goin to california

[ChryslerMatt]

i'm taking my 85 chrysler on a trip with the eventual goal of reaching california. I'm starting from Philadelphia. I'm gonna do it on a real low budget by camping and sleeping in the car. I haven't decided where i'm gonna stop or what route i'll take. although it might not sound appealing, i'm just throwin it out there if anyone wants to come along ur more than welcome

[RoadTripper Brad]

Welcome to the Forum!

Hopefully everything goes well on your trip, with or without a guest traveler or two.

Let us know how it goes!

-Brad

[Quebec Gen]

Hi Matt!

Welcome aboard! If you want to learn more on how to save more money on your upcoming road trip, I recommend you read this article. Our forum also features some interesting threads on that topic like this one. It is a very popular subject among road trippers along with safety issues when travelling off the beaten path. You can use the search function to find plenty of other practical tips from experienced road trippers. I hope you will find a great partner for your trip.

Gen

[viro]

when are you intending to go?

[tt2xr]

I'm intending to drive cross country this year - I've been looking at options since I'm not from the US. Car Hire seems too expensive for an extended period ... you're talking $300+ per week with the national rental companies including LDW ... not a nice thought.

Then there's buying a car and disposing of it at the end ... but that brings dilemmas with insurance, because I've no US driving record, so not sure how I stand or how much they'll penalise me with insurance. Also I'm not too technical with cars, apart from the obvious stuff like changing wheels and keeping everything topped up.

I've thought of buying cars at the end of their life (dirt cheap) and drive it until it stops - even a month would be cheaper than renting. But I don't want to be leaking oil/water and coming back to find it won't start.

There's also a new car, but the loss would probably be as much as renting after a few months.

[RoadTripper Brad]

Yeah, buying a clunker just to save a few bucks off the innitial cost is not good. You'll end up paying out the nose in the long run.

If you can do it, I would seriously suggest the rental. If it breaks down, they swap it out with something else. You also won't have to deal with having to sell it once you get to your destination and prepare to leave home.

That's just my suggestion though.

-Brad