Buying a Car in America for the purposes of a Roadtrip

DaveyGem

Howdy all

Heading over to NY for a J1 in about two weeks.

Now we don wanna just stay in the city so we ve decided we we'll go for a drive as it were.

Now none of us are 21 (forget 25) so renting a caris out of the question.

So would it be a good idea to buy a great big durty oldsmobile and do it or is it a completely ridiculous idea as any car in ouir price range will break down.

Has anyone done this sorto thing before???

gerk86

sorry to burst your bubble but we looked into this aswell. You need car insurance and no-one does temporary 3 month insurance deals. You also need proof of address and a NY state liscence from the DMV.

You COULD go onto craigslist and buy a banger for $500 and hope you don't crash/ get stopped by the cops but you'll obviously get in a lot of trouble if you are caught. Not worth it imo.

To anyone else under 25 going to rent a car. You get charged $20 a day (minimum) as the underage fee. We're renting a car for a week but its costing us a fortune cause im 22. Ridiculous.

DaveyGem

gerk86 wrote: »

sorry to burst your bubble but we looked into this aswell. You need car insurance and no-one does temporary 3 month insurance deals. You also need proof of address and a NY state liscence from the DMV.

You COULD go onto craigslist and buy a banger for $500 and hope you don't crash/ get stopped by the cops but you'll obviously get in a lot of trouble if you are caught. Not worth it imo.

To anyone else under 25 going to rent a car. You get charged $20 a day (minimum) as the underage fee. We're renting a car for a week but its costing us a fortune cause im 22. Ridiculous.

Surely ye can just take out a policy for a year and then cancell when your about to leave...

As for the licence i would have though an irish licence would suffice?? no?

Scandalous really

spinandscribble

you'll need a international driving licence

DaveyGem

spinandscribble wrote: »

you'll need a international driving licence

Ah thats grand might nip into the AA and get it on the way home E5.08 not tree bad although considering it isnt a real licence its just a card that says you hold a licence in your own country.... i suppose its a bit of a money spinner.


Now anyone any experience driving stateside? My da said it can be quite intimidating :eek:

Neamhshuntasach

I drove in the states for 4 years. Takes a little getting used to with the steering on the opposite side and then also the size of the roads. The drivers are more agressive as they change lanes so much to keep at a fast speed. Can be a bi t daunting at first but you get used to it.

As for the insurance. It is difficult to get insured if you don't have an address in the US and don't have a US driver's license. The reason for this is because they can't do a check on your driving history and credit history. While it is legal for you drive with a full Irish license or International license, you'll still find it difficult to get insured as insurance companies will insist on a US drivers license.

Insurance is also expensive enough over there. I drove a few cars from a Honda Civic to an Audi A4 over the years and my cheapest insurance was 95 dollars a month. And that was in the 4th year as my premium went down. And i heard auto insurance went up over there lately too.

You haven't got the easiest of tasks ahead of you so good luck.

spinandscribble

its not so much a money spinner as a way of proving you hold a driving licence in your own country which is alright if every country knew what a irish driving licence looked like but of course they don't. good luck sorted out the car and insurance.

sharkDawg

DaveyGem wrote: »

Now anyone any experience driving stateside? My da said it can be quite intimidating :eek:

They seldom use indicators and and will blow their horn at every opportunity.

zilog_jones

Another issue is that in the US, vehicle registration is assigned to the owner, not the car like over here, i.e. you keep the same registration for all the cars you own, and once you sell a car its reg is changed to the next owner's. So if you buy a car there it will have no registration, and I don't know how you can get one if you aren't a resident.

I've seen it done on TV, but of course they have a lot of money...

Neamhshuntasach

I never kept my license plate when i sold my cars. The previous owner just transferred the registration. I was then sent a tag to put on the plate when transferred. Guess registration laws probably vary state to state.

zilog_jones

On closer inspection it seems to vary by state - in some states the registration stays with the car, in some they stay with the owner who may be able to use it with his/her next car, and in others the plates change when the car is sold and no one keeps the old reg. It's all rather confusing...

minidazzler

AFAIK The US Use what they call Tags. The Registration Plates stay the same but they have to get new tags. (Basically the Car Tax) Every year.

IIRC that is correct and pretty much country wide.It is second hand info so I could be wrong but I am pretty sure I am right.

dave2pvd

minidazzler wrote: »

AFAIK The US Use what they call Tags. The Registration Plates stay the same but they have to get new tags. (Basically the Car Tax) Every year.

IIRC that is correct and pretty much country wide.It is second hand info so I could be wrong but I am pretty sure I am right.

No. It varies state to state. As do road manners (beeping the horn). Even interstate speed limits vary. In so many ways, the US is not like a single homogeneous country. Everything from the law to cultural norms vary significantly.

Have you looked into getting a US license? Perhaps it can be done. It's been a while, but iirc, I needed an address and a social security number. Then I had to pass a multiple choice driver's test :eek: Although, now there is a proper driving test in this state

For buying and registering a car, I'm not sure what good the AA 'International' license will be. Why would anyone in the US accept such a document? The only thing 'international' about it is that the AA says it is.

So, if you do manage to get the car registered, you should be able to get insurance - after some hassle. You may have to buy 6 months in advance. At a higher rate, of course.

The under 21 or under 25 thing may seem scandalous. Keep in mind though: it's the same in Ireland. If you're in your early 20's, you're statistically a more risky insurance proposition. Especially if you are male. I know, it's tough. I've been there.

Innervision

Just wondering on the car rental thing, I heard a lot of companies won't rent to anyone who has their full licence for less than a year, is this true?

DaveyGem

dave2pvd wrote: »

For buying and registering a car, I'm not sure what good the AA 'International' license will be. Why would anyone in the US accept such a document? The only thing 'international' about it is that the AA says it is.

Check the DMV website. AA are simply the people who issue the licences here. As they are issued in a lot of countries, some of which do not have the AA

dave2pvd

DaveyGem wrote: »

Check the DMV website.

I agree. Check the state's DMV website.

Innervision wrote: »

Just wondering on the car rental thing, I heard a lot of companies won't rent to anyone who has their full licence for less than a year, is this true?

I'd recommend you get this question answered by making a phone-call to some of the rental agencies. Even if someone here has an insight, the rules may have recently changed.

EricM

You can rent a car in New York if you are over 18.
NY is the only state (that im aware of) that you can rent car under 21.

I rented car in Missouri at 21 only having a full irish license for few months so I dont think that will be an issue.

donnaille

EricM wrote: »

You can rent a car in New York if you are over 18.
NY is the only state (that im aware of) that you can rent car under 21.

I rented car in Missouri at 21 only having a full irish license for few months so I dont think that will be an issue.

Yeah you just gotta pay an extra daily fee which can cost a lot if you are renting a car for a while.
Was in America on internship last summer for 6 months and I easily bought a car, registered it and got insurance for the 6 months. Just had to send my plates back to the insurance company when I was leaving and transferred ownership of the car. All above board and I was 21 at the time too.