Buying a Car in America for the purposes of a Roadtrip

bobo the clown

Hi,

The plan is to go on a roadtrip at the end of our J1 (1500m approx), and fly out of our destinastion. There will be a group of 5-6 of us, with most of us 21-23, but one of us is a resident in the US, holds a US driving license and is over 25.

Rentals and subsequent drop off looks to cost about $3000 for a couple of weeks. So would it be a better option to buy a car for $3,000-$4,000, and get short term insurance before we leave and try to sell it for as much as we can at our destination, before getting on seperate flights? Or would we risk break-down etc using such a cheap car on a long trip.

Any info/advice appreciated, thanks

duckmusic

I did something very similar. We bought a van for $1,000 between 3 of us and tried to drive from SB to Las Vegas... it broke down an hour into the trip. Which resulted in 7 lads making the trip to Vegas in the back of a u-haul van in the middle of the day. Not fun!

But you should be OK if you up the budget. $3,000 should get you something decent enough to get you where you are going.

Ruu_Old

Petrol is expensive in much of the USA right now, allow a good amount for that!

firefly08

If you are any good at buying used cars, you'll be fine. $3000 could buy you a very good used car that will do thousands of miles with no hassle. I know that because I bought a great Audi A6 about a year and a half ago for $3250 and I've put thousands of miles on it with zero hassle. And most of that is city driving which is much much harder on the car. A long road trip - no problem. You'll want a people carrier if you're going to have 6 but they are ten a penny over here. Go for it! Much more fun than flying or renting a car. Where's the adventure in that?

Where is your trip going to be from/to?

Route1

how do you get short term insurance in the states., california specificaily.

tunedout

bobo the clown wrote: »

Hi,

The plan is to go on a roadtrip at the end of our J1 (1500m approx), and fly out of our destinastion. There will be a group of 5-6 of us, with most of us 21-23, but one of us is a resident in the US, holds a US driving license and is over 25.

Rentals and subsequent drop off looks to cost about $3000 for a couple of weeks. So would it be a better option to buy a car for $3,000-$4,000, and get short term insurance before we leave and try to sell it for as much as we can at our destination, before getting on seperate flights? Or would we risk break-down etc using such a cheap car on a long trip.

Any info/advice appreciated, thanks

I wouldn't bother with the insurance seeing as it's not required over there the same way it is here and also you'll be on the highway most of the time.

InTheTrees

firefly08 wrote: »

If you are any good at buying used cars, you'll be fine. $3000 could buy you a very good used car that will do thousands of miles with no hassle.

+1

If you know a little about what you're doing when you buy the vehicle you should be good.

$3k is enough to get something usable. Check Craigslist. Avoid car dealers. Look for service records. You probably wont need them but it shows someone has looked after a car.

You can get an inspection done by a local mechanic. Again use craigslist.

InTheTrees

tunedout wrote: »

I wouldn't bother with the insurance seeing as it's not required over there the same way it is here and also you'll be on the highway most of the time.

Wtf are you talking about? "Not required the same way"????

Six euro twenty somethings in a cheap minivan in a foreign country on a road trip and you're suggesting they skip the insurance??

Are you nuts? They'll probably end up in a police cell somewhere the irish embassy will never find them.

firefly08

+1. For all intents and purposes, you need insurance:

http://www.dmv.org/ca-california/car-insurance.php

http://www.ehow.com/about_7293747_happens-don_t-car-insurance-california_.html

Most policies are 6 months - that is the standard. Most companies give a month-to-month payment option, so you might be able to get that and then cancel. But I doubt you will be able to get it without a US address - in the OP, there was going to be a US resident with them, so he would likely have his own insurance that would cover the car. If you're just visiting, I don't know - call Progressive or Geico or someone like that and ask about it.

ProudDUB

tunedout wrote: »

I wouldn't bother with the insurance seeing as it's not required over there the same way it is here and also you'll be on the highway most of the time.

That is one of the worst pieces of advice I have ever seen on Boards. Driving in California without insurance is a crime. One for which the car owner and/or driver can be hauled off to jail for. They don't screw around with that kind of thing over there, and being on the highways exposes drivers to even more chance of being busted, thanks to the presence of the Highway Patrol. Hasn't anyone ever seen CHiPs? :D

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/brochures/fast_facts/ffvr18.htm

OP, get a 6 month policy, and then cancel. But expect to pay very high premiums, as without a social security number and/or decent credit rating, you'll be deemed high risk and will be treated as such when it comes to your premium.

tunedout

InTheTrees wrote: »

Wtf are you talking about? "Not required the same way"????

Six euro twenty somethings in a cheap minivan in a foreign country on a road trip and you're suggesting they skip the insurance??

Are you nuts? They'll probably end up in a police cell somewhere the irish embassy will never find them.

I've done roadtrips in America 3 times before, 2 rentals and one time we bought bikes and were told not to bother with insurance if our trip was only 2 weeks and we were going to be selling the bikes on again. When I am doing it again in the future I would definitely do it this way again. Insurance is definitely not worth it for the sake of owining something for 2 weeks. Fair enough you might not be covered if it's stolen but i prefer to take that risk with something that's only $600.
Also it is not the law to have insurance in america, when we rented a car the guy at the counter told us it was an optional extra and while he recommended it it wasn't mandatory atall.

