advice needed on car for road trip!

me and 3 friends are planning on driving from florida (where one of them has a house) to california...ambitious i know, we are only 18 but do possess british driving licences (we are all from england), but the guy who has a house in florida has a florida state driving licence. It seems we will not be able to hire a car, not being 21, but we want to spend about $4000 on a car to take us the distance.

I would appreciate information on a couple of points -
Firstly is it possible to arrange some sort of breakdown cover for the journey? i tried looking at the AAA but it seems you need to be an American resident, so it may be possible so arrange it through the guy who has a house in florida.
And do you think a car of that price would be able to cope with the journey?
If there are any other obvious points we need to take into account i would really appreciate your help :)
thanks, Kendall

[Robert Schaller]

Besides AAA, another place you might look for breakdown coverage are the automobile insurance companies. Keep in mind they may have limits on how old of a vehicle they will cover -- and your $4000 model may NOT be included. But check it out anyway, you've got nothing to lose.

You can find a decent used car for $4000, but whether it'll be up to the trip is dependent on many factors -- in something that well-used, it is hard to tell. Getting a good one will entail some careful consideration on your part, a check by a mechanic, and some good luck. Bob

thanks a lot for you advice, i hadnt thought our car may not be insurable!
We will have to make sure to get the car checked out by a mechanic - were hoping to get some sort of old convertible but i think on our budget even an old one may not be feasible. Our choice is especially limited as we have to fit 3 or 4 people in it so need one of the ones with decent back seats - any suggestions of make or model?

Also as we are going such a long way our route is fairly flexible, so does anyone have any 'must see' sights or particularly nice routes they know?

thanks again, kendall

[Jostig]

Hey Kendall - I just read about your trip. Sounds cool. When are you leaving? Me and one of my friends are driving from California to florida... Have you found out whether it is possible to get a car insurance when you're under 21 or not? Cos we're also "under age"... hehe. 19 and 20. From Denmark. It could be cool to meet halfways if you're over there while we are. We're leaving March 3 and we'll be there for 3 months...