DaveW needs YOU!
Hi guys. Well, I'll get straight to the point. This is a shameless abuse of my powers as Admin, but I'm asking you guys for help.
I have a job this summer in the USA, working at a summer camp in PA that I'm not going to mention by name. I'm going to have 30 days at the end of this period in which to travel, with a few days off and a hectic return flight for a wedding halfway though all this. America being such a big place, I decided I would have a lot more fun (and less stress) with a car.
I got a rough quote for the period I'd want a car, probably ~1st June to 10-20th September. The cheapest quote was for £2,050. For those of you unaware of the current exchange rate, that's ~$4,100.
Suffice to say I can't afford that. So I looked at the alternatives in the camp info sheet. You can `buy, rent, or borrow a car, or use the driveaway service'. Driveaway is pretty cool but I don't think anyone would be happy with a 3 month delivery period for their car.
So, I'm asking you, the TBCS community, to help me get some wheels while in the US. I'll need a vehicle that I can use within those dates, to travel around the country and see the sights. Not to mention meeting up with a few of my buddies from TBCS.
Now, I'm not asking someone to give me a car, but I am hoping you can help me smooth the process of getting a car, and then getting it to me in the USA. I doubt any one person could solve all the problems in this, so here's a list of the information concerning the car. You might find there's something here could help out with.
1) First, my stats; I have a full clean manual licence in the UK, that was issued in 2006. I am 21 and a full British passport holder, working under a J-1 Visa with no criminal record. I have never made an insurance claim. I drive a manual right hand drive car.
2) I am looking for a reliable vehicle for use during the dates above. I don't know entirely how the insurance will work; if buying, I know I'll have to pay a registration fee and such. The insurance I'll figure out once I've established a possible solution. If anyone in here is mad enough to actually loan me a car for that long, then I might be covered in your insurance policy unless the car is uninsured and in that case I'd sort it out myself.
3) The vehicle doesn't need to be pretty or fast. It does need to be reasonably comfortable, but most importantly, it needs to be reliable. I'm not bothered about assisted steering or manual gearboxes; the cheaper, the cheerier, as long as it keeps running.
4) At the end of my holiday, I'll have to get rid of the car. If buying a car, I'll have to sell it, or most likely donate it to a charity/scrap it in New York. I won't have time to run around selling the car at the end of my time, so I won't get much/any money back. So if you have a car that you can loan/give me, then we'll need to discuss how I'm going to get that car back to you. I could drive to your location, return the car, then make my way back to NY. Alternatively, I could find a driver to return the car for me (I don't really expect this to happen, I'm not that naive...).
5) Obviously, the possibility that I could be in a crash and wreck the car is very real. I won't accept any offers that involve a car that isn't 100% replaceable/disposable, so please lie to me if you are offering me such a car. Tell me you were keeping that Mustang for spares. :p
6) I have very little money money to spend on the car itself. I won't get paid till the end of my placement and my money will be stretched thin on the ground. I cannot afford to buy an expensive car, spend a lot on insurance, or pay for repairs to an old car to make it roadworthy (unless we're talking cheap parts here).
7) I'm flying into and out of New York, I think it's JFK International. Exact dates won't be known for me till much later, possible the end of this month.
8 ) It must be a 4 wheeled car of some sort. No motorcycles, heavy vehicles, quads, or any other kind of unusual transport. Other than that, I don't really care. 4 seats would probably be best, in case I make friends at camp, but I'm not bothered if it's only 2. If it's a single seat vehicle, I'm likely not interested, but try me anyway.
What I'm trying to say is; do you have an old car that you're considering getting rid of, yet it seems a waste to scrap it? Do you know someone in this situation? Do you have a car sitting around that's perfect for a guy to travel the US in, that you don't need for the dates above? Are you willing to act as a proxy, to scour second-hand car advertisements, to help a fellow TBCS member get some cheap wheels?
My understanding is I'll be spending a night in NYC before heading out to camp. That's when I'll be looking to collect the car; somewhere between JFK and the border of PA. The camp is pretty much bang on the border, and I'd rather not say more than that at the moment. I'll probably need to get all this sorted out by the end of this month, to notify my employer of my intention to get a car.
As a side note, I'd like to apologise about he obvious exploitation of the kindness of TBCS members. I'm honestly not asking for a free car here, although it might look like that. If you can help me out in any way, please do.
I've seen some amazing community efforts from TBCS in my time, so I'm really hoping you can help me get mobile!
-Dave
Originally Posted by jdbnsn
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