Motors Coast-to-Coast In The U.S. of A.

As harebrained schemes go, this is the sanest one me and my friends have had in a while. Essentially, we're planning a fly-drive holiday across the US over next summer (planning has to start early because we're all at different places). There's four of us, we're starting in LA and finishing in NY, via every interesting thing we can find between the two - Route 101, Bonneville, Pikes Peak, New Orleans, Yosemite - everywhere, basically. We're planning on at least a month abroad, and we've got places we can crash as well as cash for the places we can't. Now comes the bit I know nothing about;

Cars in the US.

We want* either something genuinely desirable and fun, preferably a convertible muscle car (Mustang, Camaro, similar) from a rental desk - or something off-the-wall that cost us less than the extortionate rental. The rental's pretty simple, but it's also very expensive even split four ways. Knowing the US to be a bottomless well of used cars, I'm trying to work out the complexities of buying a car and running in from coast to coast. We're all UK nationals, not US citizens, so I've no idea if I can have a car registered to me, or if I need to get it registered to an American friend. How do I go about insuring us all? Where's a good place to buy such cars either at very short notice or unseen?

Basically, if you have any experience of this, please, let me know!



*This is the bit where you tell me to want something else because this is a stupid idea.

 

no this is the bit where I tell you to steal a car instead

it can only make your vacation more exciting

 

Do a Top Gear. But with a higher budget. 4000 USD, buy cars. Go.

 

Just don't rent a V6 Mustang, or soul crushing disappointment will result.

 

V6 mustang... that's a bad idea... all muscle/pony cars should sport V8s.... no exceptions.

 

If I were to do a coast-to-coast road trip, the car of choice would be convertible and minimum of 10 meters long Then again, that wouldn't really make for an exciting ride, unless you count the breakdowns as exciting.

 

I could sell you my '62 studebaker hawk gt and you could take it with you, it might have an engine by the time you go if not flintstones power?

On a more serious note: Ive got all the paperwork here from when the previous owner of the car had it shipped over and it looks like it was just transfered to him the same as we do over here, That was many years ago though so it may have changed since.

Id be tempted to trawl ebay for a couple of months before you go and see if anything grabs your eye, the downside is that if you're buying a secondhand car things can go wrong and on such a long trip more than likely will. Id be tempted just to take the rental option for piece of mind really.

 

+1 for the rental idea. The extra money you pay would certainly be worth the fact that a) it's pretty hassle friee b) you get whatever you want generally and c) you can smash it up and probably not pay a dime extra.

Oh, and unless you plan on driving a '92 Dodge Neon or something similar you'll be upset by used cars.

 

I think the major rental car companies usually only do the V6 models which are kind of meh. Although the newer V6 Camaro isn't bad at all.

www.autotrader.com is a good place to check out cars. Although as previously stated TopGear did this which a low budget and in a really dumb area in the south but its a point of reference.

 

Id go for the rental as well. The problem with buying a used car here is getting it registered. Most cars that are for sale cheaper than a rental would cost have not been registered. It will probably solve all manner of headaches to just rent.

Also as a side note: Fly into seattle and head down the 101 to LA. The coast Highway is a beautiful drive. And if I may put in a further 2 cents, taking I-15 from LA up towards Pike Peak and Bonneville is a much better route than through northern Nevada. I just did the Sal Lake to San francisco drive last weekend via northern Nevada.......if you love brown dirt, you'll be in heaven.

 

I'd disagree with all of the above, I and two friends are planning on spending a year over there as of November 2012, just buying an RV and touring, we just need to get hold of ~£40k between the three of us...


Either way, you can easily budget for a £5k car (should be far less than rentals) and have £1k put aside for repairs

Alternatively there's doing it on a bike?

 

Thanks for the replies! A V6 muscle car should still be plenty fast enough to scare my friends up Pikes Peak, and really if it was dynamic excellence I was after I'd be going to Italy rather than going Stateside and hoping I can find a rental convertible with a manual gearbox. The rental's pretty easy to sort, though, so I figure I should explore the purchase option first.

I guess I should have posted a budget! That depends largely on whether or not we can sell on the car (or trade it in for scrap or something) if we buy it; I think $3-4k would be a cost we'd be just about willing to swallow between the four of us (£750 ea. plus petrol and insurance) - I was thinking something weird like an '80s land barge (James May stylee), or some other bizarre machine. I had considered bikes - you know it's easy, easy rider - but 4x$1k motorcycles sounds like four times the probability that someone will suffer a head-gasket failure.

Questions I need to get professional answers to, then;

1. Registration: How difficult is it to get an unregistered car registered? Can I, as a UK citizen, do so?
2. Insurance: How? Where? Multi-person policies?
3. Purchase: From where/whom? Dealerships? eBay? Anyone got any experience with sub-$4k car ownership?

Thanks again! If anyone can give me a breakdown on who and what is required to get a non-US citizen registered for car insurance, there's e-cookies around.

 

1- buy used school bus (many can be had for well under $2000 in decent condition)
2- rip out seats
3- paint exterior, remove school bus lighting
4- rip out nasty rubber floor
5- replace with something decent but cheap (linolium)
6- install beds, small kitchen, and chemical toilet
7- get school bus re-registered as an RV (it can be done by a foreign citizen in certain states), following state regulations for RV rental
8- get insurance from GMAC
9- you have a servicable RV for $5-10,000 USD, and don't have to spend a single night in hotels along the way
10- ??????????????
11- profit

 

Some states still require an LGV license (or a Class B) for a school bus, be sure to check them before going in and getting pulled

Should help

 

I've been up Pikes Peak. I took a rented 2.7V6 300. Not the quickest American car ever, but certainly adequate. Handling was superb. RWD, traction control and 80% Benz underneath. Cost me $400 for a fortnight in 2007. You won't be scaring anybody up the mountain, coz the speed limit is pretty low the whole way up.

I can't speak to the second-hand situation, but I think renting needs pricing up for an equivalent option. If you could get a Hemi 300, Magnum, or Charger I think you'd be very pleased. The noise is epic. Oh to add something to the route, Hwy 163 Arizona. Monument valley is must-see!

 

I'm not familiar with a LGV license, but so long as the bus has been registered as an RV, you only need the correct license for your home state (but, as a foreign citizen, I'm not sure how that could change). If I drive my RV through Wisconsin (for example, as it is one of the states listed on the list as requiring a CDL for any non-commercial RV over 26,000lbs GVW). I would not get in trouble for using my NYS drivers license with the correct endorsements for my vehicle, as all states honor other states laws regarding drivers licenses and registrations.

 

Sorry, should have made it clearer.

LGV is the British equivalent of most state's Class B licenses. (26,000lbs and over GVW)

 

You can rent a Camaro SS through Avis. 6.2L and 426Hp of goodness.