buy or rent a used car for a USA nationwide trip?

Question

i am planning to go on a trip around the USA in july/august and i was thinking about renting or buying a used car. i want it to be the cheapest ever :) so i don't want to spend more than $1200 and i would like to sell it at the end of the trip. i would arrive from Spain to New York city.
1) is it possible to buy a used car even if being a foreigner? do i need some special documents?
2) do you recommend buying o renting? which is more economical?
3)if buying, where would you recommend me to look? in location or by web site.
4)is it better to buy once outside NYC (economical)? where would it be a good place to buy?
5) i looked on craigslist and some cars cost like $40 or less, what is the swindle?
6)which type of car would you recommend? one that doesn't consume a lot of fuel. Diesel, gasoline?
7) do you know anyone who has travelled that way?

thanks a lot!

Answer 1

Renting a car to see the US is a great idea... don't buy a car (especially for $40) - you don't want the car to be broken down for half your trip, and you don't want to have to worry about registration and disposition headaches either.

For renting, it's best to get out of the NYC area and avoid airport locations. You should be able to get a small car for $600 a month, give or take. Almost all rental cars in the US run on gasoline, and the smaller ones will give you better mileage 25 mpg + (and they're cheaper to rent).

Check prices for Avis, Thrifty, Hertz, Enterprise, Alamo, and/or Budget. I've rented cars from all of them and found them to be just fine - even for months at a time.

Don't let them screw you on insurance - find out if your policy covers you in the US... if it does, then that's all you should need.

Answer 2

Your international drivers licence should be enough. Buying renting Check with Hertz, AVIS, Enterprize rent a car. Buying can be a problem you don't know what your getting but that can be an adventure all it's self. Buying try Cars.com or Auto Trader. Diesel which is more economical is not what Most Americans use gasoline. I would try to find a 5 year old Nissan Sentra or altima Honda Civic or accord Toyota corrola manual trans Camry...But you might wat to save up approx $2,500 for the car then sell it on the other end If you land in New York Or Washington DC there are plenty of ways to get around But some bad neighborhoods foreigners with car cash should stay away from. Always meet in a pre checked out location Hotel or Wall Mart parking lot. Sounds like plenty of fun. I would check for the monthly rate at the rent car places. Contact your travel agent for lower car rates.

Answer 3

First off, a $1200 car in the USA will not be safe or reliable enough to drive cross-country. Cars in that price range in the USA are ready for the scrap yard. If you try to buy a car for your adventure in the USA, you will most likely end up in failure.

You're talking about a trip that, depending on where you want to visit, could cover 4-5 thousand (or more) miles. You can rent nearly new cars from the major rental car companies in New York for less than $50 per day with unlimited mileage. Talk to your travel agent about the best deals, and about insurance and driver's license requirements while you are visiting the USA.

Good Luck!

Answer 4

Of course you can buy old cars cheaply. If you buy a car for $1200 or less I would not risk traveling that far with it. It may break down. USA is a large country with many miles of open rural areas. Do you want to get stranded in the middle of nowhere with an old car? If you buy a car for $1200 or less, you are taking your chances. I would look into longterm rental, Rental cars are brand new and reliable. Small cars use much less fuel. Many stations do not sell diesel so I would go with gasoline. If you are sure you want to buy, a good web site is AUTOTRADER.

Answer 5

You should rent an rv with good mileage, the mileage is super important.