New Arrival to America!

[Timocracy]

Hi Guys,<br><br>I'm heading to the embassy tomorrow for my interview to get a American Visa.&nbsp; With a bit of luck I'll be flying into LA in about 2-3weeks.<br><br>We're planning to buy a van/car and travel around the states for about 3 months&nbsp;and are looking for some advise about what to buy and how to get it registered.<br><br>The machine<br>Looking for ether a small van or station wagon<br>Budget $3500 including fit out and repairs/maintenance<br>Priorities<br>1. Reliable, a major breakdown would blow a massive hole in the budget<br>2. Fuel economy,&nbsp; We're looking at clocking up some mega miles,&nbsp; I'm from Australia so the numbers don't scare me but the cost of fuel does.&nbsp; I think 25MPG works out to about 1L/10Km's which is about what I'd need.<br>3.&nbsp;Must be&nbsp;able to take it and&nbsp;drive it in Canada,&nbsp; will this be a problem?<br>4. Stealth, while not high on the list we'd need the odd night in the suburbs.<br>5. Comfort (lowest) however must sleep to people and I'm 6'3'<br><br>Fit out<br>The missus wants a foam and not a air mattress<br>electric's - only need to charge a laptop and a fan(I hate stagnant air when sleeping)<br>Esky will be fine and we can cook on gas.<br><br>So I'm looking at ether a station wagon or a mini van like a previa.&nbsp; Does anyone have any Idea's.&nbsp; Is there anyone in the LA area that would like to help me look?&nbsp; Would I be better getting out of LA and going to a smaller town?&nbsp; The biggest thing that freaks me out is blowing alot of money before getting the van.&nbsp; Costs really add up in big cities!<br><br>How do I get the documents to register it? How much does registration cost?&nbsp; Does it include third party insurance?&nbsp; How much will insurance be?<br><br>Thanks for any advise I look forward to your replys!<br><br>cheers<br><br><br><br>

 

[sl1966]

Hi &amp; Welcome Tim! Strongest advice I can give you off the bat is to not buy and register the vehicle in the state of California. You will spend a fortune there compared to neighboring states (AZ or NV for example).

 

[akblack10]

Tim, I agree with the above recommendation, California is very expensive for vehicle registration compared to say, Arizona. &nbsp;If you can fly into Phenix you might save money. &nbsp;Buy your vehicle with cash after you meet seller and see the vehicle, do not send money to a "seller" to "hold" a vehicle for you. &nbsp;I also recommend you ask seller to go with you to the DMV to complete the sale / deal, that way you are both protected. &nbsp;

 

[Seraphim]

What will you do with the vehicle when you're done - count on a quick sale and recoup your money?<BR><BR>Rental companies offer better rates for rentals over a month or longer.&nbsp;You won't get the money back, but you'll get a reliable vehicle and support if it breaks down. Easier&nbsp;and safer to arrange as well. &nbsp;I've no experience with longer rentals, but have seen ads for cars at $7USD a day. These are probably (sub)compacts. Places like "Rent- Wreck" sometimes offer older vehicles.<BR><BR>90 days at $10 a day would be $900.&nbsp; Would you lose more or less quickly&nbsp;reselling an old car you'd paid $3500 for? Up to you. I'd suggest you at least look into it and do the math for yourself. No sales tax, registration, time hassle, etc.<BR>

 

[johnny_canuck]

Check to see if you need an international drivers&nbsp;licence&nbsp;to buy or rent a&nbsp;vehicle.

 

[cyndi]

Welcome, Timocracy! I third the opinion to NOT buy/register in California. The idea of renting a vehicle is a good one, too (Enterprise Rentals have good deals on cargo vans. Search on line for discount coupons). Watch for mileage clauses if you go that route. Plenty of camping used gear is available on craigslist and kiji/ebay classifieds to out fit your purchase or rental.

 

[Timocracy]

Hi guys,

Thanks for the great tips! Our visa's have come through and we're planning to fly over in about three weeks. Not sure where to now, I missed out on the cheap tickets to LA. But most flights seem to end up in cali.

I have an Australian licence and a international drivers permit. I was planning to open a bank account then use the letter they send me as proof of residency.

The reason I'm planning to go smaller is that i have a Canadian work permit so i'd like to take it to Canada and use it as a day to day car. All up I'm planning to need it for about 6 months maybe longer.

In oz there's a rental company called wickedcampers.com.au they have them in the us asswell but they're out of our budget. If we ended up owening something like that we'd be really happy, but that'd be the biggest I'd like to go.

I met a guy in Vietnam who was from Phoenix and he said he'd help me buy something if I came there. Sounds like that might be a good idea.

Btw cars and fuel are cheap in America compared to Australia however your insurance seems more expensive. I sold my 2000 Camry to a mate for $3500 probably worth closer to 5K.

Budget for the US is $3500 for the car and $4000 for traveling, we want to stretch it as far as possible before we head north. Hopefully it'll last 3 months, home-cooking, boondocking, camping, couch surfing and woofing. Is that a realistic budget?

Is there much fishing in the southern us? we love fishing and it's a cheap way to pass time and get a tasty meal. Do you need a licence?

Hopefully we can meet up with some people from on here during our travels!

Cheers,
Tim and Jen

 

[Timocracy]

I definitely thought about a motorbike, but I don't have a bike licence or any experience. I think driving on the wrong side of the road will be enough of a challenge!

Will a mini-van fit a tall person lying down it the back? What about a dodge caravan or a Toyota previa. Mid 90's models seem to be going within my price range, would that be a good choice?


I've already left home, I haven't had a ticket in ten years or ever had a prang. So hopefully it will be ok, with insurance.

Funnily enough another Aussie on a different forum reported registering a car in Virginia with a Aussie licence and address.

 

[cyndi]

Lonfu is pretty close to the $$$ when it comes to buying/registering a vehicle in AZ. As a side note, Mohave County has no emmissions inspection and I've yet to have them do a physical inspection of any of the vehicles I've registered. &nbsp;Insurance is also cheaper in Mohave county.

 

[cyndi]

Neither of the two vehicles I brought from Massachusetts were inspected when registered in AZ. Nor was the truck I bought in Nevada. I was surprised but I sure didn't question it.

 

[sl1966]

When I moved from CA to MN there was no inspection required, but there was one when I moved to TX. It's gonna be different from state to state.<div><br></div>