looking for some information please!!

[20yr old scottish guy]

im thinking about heading over to america from scotland and doing a road trip by myself i would like to travel from the west coast to the east coast. I enjoy partys and nightlife but also like a night round a fire. I was thinking about buying a car and doing it by car. Can anyone help with some information about where i can buy a cheap car and the equipment needed for the road trip with maybe links to a few websites? Where is best to start my road trip from? Insurance for the car? best places to visit on the trip? the kind of route i should be planning? information about camping aswell and how much approximatly it will cost me for the trip?

all help will be greatly appreciated

thanks james.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

I would encourage you to simply do a search of this website. This topic has come up many times before.

To put it simply, it is very very difficult for a non-resident of the US to purchase a car, plus get insurance, and registration. Unless you are visiting on a long term visa (not the visa waiver program) it is nearly impossible get get beyond the paperwork. Generally, you're looking at 2-3 months before you even reach the break even point vs. renting a car, although at age 20, renting really won't be an option for you either.

Waiting until you are 21 would probably make more sense, as then you could rent a car (albeit with an underage fee), plus you'll be able to enjoy the nightlife - with the 21 year old drinking age in the US, most clubs simply won't allow anyone under that age.

I wish I had some better news for you, but this just isn't something that will easily work.