What is the cheapest way to travel across the USA, buy a car or rent?

Question

I am 24 years old and will be travelling across the states from Miami to San Francisco from March 2010 to May 2010 +-2.5 months. I was wondering, what would be the cheapest, buying a car in Miami or renting a car? I plan to sleep in the car to save on hotel costs (is this safe?). Also, I am from South Africa, so would I have any problems renting or buying a car?
Thanks

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Voters

It depends on the quality of the experience you want. You will be travelling a great distance(3,050 miles) and you need a reliable car for that - so a car that's not too old hence more expensive car or a rental would suffice. Most cars costing 'a few hundred dollars' will be dodgy.

Better to buy a reliable van not more that 5-6 years old and with a resale value.

The safety of sleeping in cars depends on where you park at night. Since you are a visitor to the US, I would not advise it as you wouldn't have any local knowledge

Answer 2

If you have all of your proper paperwork then you shouldn't have a problem buying or renting. It would be cheaper to buy because you would only have to worry about one monthly bill, and the price varies depending on what type of car you get. I use to rent all the time and was paying close to $300 a week. If you buy that $300 a week could only be once a month (car note), but don't forget about car insurance and gas. If you finance your car through a bank you will have to get full coverage but if you buy a car you can get whatever you want, but I suggest full coverage if you're going to be driving across country. I drove from San Diego to Alabama twice in a Cadillac and it cost me about $400 (premium gas) one way. My suggestion again from experience would be to buy if you can afford it in the long run. As far as sleeping in your car I wouldn't recommend but if you do pull over at a rest area and sleep instead of on the side of the road somewhere because that's dangerous and in most place the police will knock on your window and tell you to keep it moving.
As far as what everyone is saying about cheap cars. I drove from Cali to Alabama with a friend in a Ford Focus and we got good gas miles and had no problems with the car and those cars are cheap.

Answer 3

Because of the financial crisis, many states are closing their rest areas. Its not safe to sleep in your car.

The poster who said cars only cost a couple hundred dollars is not informed at all.
They cost anywhere from $12,000 -40,000 and up .. for a new car

You will most likely have limited number of miles you can drive per day with a rented car. Its a sizable amount, however.

If you bought a car, you'd have to sell it before you left. That would be a hassle, as people arent buying cars much right now. One reason our car manufacturers cut laborers by the 1000's .

Answer 4

I dont know if you'd have any problems, but no it's not safe to sleep in your car. Maybe when your driving through the countryside it is, but in cities like Miami, San Fran Cisco, and any others you'd be passing, you need to stay in a hotel.

Answer 5

Buy a car. They cost nothing over their. A few hundred Dollars.

Answer 6

Buy it even thought renting is pretty cheap but you need like a Credit Card for that.

& It's not really safe something could happen to you just maybe.

Answer 7

Buy a cheap car, a few days rental could cost the same as buying your own chevy :D

Answer 8

First of all while I have no doubts
that you can buy a car I have some very serious doubts if you as an out of country or out of
state person could register it
Second of all even if you could then the very least you should spend for a good used car would be 6000-7000 USD>
Get something like the low mileage Mercury Grand Marquis that the old folks own and take very good care of
Or another choice would be the long wheelbase
Dodge mini vans with the rear seats that open into a bed that American families beat the hell out of But don't otherwise mechanically abuse
Once you own the vehicle then all of the future repair and maintenance costs will come out of your pocket
I could easily imagine that the cost of ownership for the vehicle for 2.5 months would be in the area of 4000 USD
By some marvelous coincidence that's what Hertz would charge you to rent a brand new Mercury Grand Marquis for 2,5 months
Rear wheel drive , 27mpg @ 75 mph , big comfy super stable at speed , burns regular gas and you can do 1100 miles a day in one and not feel like you've been through a front -wheel drive torture chamber
Pick up MIA >3/01/10
Ret :SFO>5/17/10
https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/reservati…
Safe trip

Answer 9

There are no restrictions on foreigners buying a car (new or used) in the USA. If you buy it from a dealership they will help you with registration, license plate, and insurance. However, you will probably NOT be able to get a car loan, as suggested by another answer.

You only need an "International Driving License" if your regular license is not in English.. However, it doesn't hurt to have one and may be a good thing if you decide to rent. They are offered through automobile associations and travel agencies.

South African Automobile Association, ph: [phone]

Most rental companies require age 25. Check with a real travel agent where you live for USA car rental agencies that only require age 21, and they can also get you a price quote for 2 1/2 months.

It is true (as he first answer says) that you can buy a car for a few hundred dollars. However, it would be a junker and would be unlikely to get you form Miami to Florida. Realize that whatever you pay for the car you will get less for it when it's time to sell.

This will give you an idea, and you can research prices of cars online:

http://www.nadaguides.com/

When comparing costs, remember that the agency is responsible for repairs & maintenance of the rental car. In short, if anything goes wrong with a rental car (including an accident) you call the agency and they give you another one. They also pay for things like oil changes and tires. If anything goes wrong with a car you own you pay for it.

Whether you decide to buy or rent make sure you fully insure the vehicle. Getting into an at-fault accident with a poorly insured car is a bad thing, and is worse if you are away from home.

If it was me I would rent, even if the basic cost is slightly higher.

Sleeping in your car may or may not be safe, depending on exactly where. However, many places prohibit sleeping a a car on a public street (it's illegal).

There are national parks, state parks, and private camping areas everywhere that allow camping for very little cost. You can purchase a tent and other basic gear very cheaply at stores like Wal-Mart.

There are lots of camping info resources online and this is just an example:

http://www.camping-usa.com/
http://www.camping-usa.com/campgrounds/

Finally, consider joining SERVAS (www.servas.org), which will give you local contacts in many places even if you don't stay with a host. "Couch Surfer" is apparently similar, but I don't have any personal experience with them.

Good luck!

Source(s):

An American