How to buy a car as foreigner under 21??

[runbeaverrun]

Hi everyone,
We are two German guys doing a one year volunteer service in the Pennsylvania.
At the end of our year in the here in August 2013 we´re looking forward to driving a loop through the country ending up back in Philadelphia .
We both own a German and an international drivers license since two years.
At the particular time of our journey we will be 20 and 19 years old.

Our plan is to buy a car to do road trip and sell it afterwards.

We already thought about renting a car but since our age, that would be too expensive and nearly impossible.

We think buying a car is no big problem.
We worry about the registration and even more about the insurance.

Is it possible for foreigners under 21 to resistrate a car and do a road trip?

We read a lot in forums and the internet but could not find a fitting answer.

Do have any experience or recommandations for us?

We would be very glad about answers and advices.

[Midwest Michael]

Welcome to the RTA Forum!

Typically it is quite difficult for any foreign visitor to purchase a car in the US.

However, in your case, I wouldn't think it would be too difficult. Since you are already spending a year in the US, then you are essentially a temporary resident, and should easier to obtain the documents you need to register a car.

Just doing a brief search, it looks like in Pennsylvania you would be required to get a PA Drivers License before you could register a car, and your ability to get a license will depend upon the exact type of visa you have during your stay.

Insurance will likely be expensive, as you hit pretty much all of the red flags. Being a male under 21 makes you the highest risk customer for an insurance company, regardless of your citizenship, plus you will not have a US Driving Record, and you will not have a Social Security Number, which most companies require these days, so your insurance options will be fairly limited.

[Lifemagician]

Your first action should be to speak with the organisation with which you are volunteering. They should have the correct paperwork for you. I know that au paires who come over to work for a year, are able to make these arrangements - though few do, due to the high cost of insurance.

Getting around the PA drivers licence issue is the least of your concern. You will need to focus on what sort of vehicle, and how much you are willing to pay. Remember, you will be buying someone else's cast-off. A loop around the country would probably come to the best part of 10000 miles. It would be very fortunate indeed, if in a second hand car you will not need repairs during that time.

Then there is the registration and insurance. All of this comes to a tidy sum before you even start to consider fuel, accommodation, and all the other expenses which make for a memorable holiday. On top of that you will not be able to expect to get any money back on the car. Typically, if someone finds out you are selling because you are flying out of the country, they wait till the last minute, when you need to get rid of it, and are almost willing to give it away.

It is not what you want to hear, but why not have a great experience in PA - a wonderful State, by the way - and learn as much as you can about the US. Then plan a holiday some years further on, when you are both older, and these costs will not be so great.

Lifey

[runbeaverrun]

Dear Sir/ Madam,

we are two German guys doing a one year volunteer service in Glenmoore, PA.
At the end of our year in the USA in August 2013 we´re looking forward to driving through the country for one month. Therefor we want to rent a car.
We both own a German and an international drivers license since two years.

At the particular time of our journey we will be 20 and 19 years old.

Do you know any car rentals (especially in Pennsylvania) which rent cars to people like us?
We have been looking on the internet for a long time but didn´t find a fitting company.

Our road trip will last about 22 days. Do you recommend us to drive to the east coast and back to Pennsylvania or to go one way by plane and rent a car for the way back?

We would be very glad about answers and advices.

Carl and Paul

Mod note] Please keep all questions in connection with this query in one thread. Thank=you

[Midwest Michael]

Sorry, but you simply will not be able to rent a car for your trip.

No major rental car company will rent to anyone under the age of 21. Even if you found an independent, local, rental company that would rent a car to you, you'd be looking at an extra surcharge of more than $50 per day on top of the rental rates. Such a company probably would not let you take it cross country either.

[Lifemagician]

Have you contacted Adventures on Wheels. They are based in NJ, and may be able to help, though it won't be cheap. Otherwise, I have to agree with what Michael wrote... it is nigh on impossible.

Go back and read this whole thread from the begining, and see if any of it rings home to you.

Lifey

[glc]

The one exception I'm aware of is Fox. They will rent to 19 year olds, but they only do business in a few states and the car will have geographic restrictions. The underage fee is only $14 per day per driver.