etc for thinking they are covered when they are not. In a few months the Nth of the states will be snow and ice as well.

The USA is as large as Australia, LA to NY is like Sydney to Perth only with better roads and more traffic. In one week they wont see much just be driving 12 hour days. maybe stick to Route 66 LA to Chicago and then fly/bus/train to NYC. I had 2 months and 10000 miles of rental cars in the US and still only got to 20 states.

[Tokyo Geoff]

I think you'll find it rather hard to buy a car in the US. Well actually buying it may be easy but getting it registered and insured will be very difficult or impossible unless you have an American address and DL. if you find a state where this isn't a problem or you find a solution please let me know. So far I haven't been able to solve it.
Cheers
Geoff

[Franco Cozzo]

I think after 9/11 if you aren't a US citizen with a valid US address you can't register/insure a car.

[in_xcess]

When backpackers come here they buy/drive, because its both cheaper than hiring and adds to the adventure. In fact, there are areas in Sydney and Melbourne where they congregate after their journey to onsell their vehicles - to the annoyance of many locals.

I reakon you could safely assume the same occurs in the US. Your son can get an international licence here before he leaves. As for rego, check with each states RTA and find the one that lets you drive on a shipping permit from point A to point B.

[trentski]

You can get it registered but the rules depend on the state you are in, you can also "wing it" so to speak. Good info in this thread http://www.travellerspoint.com/forum.cfm?thread=70872

[Outbackjack]

We just did a trip accross the US. We hired a Jeep Grand Cherokee. It cost $US948 for a full month including insurance. We covered 11,000klms. Lucky it was un limited K's contract. We used national car hire. We caught a stone in the windscreen that left a crack. Pointed it out when we returned the car. No problems, the insurance covered it. We also had to replace a rear tyre that picked up a huge nail/screw/bolt of some kind. I paid cash for a new tyre, kept the reciept. And the cost of the tyre was credited to my credit card. Cant speak highly enough of National car hire.

BTW the way, an Australian photo license is all you need to hire a car in the United States. Oh, and a credit card.

Personally I think that buying a car would be more trouble than its is worth.......

[in_xcess]

This is an option too but you need to be aged 23.

Also has the potential to be the beginning of a bad Hollywood script (drugs in the boot scenario)... but what the hell.

http://www.autodriveaway.com/driver

[Jastel]

International license not needed, it is more a translation for countries that are not in english.
I had one but they never asked for it once, my Qld library card was all they needed.

[cool65]

Another option -
There are agencies in North America that will give you a free car, a tank of gas, and a planned route to your destination In other words, a "driveaway." You must give the car back at the end, and you can't damage it or paint it psychedelic in an attempt to add "Beat" flavor to your road trip, but with some luck, your borrowed auto will have gotten you safely from point A to point B.

WHAT IS A "DRIVEAWAY"

"Driveaway" companies match drivers with cars. The car owner pays an auto transport agency to move his or her vehicle. Sometimes the owner is moving across the country, flying ahead after having stuffed your new wheels with household goods. But often, the car belongs to a large corporation that provides cars for its

employees. The corporations relocate company cars from one office to another, dependent upon staff needs. Most driveaway cars are fairly new, empty, and in good condition. Don't expect a convertible sportscar -- you'll probably get a medium-sized family vehicle. Many driveaways go from one major city to another. If your goal is to get from Boston to a small town near San Francisco, you can probably get a driveway to SF and take a bus the rest of the way. In the fall and early winter, there are usually lots of driveways from the northeast to Florida.

Be flexible about cities for departure and arrival, and leave yourself lots of time, as there's no guarantee that a driveaway to your chosen destination will be available when you need it.

THE RULES

While it is okay to be an unkempt backpacker, all drivers must:

be licensed (non-US citizens need an international license and passport)
be over 23 (no exceptions!)
have a clean driving record
leave a $300-$400 deposit
pay for fuel after the first free tank
You are assigned a set number of days and a route. Adhere to it or risk your deposit. Some agents will negotiate -- they understand that travelers want to see the sights along the way. There are varying regulations about the number of hours you can drive per day, and some companies don't allow you to drive after dark. Flagrant contract violations are not recommended, but many travelers have reported slightly bending the rules.

http://www.standbyrelocations.com/default.aspx?c=3

http://www.autodriveawaydc.com/carlist.html

http://www.independenttraveler.com/t...and-driveaways

[jaydee]

Ok thanks to all for some great info in the replies, definitely a few options. vbvbvb, you sure crammed a lot in.
Outbackjack, your story sounds pretty good for the price, definitely worth consideration.
Cool65, a good idea there too.
I will pass on the info to my son for him to figure out and weigh up his options.

