Car Help please!

[tmw203]

Hi there,
I have been reading the forum for a while now so decided to register. Myself and two friends, all from the UK have booked to come to the US for 89 days to drive coast to coast. Unless someone can advise me otherwise, it seems to complicated to buy a car and sell it at the end of the journey. We are looking to spend about £3000 so $5000. Any help on how to buy a car would be much appreciated. We have friends in New York who may let us register to their address but im not sure how legal this is!
I have been looking at renting as well but as we are 22 we are hit with high charges for young drivers and for the one way drop off! Does anybody have any advice on a cheap rental company?

Thanks for your help
Tom

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Sorry to tell you, there just is no easy answer here.

Having a friends address in New York may be helpful, but often times you have to do more than just list an address, you also need to be able to prove that you actually live there by providing a utility bill or some other documentation. When you are traveling on a Visa Waiver, it is very difficult to provide that documentation.

You should also know that even if you get that hurrdle crossed, your age and lack of driving record in the US will mean that you are going to be paying high rates for car insurance. Making matters worse, if you are "living" with your friend, their insurance rates may also go up as you will be considered part of the same household.

There are also no easy answers for rentals. You may be able to find something in your price range, but its also possible that the underage driver fees will really push that limit. The best thing I can tell you is to make your trip a loop, where you return at your rental location (that alone could save you $1000) and look first at european brokerages, which often times offer better deals than you can find directly dealing with US companies.

Sorry, I wish I had a better answer for you, but the reality is that what you are trying to do is not easy, and is often very expensive.

[tmw203]

Thanks for replying so quickly. Unfortunately our plane tickets are already booked! but I will keep shopping around for rentals, looks as though we will have to make budget cuts elsewhere to afford the car! we have also considered rv hire, but are slightly confused as to why we can get one from the website www.cheap-rv-rental.com/ for about $4500 when all the other sites are quoting us well over $10,000!!

[Midwest Michael]

Well you are right to be suspiscious any time you see a rate that is significantly lower than others, and this is no difference.

If you look carefully, the rate they are quoting includes ZERO miles. You either have to pay 40 cents a mile or 70 cents a day for unlimited miles, so that adds easily another $5000 to your costs. It also doesn't include another $750 in a drop off fee, $500 dollars in other taxes and fees, and potentially $500 dollars to reduce your insurance liability.

I suspect when you factor in all of those extras, the quote probably doesn't end up being all that different. I also don't see anything about age restrictions one way or another, so that would be a potential cause for concern as well, as you might not even be eligable for the rate unless you are 25.

[Mark Sedenquist]

Excellent work, Midwest Michael, in ferreting out the truth in that low-ball bid!

Mark