returning_wave Posted July 18, 2004 Share Posted July 18, 2004 (edited) OK heres my dilemma: I am plannign a road trip aroudn north eastern USA and Ontario next year, at which point I will be 18. Does anyone know ho I can get a car company to hire me a car at that age? or any in the general area which specialise in student hire or anythign like that? and my other option is buyign a chapo car on eBay ( ) and flogging it at the end. But I know nothign about buyign American cars. what laws exist about cars in the states? for example, in Britain a car must have insurance in the drivers name and display a paper disk called a road tax disk, availalbe in 6-month or annual installments. what expenditures are manditory for a US car? thanks, r_w Edited July 19, 2004 by returning_wave 3rd Kyu - Variant ShotokanTaijutsu"We staunt traditionalists know that technique is nowhere near as important as having your pleats straight when you die." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckykboxer Posted July 18, 2004 Share Posted July 18, 2004 you will have an almost impossible time renting a car at 18, most car rental companies in the us will not rent unless you are 25. how long are you going to be here? even the cheapest smallest most gutless rental cars are about 30 dollars a day. If you are going to be lugging around clothes and things you might want to look at a mid to late 90s sedan, can possibly get something fairly dependable for about 4000-5000 dollars and then when you are done sell it, even if you sell it at 2500, and you are here for 3-4 weeks you come out ahead. Insurance companies can insure you for probably 100-200 for a one month period. they will want you to sign up for 6 months, but you can ust pay the 1 month start and then not pay again, they just cancel your coverage after that and there are no contracts. all you have to have in the US is... registration... Insurance.... I have no idea what it would cost for a foreign citizen to register a car.. but I am sure it wouldnt be that big a deal to buy a car and float it for a month or so and then sell it when you leave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommarker Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 You may be able to find a rental company that will rent to an 18 year old, but they will charge MORE money, and they may not be thrilled with letting you travel across state lines, or into Canada. You could also look into using bus lines, such as Greyhound. Some bus stations are, well, nasty... but it might be cheaper in the long run, and certainly easier. Amtrak (train) might also be an option. Public transit in the US is not the priority that it is in the UK, except in the larger cities. Even then, expect an almost appaling level of service. We just love our cars too much I'm no longer posting here. Adios. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northren Ogre Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 You should be able to rent a car in Canada. I'm not sure if the age of majority is 18- or 19 in Ontario (it's 18 here in Alberta). Once again though, you might have trouble crossing the border with a rental car in these post 9/11 times. In the past it was a peice of cake. http://prkickboxing.tripod.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DLopez Posted July 19, 2004 Share Posted July 19, 2004 When I was 16, I rode a Continental Trailways bus for 3 days from San Antonio, TX to Washington DC... What an experience! Our bus broke down in a little town called Center, TX, in the middle of the night. Took a couple hours before a diesel mechanic was found and the bus was fixed. That caused me to miss my connection in Shreveport, LA! I had to stay awake so I wouldn't miss the next connection leaving at 7:00 am. I was half-dozing when I heard the boarding call for my bus. When I got to it, I found there was only one seat left, and there was an hugely overweight woman taking up half of it along with all of hers. I squeezed into my seat, and before long, let me tell you, I was so tired, and this obese woman was so soft and warm, I fell asleep on her like she was some big giant pillow or something!! I met a lot of interesting people those 3 days. I'll never forget that bus ride! DeanDahn Boh Nim - Black-Brown BeltKuk Sool Won"Dream as if you'll live forever. Live as if you'll die tomorrow." - James Dean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northren Ogre Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 The downfall of a long bus trip is that you smell like...well the bus. http://prkickboxing.tripod.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aefibird Posted July 20, 2004 Share Posted July 20, 2004 The downfall of a long bus trip is that you smell like...well the bus. Sheesh, tell me about it... When I was living in Ghana for a while, I once took a minibus ride from Accra (the capital city in the south of the country) up to Wa, which is in the north of the country near Burkina Faso. This old minibus was so ancient it must have been considered a worn out wreck before Henry Ford was a lad. How it managed to get us up there on the 2-day cross-country journey was nothing short of a miracle. Plus, the bus was crammed full with people and chickens and all sorts of other assorted items (anyone who has ever travelled in Africa will know exactly what I mean). By the time I got to Wa I felt, looked and smelled like a resurrected corpse... "Was it really worth it? Only time and death may ever tell..." The Beautiful South - The Rose of My CologneSheffield Steelers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
returning_wave Posted July 21, 2004 Author Share Posted July 21, 2004 Thanks for your replies, guys (and your stories! I think ill avoid the buses if possible!). I will look into hiring in Ontario. A deaf Enterprise employee told me over the phone that NY state allows hire to 18 year olds but ill have to check surcharges, ability to cross state lines etc. thanks again, r_w upddated with a tohught: i suppose i could jsut not tell the hire company ill be taking it out of state. risky if i get stopped/break down, but still... 3rd Kyu - Variant ShotokanTaijutsu"We staunt traditionalists know that technique is nowhere near as important as having your pleats straight when you die." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tommarker Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 Many rental cars have GPS units in case car is stolen, etc. I wouldn't suggest it. I'm no longer posting here. Adios. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luckykboxer Posted July 21, 2004 Share Posted July 21, 2004 i dont ever recall a rental company telling me i couldnt take a car out of state, it just had mileage limits or unlimited mileage, i was told i couldnt take it to mexico though Funny thing was when i rented a car in Hawaii last August i had to sign the waiver saying i wouldnt drive the car outside of state boundaries.. I actually had to stop and ask about that one... really confused me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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