3 months in USA!!

[Mark Sedenquist]

and select 'vehicles', you will see the sleeper van on there.

Matt, I see the photo of what they are calling a "sleeper van" but I am still not sure such a product exists. I tried to load the .pdf file associated with that image and nothing seems to be there. When you say "sleeper van" are you anticipating anything beyond a empty shell behind the first row of seats? it is possible that the floor of such a "sleeper van" might be carpeted, but I can't imagine how any full-sized adult humans can sleep back there and still have room for luggage, coolers, etc.

In other countries -- New Zealand, Australia, etc. a "sleeper van" includes a built-in bed in the back that would enable one or two smallish adults to sleep -- but I have never seen one supplied by an American rental car company.

Just be very careful if you rent such a vehicle.

Mark

[mrhind]

Matt, I see the photo of what they are calling a "sleeper van" but I am still not sure such a product exists. I tried to load the .pdf file associated with that image and nothing seems to be there. When you say "sleeper van" are you anticipating anything beyond a empty shell behind the first row of seats? it is possible that the floor of such a "sleeper van" might be carpeted, but I can't imagine how any full-sized adult humans can sleep back there and still have room for luggage, coolers, etc.

In other countries -- New Zealand, Australia, etc. a "sleeper van" includes a built-in bed in the back that would enable one or two smallish adults to sleep -- but I have never seen one supplied by an American rental car company.

Just be very careful if you rent such a vehicle.

Mark

Hi,

Thanks, I will bear that in mind. You have helped alot. If you were trying to budget for 3 months on the road, how much roughly would you try to save for the trip? Any ideas?

Cheers

Matt

[Mark Sedenquist]

If you were trying to budget for 3 months on the road, how much roughly would you try to save for the trip? Any ideas?

Matt, I think your estimate of 15,000 USD looks somewhat reasonable. It all depends on how much distance you actually drive, of course, but I plugged in our usual variables and came up with 22,650 (using a rental sum of 6,000USD and 30,000 miles) -- it is possible that your total expenditures could be as low as 10,000 USD. One of the tools I use when estimating expenses is our fuel cost calculator and you might find it helpful as well. The other line items would include misc car expenses, food, insurance, incidental, event/destination fees, new clothing, motel/campsite rentals, cell phone, office expenses, etc. I think you can do it for 15,000 but you will need to be very frugal with your other expenses.

Happy Planning!

Mark

[PNW Judy]

Hertz will be happy to rent you such a car for that price for 3 weeks, for three months, they're going to charge you more like $2400. Also, make sure that you look at the first three or four categories of cars. There usually is not much difference in the rental price between Economy, Compact, and Intermediate, but there can be a whole lot of difference in your comfort level in the different car classes, especially over several months, with a lot of stuff, and if you are bigger than average.

I actually got that price ($621) from the Hertz website for the lowest priced, economy car for 3 months. I believe I plugged in the dates May15-Aug15. Of course, this doesn't include the extra charges that can add up. That's why I suggested that they only use this price as a base and investigate further.

{Editor's Note: Gotta watch that fine print stuff -- it was Per month -- see this post}

As for comfort, it really depends on the car and the person. I prefer driving my compact to bigger vehicles. It does have very comfortable seats and good power (well, actually zip with the turbo). Since they are from Europe, I'm assuming they're comfortable in smaller cars and, with the price of gas, an economy car just might fit their budget better, too. All, imho, of course.

[PNW Judy]

Matt, I see the photo of what they are calling a "sleeper van" but I am still not sure such a product exists. I tried to load the .pdf file associated with that image and nothing seems to be there.

I had no problem loading the .pdf file. It is simply a van with the following sleeping arrangement: There is a sleeping platform in the back that converts to a table with seating....kinda similar to those in truck campers. It says they also supply a cooler and propane stove. But there doesn't appear to be any built-in cooking facilities.

I know people who have vans with similar set-ups. These make very nice travel rigs. I would check into what kind of gas mileage they could. I would be concerned about gas but, then again, I'm a cheapo about such things.

As for safety, some of my roadtrips I have done solo in a compact car and tent camping. I have rarely felt unsafe and I have never had any problems. You will be fine as long as you use good common-sense.

Some parameters to help you with budgeting:

Fuel costs: You will need to fine out what kind of gas mileage this vehicle gets and then estimate your total miles. Then use the fuel cost estimator to estimate your total costs.

Campground fees: These will range from free (but these are very hard to find) to about $30/night. Since you won't need hook-ups for sewer/water/electric, you can stay in sites for tents and most of the time you will probably pay closer to $15-20/night.

