At a family function today, a young nephew recounted his month in America – which he had completed only ten days ago.
Four young people (18-19) bought a car in New Hampshire – a 2003 SUV for $US2400. They had an address because they knew a young Aussie who had been working at a summer camp there. So no issue with the purchase.
They drove from New Hampshire to LA via NYC, DC, New Orleans, Houston, Grand Canyon, Las Vegas, Death Valley, and Yosemite NP. They drove it hard at times, with the most being 2200 km (1370 miles) in one drive-day – four drivers.
They mostly used Airbnb, because a lot of hostels wouldn’t accept them, being all under 21. All of their Airbnb experiences were good, and fairly cheap because there were four of them.
When they reached Los Angeles, they had four days there. They posted the car for sale on carguru.com, and sold it in 24 hours (private sale). That same website had online resources to complete all necessary paperwork.
They sold it for the same amount that they paid for it, and they had had no repair or breakdown costs. Fuel was essentially their only cost. To rent a vehicle would have cost at least $4,500, including a hefty one-way fee and the 18-19 age premiums.
So it’s nice to hear such tales from the frontier!
