Thinking of cost cutting.
George. Yes I did take note of that and you are right, it is a solution at a cost. I was actually thinking that taking someone over 25 years of age could save them quite a bit of money, even if they were to subsidise the '3rd party' somewhat. With a 20 day trip it could be $700 in surcharges alone.
RoadTrip Guru & Enthusiast
That would mean the 25 year old would have to do all the driving, or the underage surcharge will apply to additional drivers, and in states other than California, there are also additional driver (of any age) surcharges.
Thank you all again for your help!
A friend of us living in the USA asked around, and meant that it would be no problem for us as under 21 Germans to buy a car there with buying, insurance and registration. Is that right or may there be problems?
Do you have any recommendations of a car, it should be cheap in cost and gas, have enough space for us to sleep inside and reliable that we wouldn't have to repair it.
What car would you recommend, what do you think will be the costs for a solid car, insurance and registration? When we had a car it could be a one or two months roadtrip, with a rental car we could only afford two weeks.
Thank you for your help!
Jannis
If a 2-week car rental breaks your budget than a vehicle purchase is no way possible. Sorry to break the bad news... you may want to scale back your grand plans to something more within your doable reach. Buses and trains are about your only way to go.
looking for a unicorn
I'd be really curious who your friend "asked around" because our information, based on years of similar questions and the experiences of some regular non-resident members of RTA who have really struggled to deal with the paperwork, especially to find insurance. Your age isn't the issue - although that may make it even more difficult to find insurance, and anything you do find will be that much more expensive - it's being a short term visitor with no ties to the US.A friend of us living in the USA asked around, and meant that it would be no problem for us as under 21 Germans to buy a car there with buying, insurance and registration. Is that right or may there be problems?
I have to ask, what kind of budget are you thinking? I completely agree with landmariner, if you've only got money to rent a car for 2 weeks, then you don't have nearly enough money to buy a car. You generally have to be on the road for at least 2 months before the costs associated with buying a car start to break even.What car would you recommend, what do you think will be the costs for a solid car, insurance and registration? When we had a car it could be a one or two months roadtrip, with a rental car we could only afford two weeks.
Very ballpark, to buy a car that's roadworthy for 2 months, pay taxes, get it licensed and registered, and get it insured, I'd say you're looking at at least $5,000. About $1000 of that could be for insurance alone - since you'll probably have to pay at least 6 months of premiums up front and your age and lack of a US driving record mean you're looking at the highest tier for rates.
Again, you're looking for a unicorn here. A minivan would be one of the only options that would have enough space for 2 people to sleep inside. But ultimately, you get what you pay for. The less you pay for the car, the more likely you will have to budget both time and money for repairs. Case in point, one of our regular members who lives in Australia who was able to successfully buy a van (she has family in the US and a longer term visa, and still struggles to get insurance every time she comes over) spent I believe $8,000 for her van, it took her a long time to find it, it passed inspection before sale, and she still has had to make multiple repairs on the road.Do you have any recommendations of a car, it should be cheap in cost and gas, have enough space for us to sleep inside and reliable that we wouldn't have to repair it.
I don't like giving bad news, but It doesn't sound like you're properly prepared for just how much a trip like this would cost. How much money do you realistically have available?
The 2 week trip doesn't break my budget, but spending much more than 2 weeks with such high costs per day(rental for 2 weeks is 1700 $) would be too much. After the roadtrip I will travel to South America, which would be shorter when I stay longer in the US with an own car. I hope you understand what I mean.Originally Posted by landmariner
Jannis, I can only recommend you scale back the ambitions of your USA West Coast trip to match the realities of your time and budget. There will be another day for the "grand trip."
I think we've understood what you're saying, but I think you've missed our point - we're saying two weeks of car rental is going to be far cheaper than buying a car.
Specifically, if $1700 is too much money (and I think you could rent cheaper than that, even with the underage fees), then you don't have nearly enough money to buy, register, and license a roadworthy and reliable car.
It doesn't have to be a huge car. It should be just big enough that we can put down the chairs and tut a mattress on top of them
More than 1700$ doesn't break my budget, but for only 2 weeks it is too much money, because I could travel a lot in South America.
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