[chevypower]

Renting a car in America can be very cheap. We rented a Suburban for a month for $1500 with unlimited miles. My tip is to be flexible on the pickup location, don't pick it up at a big airport. That could have tripled the price. Secondly, arrange your own insurance. Don't buy any of the insurance offered by the rental place. You may be able to consolidate it with your travel insurance. Make sure you have roadside assistance coverage, you don't want to be stranded in the middle of nowhere.

[FGX-351]

I hired a Cadillac DTS V8 back in april for 3 days quite cheaply, they do have some nice cars available for hire over there, including Mustangs.

[Yaw]

I am sorry I did not read the whole thread, but being a younger driver the hire car thing might be expensive. I do suggest though check out Dollar car rentals over there. So much better than the Hertz and Avis etc, Unlike the others, You do NOT have to fill it up before return, and Much cheaper than the others, comes with a sat nav unit, and late model cars.

At least make the enquiry is all I am saying.

[Yaw]

Oh BTW, I just noticed you said about the pitfalls of being charged for damage you did not do. Everyone these days has a Camera phone. When you pick up the car, get the attendant to walk around the car whilst you video it showing the attendant in the video as well so they cannot say the video was taken of a differnt car or any other excuse.

[2011G6E]

We're planning on doing a New York to LA (via Chicago and Route 66 from there to LA) drive, taking a couple of weeks at least.

Rental? If we rent, it will be one of the "adrenalin" range, either a Dodge Challenger, Mustang, or Camaro...probably the Challenger. If we bought one, it would be something "unusual" and not a Corolla or whatever, like you see every day on the road here. There are pitfalls and problems involved there, as a vehicle must be insured, and you need an address in the USA for the insurance. Apparently there are fiddles to get around this, as some "foreigner friendly" car lots will let you use their dealership as your "address", and apparently this is quite OK with most insurers. The address is a formality...the driver is the one they're interested in.

Do it right...if you're going to buy, get something like an old Yank tank, possibly, if you're lucky enough, an ex-police car like a Caprice or a Crown Victoria. Don't discount ex-taxis either apparently, as long as they're from a big company that looks after it's vehicles. Why rent or buy something that looks just like what you see at home?

For example: through Hertz, picking up the car at JFK airport in New York, and dropping it off at LAX in Los Angeles, for three weeks a Lincoln Town Car costs $2500, which includes goodies like unlimited miles, a damage waiver, and GPS and other stuff. Bloody good value!

Here's a few things to drool over...
http://www.hertz.com/rentacar/produc...nited%20States

[OLDFORDNUT]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1964-...1bc583f2#v4-43
great buy and tagged to next year

[noosacuda]

We (my bro in law and myself) did route 66 in April this year Chicago to California via Kentucky and Tennessee, and looked at both a rental and /or buying. As we are both well over 25 it made more sense to rent, it's a bloody long way across and around the States! We did about 9000 K's in a month, and in a month old Mustang it took all the stress out of it, IF it breaks down,it's not your problem! I'd only consider buying something that i was going to bring home and was restored at least mechanically. An ex cop car was on our "maybe if we bought this..." list- cheap as,but hard for foreigners to get insurance and then you have try to get rid of it at the finish,and if you buy in the East coast and try to sell in California it may not be worth anything if it doesn't have the approved anti-pollution gear on it.

[buickman]

I’ve done 2 trips around the US the biggest was in 2003 from LA to Yellow stone, Mt Rushmore to Quebec in Canada down to New York to Miami then the route 40 in the south visiting Graceland up to Bowling green to the Corvette museum and back to Las Vegas and onto LA.
In a Dodge intrepid in over a month and had no problems with the car.Thats the best part of hiring a car with unlimited mileage it might cost a bit more but saves headaches if something goes wrong with the car and your stranded. A hire company will get you another car. One thing I found out after driving in New York city besides the mad Taxi drivers and the expensive tolls to get on and off the Island there was no parking to be found so had to pay a small fortune to the Motel so as to park the car with them and later on read the small print on the car insurance I had taken out did not cover the car for Mexico or New York city if I had been involved in a accident.
I personally would hire it’s easier than running around and buying a half decent car that has the A/cond working for the southern states. also a pic of the Madness of driving in NY and being picked speeding in Montana.

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[MrZ]

Are you allowed to ship over your car from Australia if it only stays in the country temporarily? I've heard that you can drive it around over there with the Australian license plate on it? I once saw a car here in Australia with a New York license plate on it - it was a Mercury Sable (Taurus twin).