I need your advice. I've never had a car and I'd like to keep it that way, but it seems maybe I should get one now.
For the next 18 months I'll be in the US, working in a small village 50 miles out of Sacramento, CA. My idea is to live very close to my job, and use my weekends to get around in a 100-mile radius: basically dating in Sacramento (the closest big city); enjoying/exploring the outdoors (this is exciting for me as I'm from rainy built up Europe), and visiting family in another big city every month or so. A bike won't cut it on such long trips, totaling perhaps 5-7000 miles a year (hard to predict!).
What would you do if you were me? Cars are rented nearby, but due to my regular usage buying an old car would make sense. Renting: $85 a weekend. Owning: $1k depreciation + $1k insurance&maintenance + registration. This excludes gas. Should I go for a motorbike? Any other thoughts?
I lived for a year in North America before and did fine without a car, but that was in a big city with a dating scene, transit and car-owning friends my age. Having company is nice so I'd go on outdoor trips with them and share the gas. The big difference is that I'll now live far away from the big cities...
Should I buy a car?
I take it you haven't lived in a more suburban part of the US. Do you have a US driver's license?
How old are you? That can have a big impact on how much you pay in insurance. Another consideration is whether you need to pay for parking. Finally, you think you'd travel 5-7k miles/year. That will not happen. I live in a large city, use my car only a few times in a month, and I travel that much (I will be getting rid of it soon). If you're traveling a few times a week and making some really long trips, I'd expect at least 15k miles a year. That's what the average American drives. If you start with an assumption of 10k miles and $4 gas, you can determine based on gas mileage how much you'd expect to pay in gas. If you get 30 miles/gallon I'd factor in $1500 on gas.
Assuming expenses stay at $3500 total, I say go for it. It gives you a year of freedom to enjoy what sounds like a limited opportunity for you - being in a great part of the US and exploring the natural environment. That seems like a no-brainer to me. A bike would probably be even better if you ride, but you've discounted that. Between a car and no car, I'd go with a car in these circumstances.
If, after 6 months (or whatever your insurance term is) you find out that you're not using the car much, you can always sell it at that point. I would go for a good, clean car, used, for about $5k - maybe a Honda Civic or something. I think you could minimize depreciation. Or you could try to get the cheapest car you can find for $1k and hope that it doesn't fall apart. That would also minimize depreciation.
If you do get the car, make sure you plan a few trips outside California. Utah is my favorite part of the country (it has 4-5 awesome national parks) and you'll get a good idea of the vastness of the American west that you can't really get without a car. You can also drive north along the coast and into the Pacific Northwest, which is completely different but also very cool.
How old are you? That can have a big impact on how much you pay in insurance. Another consideration is whether you need to pay for parking. Finally, you think you'd travel 5-7k miles/year. That will not happen. I live in a large city, use my car only a few times in a month, and I travel that much (I will be getting rid of it soon). If you're traveling a few times a week and making some really long trips, I'd expect at least 15k miles a year. That's what the average American drives. If you start with an assumption of 10k miles and $4 gas, you can determine based on gas mileage how much you'd expect to pay in gas. If you get 30 miles/gallon I'd factor in $1500 on gas.
Assuming expenses stay at $3500 total, I say go for it. It gives you a year of freedom to enjoy what sounds like a limited opportunity for you - being in a great part of the US and exploring the natural environment. That seems like a no-brainer to me. A bike would probably be even better if you ride, but you've discounted that. Between a car and no car, I'd go with a car in these circumstances.
If, after 6 months (or whatever your insurance term is) you find out that you're not using the car much, you can always sell it at that point. I would go for a good, clean car, used, for about $5k - maybe a Honda Civic or something. I think you could minimize depreciation. Or you could try to get the cheapest car you can find for $1k and hope that it doesn't fall apart. That would also minimize depreciation.
If you do get the car, make sure you plan a few trips outside California. Utah is my favorite part of the country (it has 4-5 awesome national parks) and you'll get a good idea of the vastness of the American west that you can't really get without a car. You can also drive north along the coast and into the Pacific Northwest, which is completely different but also very cool.
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Concojones
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:57 am
m741, you're saying a bike would be better than a car for touring around? You may have a point. I'm planning on getting a bike anyway. I could start with a bike and see how often I end up renting a car. (Overall, you're voicing exactly what I've been thinking. FYI, I'm 29 and should get reasonably priced insurance despite no US driving history. Parking would be mostly free and I'd get a US driver's license.)
S, good point - I'm going to look into scooters/motorcycles as well.
S, good point - I'm going to look into scooters/motorcycles as well.
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Concojones
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:57 am
@Concojones: A bike and car for touring are probably equally good, assuming you travel light. I've never ridden but I have read 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance' and it made sense to me... I'd ride if I could get over the fact that it's so dangerous. So if you've ridden before, then I'd say go with the bike. If you haven't, stick with a car... there's plenty of things to do in your limited time in the US without having to learn to ride.
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Concojones
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Fri Jul 23, 2010 6:57 am
From personal experience, a scooter takes almost no time to learn to ride. Well, a little 50cc took almost no time (15 minutes and I was on the street with traffic), but I haven't tried a larger one which you'd want to go highway speeds or carry a passenger. A 50cc will top out at 20-30mph, but most states don't require insurance or a motorcycle permit to ride one. Scooters generally don't require shifting and have more bicycle-like braking, which makes it easier to learn than a motorcycle which I'm still struggling with after a couple tries on my dad's. Maybe try renting a scooter for the day and see how you like it. Some bike shops rent them as well as regular bicycles. Motorcycles look a bit less dorky for those dates though. 