Car or other option: 6 month US stay

cts_casemod

Not sure if this is the right place or perhaps the holliday section...?

I'll be living 6 months in Dallas and have been advised it's very hard to get along there without a car.

I have a budget of 1500usd. Renting seems way out of question, so I'm pondering to get an old used car for $500 or so and just scrap it before my return.

What I am unsure is what are the costs associated with getting the vehicle in my name, MOT and other stuff. I'm perfectly capable of the repairs before someone says the car will break down.

A little debatable I can also ship my car from the UK if it makes economical sense. Say by sea. I would be willing to sell before my return as this would likely be cheaper. I know for a fact my diesel VW would be worth some money for enthusiasts over there, even if just for the engine.

Other options: A motorbike or an electric bike are feasible for me, bit I've been told those are not the greatest idea either specially with the monster cars in America...


Anyway... What's your opinion?

worried_jim

Nice big V8 when you get there bought through the classifieds. Go the full redneck and get a truck and enjoy the cheap gas and open roads although Dallas has a mean rush hour. Yee haa!

AdrianC

cts_casemod wrote: »

I'll be living 6 months in Dallas and have been advised it's very hard to get along there without a car.

I have a budget of 1500usd. Renting seems way out of question

Even with a budget of only $250/mo, taking on the tail end of somebody else's lease may be possible...
http://www.swapalease.com/lease/Texas/search.aspx?maxmo=12&so=3

so I'm pondering to get an old used car for $500 or so and just scrap it before my return.

What I am unsure is what are the costs associated with getting the vehicle in my name, MOT and other stuff.

Insurance is going to be the biggy there, with you not having a US driver's licence. You may need to sort that first.

A little debatable I can also ship my car from the UK if it makes economical sense. Say by sea. I would be willing to sell before my return as this would likely be cheaper. I know for a fact my diesel VW would be worth some money for enthusiasts over there, even if just for the engine.

Look into the legalities. It can be VERY difficult to get non-US-spec cars into the country, especially anything even vaguely modern.

Anyway... What's your opinion?

Find a Texan forum and ask on there. The answers you want require local knowledge.

agrinnall

Do you actually have the necessary visa yet? I would have thought having so little money available might scupper your chances of being allowed in for an extended stay.

Herzlos

We did this, but as said, insurance without a US license is hard. With an International Permit you might be ok; we did it via a US resident.

If you buy from a dealership, it'll come with tags and you'll pay sales tax. If it's a private sale, you need to register the tags.

Either way, don't expect to be driving anything glamorous for $1500, you're in 15 year old banger territory. $500 will barely get you anything usable.

cts_casemod

I have no interest in a fast car. I want to go from point A to B safely and reliable and enjoy my stay without worrying with maintenance issues. A head gasket or automatic gearbox failure on a 4.7 liter and it doesnt matter how good of a mechanic I am. I need someone else, a workshop and money. Lots of it!

With my car I know its fully driveable with no issues, it has Aircon too, which is nice in Texas

Good point on the EPA regulations. I may take my 2001 petrol Seat Ibiza. It has the new engine (2000 onward) with EGR, solid state electronic ignition, double cat and a manufacturer C02 rating, so should pass fine with a pair of LH headlights.

Insurance might be an issue, I'm pretty sure its workable tough. How much would I pay for a much bigger US car?

The budget is what I find reasonable to own a car, minus insurance. I'm actually budgeting $350/month + fuel. More than that simply doesn't make economical sense. Ill get a motorbike, share a rental vehicle or some other option. I got quoted £1100 to have it posted from Port to Port with insurance, so lets take £1500 as a total loss + Insurance.

Herzlos, could you please provide me a few more details about how you went trough all that?

Herzlos

Insurance in the US is a lot more laid back; IIRC (this was 10 years ago), they didn't really care what the car was or who else was driving it, just the license status of the main driver (the way we did it was our local flatmate registered and insured the car, and gave us permission to drive it).

We paid $1500 for the car* from a dealer ($1200 + tax), though it took a couple of weeks to find (the dealer got a trade in and called me), and we'd viewed a few cars but most were either more expensive than that (like $1600 for a 15 year old VW Golf) or absolute scrap ($400 for a 20 year old LeBaron that was mostly filler). You can find cars over there, but set your expectations low.

I think insurance was about $50/month, fuel was essentially free at $2/gallon, and we sold it to a friend for $400 5 months later.

Why are you there for 6 months? Student or work VISA? If so, you may be able to get someone to help you out. Even if you have a local contact who can direct you towards car dealers and insurance agents.

* 13 year old poverty spec Dodge with dodgy paintwork & boot hatch, and 137k on the clock.

cts_casemod

Very reasonable, thank you.

Yes, I know getting a car there is difficult, they last a long time before starting to fall off unlike the UK so they hold their value. Its the same in Italy, Portugal, etc. That also makes parts way more expensive (and lower quality) as scrapyards get hold of the very few ones that are scrapped

I'm doing some work for my company for 6 months on their Dallas division. They can essentially get me a new with a phone call, I'm just not willing to spend $1000/month on car rental, I find that absurd.

I'm waiting on an insurance quote, so far that seems like the best approach. Ill get in touch on some local forums.

reeac

If you're interested in cars then "go native" with a big old V8. We lived in California for a couple of years in the 1960s and bought a 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 with the Thunderbird Special 5.2 litre V8. It had 5 times the capacity and 12 times the power of our previous 1930s English car .... very interesting.

iainscomputer

Taking your 2001 Seat Ibiza to the US to drive around is really a impossibility. There is a US law that only classic vehicles (+25 years) can be legally imported & registered.
There is a chance that it could be imported on a temp basis & keep your UK reg. But I'm guessing the shipping costs & the insurance costs would make this unfeasible too.

Moto2

The problem with car insurance in a lot of the states is that you only need to buy up to the states minimum cover.
In Texas you only need $60,000 liability insurance to be legal.

If you have an accident where someone is injured (or claims to be), there's potential for some very large bills. Which will land on your doorstep once over your liability insurance cover.