Buying a Car

If you are going to stay at a particular place for quite some time say more than three months, then its better to buy a car rather than rent one. Buying a car involves quite some work. Its better to be cautious While buying a car, 'cause owning a car brings you freedom and you own a vehicle but you need to maintain the car and take care of any problems. The main concern while buying a car is its maintenance cost should not be high, otherwise you will loose a lot. So here is what experience tells us. Buying a car in America is very easy, there are lots of used cars for sale and there is never a shortage. It is just the question of deciding the budget and type of car to be bought.

Most people prefer Japanese cars over American makes simply because of the easy resalability. The most popular Japanese car makes are Honda and Toyota. Types of models ? There are two categories of cars, 2-door, 4-door. The 2-d are cheaper. Then comes the type of transmission (gear), automatic or stick-shift. Most people buy automatic transmission. Such cars are very easy to drive. (Almost all Indian cars are of the stick-shift variety).

Where to look ? The local newspapers carry a lot of car sale advertisements everyday. You should see the paper and decide on the ones you are interested in. Next call up the owner at the tel. no. given, as early in the day as possible and fix up an appointment to visit and see the car. Test drive it, if you like it and the price is ok, tell the owner that you'd like to get it checked up by a mechanic. This is the normal practice. There is nothing to feel shy about asking the car to be checked up. This will save you a lot of money later after purchasing the car from unforeseen problems that some used cars land up into. Look up the yellow pages in the local tel. directory to get the list of car mechanics or just ask colleagues to recommend one. If that doesn't work out, ask the local AAA (American Automobile Association) office to recommend someone to you. For a fee of about $25-30 the mechanic will check up the car and tell you the problems or possible problems if any. Some people do it for free.

It is good to tell the auto mechanic to check up the following things with additional care in addition to their regular :-

• brake cylinder, drum and worn out pads
• transmission. ( this is the costliest part in an automatic car)
• if it is a 4 speed never buy it. 5 speed is ok.
• check for rust in bottom, radiators, muffler and tailpipe.
• check for vibrations when you brake from 40 mph, without down-shifting. If there are vibrations, either reak pads or steering pinion is in bad shape. Get 4 people to sit in the car and you can make out if the suspensions are ok, when you make a sharp turn.
• Most important, check for oil leaks, and whether the car gives you power speed/pick-up when you try to accelerate. You can feel if it's OK.
• last, check for emission whether the smoke is black (thick), which means oil is also burned with fuel = the car is beyond its life. The piston rings might be leaving a gap in the cylinders because of wear. In that case, don't buy the car, because you will have to change the cylinder, piston and rings which will come to double the cost.
• ask the owner to give the records of the maintenance he has done, like new tires etc. Also, make sure you don't go beyond 3rd hand purchase. There must be something seriously wrong with the car if people have changed owners drastically.
• Air filter, valve etc. OK ?

Generally private owners who sell through ads can give better discounts than used car dealers. Generally car dealers stick to the Blue Book Price but usually ask more. Mileage is also a consideration while purchasing a used car. Lesser the better. The ideal average is 10000 miles per year. So a car manufactured in 1987 may have a driven mileage of about 70000 miles in 1994 and not more than 80000. These are approx. figures.

After buying a car you need to get it insured. You cannot drive a car in the U.S. without proper Insurance. The car has to be insured against collisions etc. There are various vehicle Insurance companies Having various deals. Look up the yellow pages and call up some of them and ask for their rates. Then decide on one. The Insurance coverage period and the type of Insurance chosen and your age (more for less than 25 yrs.) decides the amount to be paid. The "comprehensive", "collision" are terms used by the Insurance companies to describe the type of insurance coverage. Get everything explained properly. There is sometimes a windscreen coverage too, for a nominal additional amount per month, this insures your windshield against damage (a windscreen replacement may cost about $200.00 approx. otherwise).

You have to get the emission testing done on your car before it can be registered. In case the previous owner has got it done and the test is valid still, then there is no need to do it again for the specified period. The valid test papers are required for Registration. The local vehicle registration office will issue a temporary registration for 45 days and meanwhile process and prepare the proper number plates. The documents required to get a registration are - Car ownership (title) papers, Emission Test papers, Car Insurance papers. After proper registration is done you can drive your car. However you should have a Driver's License. Actually each state in the U.S. has different laws. Most states allow you to drive with an I.D.P. (International Driving Permit) for a year or so. But others require that you get a local Driver's License. The driver's license can be obtained from the local DMV office after a written and driving test. Refer to the section on obtaining a driver's license for details.

Renting a Car

Car is a necessity in most of the places here in U.S. Either you buy a car or you can rent a car. You can pay either a monthly rate or daily rent. Though its expensive to rent a car for a month or so, it might be required if you are going to stay at that place for a small period of time. Here is some information you will need OR should know when you want to rent a car.

• The driver/co-drivers need to be at least 25 years old.
• Credit Card is required to rent a car. Else a deposit of about $300 etc... Most companies do not allow you to rent a car if you do not have a credit card. -
• You need a valid driver's license to drive a rental car.
• Well known car renting companies are - Hertz, Avis, Alamo, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise etc.
• Car Insurance has to be bought for the Rental car. It is a separate charge or is included in the total per day renting cost. Some credit card companies pay for the insurance if you use their card to book a car e.g. American Express Credit Card, in such a case you need not buy insurance from the car rental company.
• You have to register the other drivers too as co-drivers of the rental car while booking the car. They should have valid driver's licenses too. Nobody else should be allowed to drive the car other than those registered!
• Unlimited mileage or fixed mileage is also a criteria which decides the hiring charges of a rental car.
• You can make the booking over the phone. But you have to go personally to pick-up the car from the renting agency.
• Generally the gas (fuel) tank is full and you are supposed to return it with a full tank.
• Some rental agencies do not allow you to rent their car for travel outside the state.
• There are various types of cars that can be booked. Generally depending on the seating capacity, such as small, medium, compact, large, full-size, premium, mini-van, van etc. One may even choose the make of the car if available. The rental agencies maintain the cars in good shape and generally have new cars.
• The renting charges vary depending on the season, weekend/weekday, for how many days you want the car, how much in advance you are booking, availability, type of car etc.