aardvark

Damn... I don't know what I'm going to do in this case. I seen a car rental company that looks quite promising for people my age, however, and will only let me rent within a small area. That might be possible, but the pickup times seem to be work hours only... what a bummer.

I'd scooter if I could!

hoffage123

The only other thing I can think of is if you could carpool with someone who works at your new place ... pay towards their petrol and go with them to work. As a short-mid-term solution possibly.

Hoffage

aardvark

Hey Hoffage, thanks for the solution. I've asked my company about something along the lines of that - but they haven't given me a firm answer yet. It depends whether they come from Costa Mesa or not.

The Octabus can take me via 2 buses - but its' quoted as a 1 hour journey in the morning. Does this take into account traffic?

Gah... I wish this was easier. :'(

Thanks for everyone's help so far - I really do appreciate it.

Pulaski

Not much in this case.

$2,000 is scraping the barrel. A small car is worth $350 for scrap, and could easily be worth three times that in parts - think $1k for a decent used motor, so $2,000 is barely a notch above junk, with just about everything ripe for repair or replacement, and probably $1,000 each year just to get it through its state inspection. Good luck in finding something that runs properly for $2k.

PS. Try asking a dealer of low-end cars, such as Kia, if they have any trade-ins that they're planning to send to an auction or sell for scrap. Kias are pretty low value anyway, so an old one might be your best shot for $2k. He seems to be desperate, .... not suicidal!

Or if we're talking about sharing overheads, look for a house share or sublet, which can be a good way to dramatically cut your housing costs.

aardvark

I'm already looking into that. I wouldn't dream of renting a whole apartment. Looking to get a room for $700-$900 a month. I found this car rental company http://reservations.supercheapcar.co...orange-county/ who quoted be $1000 for 1 month and a half's worth of rental as long as I don't drive outside Orange County! CRAZY!! This might be an option for me as they specialise in cars for under 25s. Anyone heard of them? They were mentioned in the other thread. Only weird thing about them is the opening hours.

markonline1

To give you an idea of what sort of stuff you can get for 2 grand here, imagine looking for a car for under 500 quid back in the UK. That's the sort of standard of motors you'll be looking at. Used cars here are ridiculously expensive (especially as you have to factor in your taxes)

aardvark

Then, is it worth getting a more expensive lease car, if I can manage to get it on finance? I don't know what an alternative would be...

Thanks again.

Mr Weeze

I traded in a 2006 mazda with 60,000 miles on and an engine that needed >$6,000 putting into it for $2,000. Just to give you an idea.

Pulaski

A trashed engine after 60,000 miles? .... Sounds to me like a reason never to consider/ recommend a Mazda!

aardvark

Well, looks like I'll have to rent while I figure it out. That car company I linked is giving me a good quote of $1000 for everything (including local fees) until the end of February, as long as I don't leave Orange/Los Angelos County which seems reasonable.

Only thing if they're only open during work hours during the week and I start next Monday! Gah!

Hotscot

Check out the bus routes first. Make sure you get to your job Monday morning.
Find out if they'll give you time to go collect the car.
Be careful if you've no U.S. driving experience although that area is pretty good for roads.
You'll have all your paperwork, visa, passport, credit cards handy?

I lived out of cheap motels and rented a car for a month before I rented an apartment and bought a car.
The first night in the apt I slept on the floor as I had no furniture at all.

If you do rent an unfurnished apt Ikea is handy.
Also for cut price shopping, WalMart, Marshall's, Ross.

http://www.octa.net/Bus-Transit/Rout...ules/Overview/

Nutek

This.

Or maybe even a cab, if the fares down that way are not prohibative.

Havnfun

The rates seem to be the same if you rent from their Los Angeles location which is near the airport and they are open every day except Sunday. You could pick up the car when you arrive on Friday and then don't have to pay the taxi. They close at 4:30 so don't know if that works with your flight schedule though.

Mr Weeze

Ford engine in it.

aardvark

Thanks all. Alas, I arrive at 7:15pm and I don't fancy driving from LA if I've never driven in the states before. But was a good idea!

The bus will run, but it takes an hour to an hour and a half to do 12 miles...so probably my main option until I can rent a car. it did used to take me that length of time to get from Sighthill to Leith in Edinburgh when they started the trams... Haha!

Luckily the girl I'll be staying with is giving me some sound advice and says well work something out. So it's looking a lot better.

I have all my paperwork and my UK credit card (thank god I got that back when I had a job! ). I'm sure my work will give me time off to get a cab. They've been really laid back about most things is far, haha. Plus I am on core hours with flexitime so it's possible I won't miss that much.