Jason Herbert

I posted a message in this forum a few months back regarding a tour of the USA in August with a friend. Well, it is now 2 weeks away, our visa's are here and we are set.

We are intending to buy a car (up to approx $3000) and we intend on traveling around your great country throughout the entire 6 months, staying in motels along the way. We have an idea (thanks to the advice obtained from my previous message) of the places we want to see, but we are concious that for some of our stay we will hit winter!

Can anyone please tell us where we can ensure we have great weather for the most of our trip, I guess we will start in Florida, up to New York, Maine, along to Niagra Falls, to Seattle, LA, Las Vegas, Texas, then onto the Keys. Is there a better route taking in all these places and ensuring that we get the most of the weather?

Any help would be appreciated. By the way, we are coming from England, hence wanting to get good weather for the best part of our trip!

Many thanks....

Karen

I think you will be pretty safe, weatherwise, going across the northern part of the states for the first half of your trip and going back throught he midddle and southern states. Arizona weather is always safe as is most of New Mexico, Nevada and across the south. You are not likely to run into snowy, impassable weather for a few more months, but you always need to leave a few flexible days for weather or car trouble. You are sure lucky!!!

Cal

Rather than alter your route, I will suggest the best times for certain areas. BTW, $3,000.00 will not buy much of a car. Be very wary of what you purchase.

Florida - Best time is Feb-April.

Seattle and NW - Summer definitely or you may not see the sun at all.

California Coast - October is the best. Clear warm days. California has the longest season of good weather so it is not as critical though October is the best month.

Las Vegas - Avoid July-August. I prefer May-June period however anytime can be great in Las Vegas.

Other areas just play by ear. You definitely do not want to be in the northern states during the winter month. You will probably be OK up through October.

Bob Brown

I live in the southeast, near Atlanta.
I suggest you leave Florida until last, because it is hot down here. During August and September, heat indices of over 100 Fahrenheit are quite common.
Today for example is predicted to be 104.
As for a car, I would like to discuss more what you hope to procure for $3,000. My suggestion would be to look for one of the smaller Japanese brands such as Toyota, Honda, or Nissan. But at best you are going to get a high milage vehicle that is approximately 10 years old (or more). Many of them in that price range, to use an old Western saying about horses, have been rode hard and put up wet.

Diane

I'm wondering how you will license the vehicle? If you buy it in Florida, will the dealer register it and give you Florida tags? Do you need a fixed address to license a car? If you buy from an individual (you're more likely to find something at your price that way)you'll have to register it somewhere, along with the title transfer. Anyone out there able to give Jason some tips on these arrangements?

Owen O'Neill

I believe Florida has more flexible arrangements than many other states regarding the license and registration issues for used cars (due to the number of northeastern dealers who regulalry buy cars there and ship them north for resale). I concur that $3,000 will buy about a 10 year old vehicle and on the basis of personal experience I recommend a Toyota Camry - vintage 89 -91. I've owned several of them that I purchased with high mileage and drove them even higher. My '90 Camry was purchased with 135,000 miles and I sold it at 185,000 a year ago for $1600 (it ran well but needed shocks, ball joints and possibly a clutch - about $1400 of work). My current '92 Camry is at 208,000 and runs and feels like a new car. On any car make sure the air conditioning runs nice and cold - you'll need it in some places. If you can avoid power accessories like power windows and door locks you're likely to get a better deal and fewer things that may potentially need repair. I wish I could recommend a good USA built used car in that price range that would be reliable but I know of none.

Owen O'Neill

One additional note: be very careful about buying a used car of that vintage from independent used car dealers. There are some good ones out there but also many who are not trustworthy. Try to buy from a well established dealer with a verifiable reputation or from a private individual. Prior to choosing a car find a good independent auto mechanic or garage in the area who will do a pre-purchase inspection of any car you're considering. These usually cost about $50-70 but are a good investment. they'll chjheck the car over thoroughly for defects and potential problems. make sure it's a shop that does not sell used cars so you can ensure their objectivity. If the person selling the car refuses to allow you to have the pre-purchase inspection it's safe to assume there's something to hide!