Food: Well, this varies. Eating out of your cooler and replenishing your supply at full-size grocery stores intead of mini-marts will keep costs down. Restaurant meals that include an average meal sized meal will cost from about $5 each at McDonald's to the stratosphere. But the average restaurant will probably cost you about $11-13 each including tip. Obviously, the more you eat out of your cooler and the less you eat in restaurants, the more you'll save. And you'll probably eat healthier as well as long as you make good choices.

Of course, the variables of admission fees, parking fees, clubbing or other nightlife, etc. are a lot harder to estimate. If you're going to be visiting more than a few national parks, you would save money by getting National Parks Pass.

You're going to have a great trip!!!! Enjoy and hope these suggestions help.

[Mark Sedenquist]

I actually got that price ($621) from the Hertz website for the lowest priced, economy car for 3 months.

I ran a quote from the Hertz website too. The lowest was for a Hyundai Accent (economy car) and the cost was 639.99 USD Per Month. Gotta watch that small print!

Mark

[PNW Judy]

I actually thought that price was extremely reasonable. But I rent cars so seldom I didn't really think about it much. Thanks. That's good to know for future reference. I don't like the idea that I might give someone wrong advice like that. Oy!

[W. Larrison]

Hmm.. just as an option, you might consider buying a car and then reselling it at the end of the trip?

It'll cost more up front of course, but with luck you'll save a couple of thousand dollars on a 3 month rental fee. I did a quick internet look, and you can get a pretty good quality mini-van type vehicle with moderate mileage (30-60 K miles) for $15-20 K, perhaps less. Having the funds in your pocket (say as a drawing account on an international bank like Barclays) means you can negotiate real effectively for a vehicle and get a good price.

Driving the vehicle across county from side to side and top to bottom will add maybe another 10K miles, which won't really affect resale value. If you sell it back for 80% of the price you bought it at, your cost will be $3-4 K for 3 months usage, which may be $2-3K less than renting. There is some uncertainty in this -- getting a good price, getting a quality used car (I'd go for specific models of known good quality in general), and selling it back -- but there's a good probably of saving substantial funds.

You'll still have to pay for gas and maybe maintenance (oil change, etc.) but if you have a UK or Australian car insurance coverage that will probably transfer for US road coverage, particularly if you're not driving your home country vehicle.

An issue is if you can spend a day or two selling it -- clean it up nice, get it cleaned, washed and waxed, and take it to a couple of dealers talking about how you want to sell this and perhaps move up to a new vehicle.

[Mark Sedenquist]

This (buying a used car versus getting a rental) is a topic that has been discussed many, many times and in our totally unscientific analysis -- we have found that for 99% of all visitor the magic break-even point is six months. Any period less than six months, the costs of maintenance, insurance, residency requirements, etc. etc. just don't measure up. Now, for folks who buy and sell used cars on a regular basis -- this "sweet spot" could drop as low as two weeks.

For that reason, I rarely recommend that anyone mess with purchasing used cars and then attempting to re-sell.

An issue is if you can spend a day or two selling it -- clean it up nice, get it cleaned, washed and waxed, and take it to a couple of dealers talking about how you want to sell this and perhaps move up to a new vehicle.

So, let's see they have just enjoyed an awesome three months traveling around the USA -- been treated as welcomed guests and for their last act of generosity and reciprocity before they left for home, they would try and deceive some folks? Doesn't seem like a good policy to me.

Mark

[W. Larrison]

This (buying a used car versus getting a rental) is a topic that has been discussed many, many times and in our totally unscientific analysis -- we have found that for 99% of all visitor the magic break-even point is six months. Any period less than six months, the costs of maintenance, insurance, residency requirements, etc. etc. just don't measure up. Now, for folks who buy and sell used cars on a regular basis -- this "sweet spot" could drop as low as two weeks.

For that reason, I rarely recommend that anyone mess with purchasing used cars and then attempting to re-sell. So, let's see they have just enjoyed an awesome three months traveling around the USA -- been treated as welcomed guests and for their last act of generosity and reciprocity before they left for home, they would try and deceive some folks? Doesn't seem like a good policy to me.

Mark

To be honest, in comparison to a couple of dealers who tried to take advantage of me when I had to sell a vehicle fairly quickly (was moving the next week), and who low balled their bids? You never lie. Note that says "you want to sell this" and you "might" buy another. As a rule, you always negotiate the sale price of the turn in as a separate deal than buying another. If the dealer won't do that.. its not a dealer to trust. And it's not uncommon, in my experience at least, to shop a car to multiple dealers, sell it to the one who offers you the best price, and then purchase your car from another who offered you the best price on the newer car.

But your points are well taken on the purchase/ resell a car on an extended trip. It's an option to be considered, but depends on many other circumstances. Its definitely a lot more hassle, and you'll need to tie up liquid funds for a period of time that is many times greater than what you might save.