Budget for 16-days in Romania and Moldova with car hire

My girlf and I would like to take a 16-day trip to Romania and Moldova, probably hiring a car. Could anyone please advise what kind of budget we'd need for such a trip at the end of June? Tips on an itinerary would be apprecaited too.

We're happy to rough it a bit - backpacker hostels are fine, but we'd probably want a half-decent hotel every few days as this would be our summer holiday. I hear car hire is very expensive - is it cheaper to book it when over there? Will there be any problems taking the car over the border to Moldova?

We'll be doing a fair bit of walking in the mountains, and exploring little towns and villages - nothing too expensive.

Many thanks

Marcus

Here are some costs for Romania: accommodations ~€20/night/double room (at this price you can find decent guesthouses, with conditions in general as good as in hotels; hostels cost about €10/bed), car slightly under €20/day, other expenses (food, entry to various tourist sites etc.) €15-20/day/person

Try to do southern Transylvania, Maramures, Bucovina and the Danube Delta.

I hear car hire is very expensive - is it cheaper to book it when over there?

It's not incredibly expensive if you use local companies and rent small cars.
Book the car in advance because if you book on arrival you will have a very limited choice (and usually just of expensive cars).

Will there be any problems taking the car over the border to Moldova?

Yes, there will be. Few car rental companies will allow you to take the car across the border and those that do will require an extra fee.
It's probably simpler to rent a car separately in Moldova.

During our Romania experience (Transylvania and Maramures) we found staying in guesthouses (people's homes) was far superior in every way to hotels. The meals in the guesthouses were generally far better than anything in a restaurant. The hotel/restaurant infrastructure in Romania is neither particularly friendly, or serviceable. Of course, there are exceptions; I'm speaking generally.

Thank both - can i also ask, how necessary is a car to get off the beaten track? Does the train network go off through the villages and into the hills?

If we were to do a mixture of train and then car hire, where's best to do each?

Thanks again

Marcus

Bus/minibus services to villages located away from major routes usually do exist but they're not very frequent. So a car would be useful if you want to visit a lot of remote places and don't have much time .

As for the regions mentioned earlier: southern Transylvania can be done by public transport, in Maramures and Bucovina it's better to rent a car (although you can also hitchhike or stick to places along main roads/railways) and in the Danube Delta you don't need car anyway, getting around is done by boat.