polarbearit

A couple of friends of want to drive across the states this year. The problem is the are both under 25. They only want to be there 3-4weeks, so thought a hire car would be the best option, unfortunately it seems that the prices of hire cars double if your under 25...

So another option, buying a car to drive and reselling it...

I wondered what the other costs would be over a month or so?
Is there any road tax/duty to pay?
Is short term insurance possible or cost effective, they're not rich?

Thanks,

Jon

Timmy Tato

Jon - haven't got a clue but have family over there I can ask via email, if no-one else comes back to you.

Let me know if you want me to help.

matt.bowey

Under 25s usually put the cost up by $12 or so a day.........I know I have done it! Just shop around! Try National, Dollar, etc...

Forget buying & selling!

The Zohan

John
Rental is probably rhe best option as you cannot always be sure of what you are buying

Check out the Hertz or such like sites they have all the rates for the states.

Couple of tips. Do not get the basic car go for a better/bigger one if you can - Cheap/basic rental stand out a mile to the criminal after an easy buck off of the tourists.
Take out the coll8ision damage ins and do not stoop if you are rear ended, drive to a cop shop.


Last few time i was in the states i hired a convertable mustang ofr arout £ 30.00 per day incl taxes and ins - which was nice.

mutant_matt

Cannot stress highly enough the Insurance Cover - take out all available cover as it's weird over there. The minimuim cover is to cover your own vehicle, if you have an accident, the other party will sue you for their costs

I normally use the phrase "I want cover for absolutely everything - I want to be able to write the car off and walk away without paying anything further" It seems simpler that way than trying to understand the ins and outs of the varying levels of cover you can have.

Matt

[Edited by mutant_matt - 4/25/2002 8:58:50 AM]

Markus

Don't buy and sell a car, not worth it.

Rental is best option. And as said already get as much as insurance as you can, you can't be too careful. hell, we all know that the yanks are a very litigious lot so will sue at the slightest thing, so it is worth it!

Oh, and rememer to drive on the right, and enjoy the sounds of the lovely V8's!

Suffice to say I actually like driving in the USA, all those V8's mmmmmmmm. Think I'm becoming slighty yank

Corpulent Tosser

I thought if you were going to be rear ended stooping would make it easier Not that I know anything about that personally

babber

I had a Ford Expedition when I was in Atlanta, and they are bloody great cars (6 litres I think). Electric everything, including an adjustable pedal box that moved forward for short people, and back for tall people....

I agree about the insurance mate, make sure your covered for everything. When I got the car (was pre-booked) I asked about insurance and was told that I did have any I swiftly arranged some, and off I went.

It is strange when you first drive on the wrong side of the road, but you soon get used to it. After two days, it become natural, turn right on a red light, etc.

What is funny, is when you fill the tank up. You stand there for what seems like hours, and when you finally pay, it cost me £12

Cheers Phill C

polarbearit

Cheers people, I'll pass the info on to my mates and suggest they shop around the car hire deal, the best they had found so far is circa $120 per day including insurance (no idea what cover) I think... This is a bit dearer than they can afford though.

GEJL

Other thing to maybe look into is "driveaways" (think that's what they're called) where someone is moving house from one side of the states to the other, and need their car driven over for them. There are agencies around in the US that sort this...

Don't try to buy'n'sell. In many states you need a US licence to get insurance when you buy a car. I had to go through the ignominy of sitting a driving test over there, having had a UK licence for over 10 years... Didn't fail, luckily!

The Zohan

$ 120.00 per day - sound alot in the states - Try hertz .com

GEJL

Oh, the other thing is you will need a credit card to get a rental. And it's also a LOT more expensive to do a one-way rental (e.g rent in NY, drop off in LA). Try to do a round-trip.

Check out prices through www.travelocity.com, using an arrival airport such as NY or Newark, NJ as the pick-up/drop-off point.

chiark

A friend did this and used rent-a-wreck - they were loads cheaper and happy to deal with under 25s. Very good service, and the car wasn't a wreck either.

Ferg

Rent-A-Wreck is a really good company, regardless of their name. You'll want to look into getting Thomas Brother's Guides for any area you want to explore away from the interstate. Best maps of the US period.