ProudDUB

Tunedout, click on the link above. It is from the California Department of Motor Vehicles. I'd take their word over it far more than I would some guy at a rental counter who doesn't know what he is talking about, or was under the assumption that you have your own insurance. Most US car renters can carry over their own personal car insurance coverage to rental cars, so they do not need to buy additional coverage from the rental companies. The guy you spoke to may have incorrectly presumed that you had similar coverage, when in fact you did not.

Insurance is not just to cover you if you car/bike gets stolen or damaged. It is to cover the damage that you may do to others too. It (or proof of some other kind of financial responsibility) is mandatory in all US states.

firefly08

tunedout wrote: »

I've done roadtrips in America 3 times before, 2 rentals and one time we bought bikes and were told not to bother with insurance if our trip was only 2 weeks and we were going to be selling the bikes on again. When I am doing it again in the future I would definitely do it this way again. Insurance is definitely not worth it for the sake of owining something for 2 weeks. Fair enough you might not be covered if it's stolen but i prefer to take that risk with something that's only $600.
Also it is not the law to have insurance in america, when we rented a car the guy at the counter told us it was an optional extra and while he recommended it it wasn't mandatory atall.

It is the law in every state that I know of - you have to either have insurance or have proof that you have enough money to cover damages.

It has nothing to do with whether you find it necessary or you're afraid of your stuff getting stolen. It is to make sure that anyone you injure will be taken care of. If you happen to have $50,000 dollars on deposit, that should cover the required amount in most states.

The reason the gar rental guy told you it's optional is because you don't have to buy the insurance from them. Virtually everyone in America over the age of 16 has a car insurance policy that lets them drive anything including a rental car. So you can rent a car without paying for the insurance, but if you don't have insurance of you're own, you're breaking the law in most cases.

Usually car rental companies recommend the comprehensive coverage since even if you have the basic legal requirement, you're into them for the full value of the car without full comp., if anything happens (regardless of whose fault it is).

Also, please everyone be advised that many US states have a "no-fault" insurance system, which means that if someone else causes a crash and injures you or your passengers, you cannot claim from their insurance - you have to claim from your own. So you could be facing some pretty serious medical bills if you're not insured, even if someone else is at fault.

InTheTrees

tunedout wrote: »

I've done roadtrips in America 3 times before, 2 rentals and one time we bought bikes and were told not to bother with insurance if our trip was only 2 weeks and we were going to be selling the bikes on again. When I am doing it again in the future I would definitely do it this way again. Insurance is definitely not worth it for the sake of owining something for 2 weeks. Fair enough you might not be covered if it's stolen but i prefer to take that risk with something that's only $600.
Also it is not the law to have insurance in america, when we rented a car the guy at the counter told us it was an optional extra and while he recommended it it wasn't mandatory atall.

A Darwin Award entrant. I've never heard such utter nonsense.

SO you only have issues with the cops if you're going to be over two weeks?

Under two weeks and you'll be fine?

How does that work exactly? Praying?

Listen: Just because you're not forced to produce proof of insurance when you register your vehicle it doesn't meant you "dont really need it".

christ on a bike...

CreepingDeath

bobo the clown wrote: »

Any info/advice appreciated, thanks

Watch the "Top Gear" American special where they do exactly this :P

InTheTrees

Seriously...

How completely dumb and stupid do you have to be to go on a road trip in a foreign country and decide to "take a chance" on the local laws so you spend your holiday worrying about being stopped by cops or having a fender bender. Why not just get insurance?? I dont understand, is it some kind of rebel, sticking-it-to-the-man thing?

It defies explanation. It really does.

US police work very differently to Ireland. Small towns have their own police, in addition to State police. Small towns derive a large part of their operating revenue from traffic tickets. These are the places you will get pulled over.

If these small town cops come across a vehicle with licence plates from another state, they'll pay particular attention. If its an old minivan packed with "kids" they will pay even closer attention. Foreigners will certainly interest them, they'll assume you're up to no good.

If it turns out the people in the vehicle have no insurance, the cash registers will really start dinging.

Of course thats minor compared to what would happen if you had an accident. Its the law in most states that an accident with a value over $500 requires that the police are called. Its not like home where you can swap insurance details and go on your way. The cops have to come and if you leave before, it will be a hit-and-run. No insurance will most likely get you taken to jail in most states. And god help you if there's any injuries. An ambulance showing up at the scene will cost you $1000 even if you dont need it or didnt call it. Hospitals getting involved mean $10,000 just to start.

And you cant just scuttle back to Ireland hopeing to avoid paying. They'll come after your job, your bank, your house. Those american Insurance company lawyers wont stop.

rockonollie

tunedout wrote: »

I wouldn't bother with the insurance seeing as it's not required over there the same way it is here and also you'll be on the highway most of the time.

WTF!......Insurance is required.....I don't know of any state where it isn't illegal to drive without insurance.

There are companies like safeauto that specialize in giving you the minimum required insurance for each state......but you still have to have some insurance.

rockonollie

tunedout wrote: »

Fair enough you might not be covered if it's stolen but i prefer to take that risk with something that's only $600.

Having it stolen is the least of your worries if you don't have insurance.........if you hit someone, even in a minor accident and they end up in hospital, say for something run-of-the-mill like an MRI or x-ray because they claimed that their neck was sore.

You may not care about your vehicle, but if the accident was your vault then without insurance you're responsible for the repair costs for the other persons vehicle, and their medical bills.....which for a night in hospital and an MRI, even if there's nothing wrong, will cost thousands of dollars