Renting, importing, or purchasing a car
It has already been told that the USA is a country of automobiles and motorists, and living in a small town or a middle-sized city may become very difficult without a car. So, if you are a motorist yourself, have a driving license, and have sufficient financial means, why not make your life easier and more comfortable in America?
The most reasonable decision if you come only for a few months, is to rent a car. Car rental agencies (usually called RENT-A-CAR) can be found all over the country, and almost certainly at any major airport where you arrive. To rent a car, you must show a valid driver’s license to the agent. You will also need a credit card. Some agencies accept cash, but in this case they want to have a substantial deposit. If at payment time the amount of your deposit is bigger than what is actually due to the agency, the excess will be returned to you.
As cars can be rented by the day, week, month, or year, the fee is usually counted on the duration of rental at the end of it (when settling the final bill). Sometimes a mileage charge is applied while in other cases you may have an option of a free-mileage rental. It is the same with gasoline2 that may be either included in the fee or paid extra.
It is allowed to bring in (import) your own car to the country on conditions that you observe all the insurance and registration regulations. You even do not pay customs duty for it - but only if the imported car is exclusively for your personal use and you have brought it in for no longer than one year. If the car will stay in the country for longer than one year or if you sell it before leaving the USA, the customs duty will be charged.
As to purchasing a car (whether new or used - which is many times cheaper), it is not recommended to a foreigner to do it without an accompanying American friend. It is not so simple in the USA because it is probably the only case when the customer and the sales agent always bargain - not only over the price but also over a lot of confusing options that include financing, services, and equipment.
Insuring your car is a strict regulation so it adds something extra to the price, as well as a registration fee, local or state tax, personal property tax, etc.
When you have finally got your car in one of the three ways indicated above, you should remember the following things:
Gasoline is not expensive by American standards (around $1.30-$ 1.50) and sold by the gallon (one gallon is slightly less than four liters). Gas stations with many conveniences for travelers (restrooms, mini-marts, etc.) are located at close distances and are easy to find. They are also often called service stations.
Do not believe American thriller movies showing cars chasing one another
on busy roads. The traffic rules and rules of the road are very strictly enforced and obeyed in the USA. Remember that breaking traffic rules involves heavy fines and penalties - sometimes they are very heavy. All the speed limits (as well as other road signs and indicators that are in great abundance) are always clearly posted - saying that you have not noticed them or that, being a foreigner, you do not know a certain regulation will in no way help you to get away with your transgression (порушення). The maximum speed limit on US highways is either 55 miles (88 km) or 65 miles (105 km) per hour depending on the state.
Observe parking rules carefully. Parking is the greatest problem of American
motorists, especially in big cities, that is why breaking parking rules entails severe fines (to be paid by mailed checks). Your car can be parked not only in paid parking lots but along the curbs of sidewalks as well. As a rule this kind of parking is also paid. Parking meters for paying are installed at the very curb - each one about a car-length from the next one. Your car should be parked next to the meter and payment for parking (in coins) should be dropped into it, after which a handle on the meter is turned. The meter will register the time of parking and the amount paid. If your car stays at the meter overtime (longer than the time paid for) or if the meter was not switched on, when you return, you are sure to find a fine ticket on your car’s windshield or the car itself towed away. Towing is worse than a fine because you will have to pay both the fine and the cost of towing your car and keeping it. The car will also be towed if you park it in a wrong place where parking is not allowed.
When you are driving in a city or along a highway, there is usually no need to stop and ask pedestrians and other drivers about the way as it is often done in this country. In America the system of road signs and indicators is so extensive and well-developed that you will always see where to go and when and where to turn just by looking carefully at all the information signs and boards for motorists. Even if you miss some sign, you are sure to see another quite soon - repeating the same information. It is not advisable to stop and knock at the doors of houses by the side of the road for asking the way. Because people are sometimes afraid of criminal break-ins, they may be frightened by a total stranger coming and knocking at their door- and that may lead to trouble.
You can use a valid driving license issued in your country during one year
if you are a tourist. In other cases you will have to apply for a license to the local office of the state motor vehicle bureau. If your license from home is valid, your driving test will as a rule be waived. But you will have a written test checking your comprehension of American road rules. To help you prepare for such a test, the bureau will supply you with a book outlining those rules.