Road Tripping in the USA!

[b0rn2sk8]

Why are you going to be criminally prosecuted?

I get the police in the US have a pretty bad rep but in reality that because of their aggressive use of force and shoot first and ask questions later tendencies, a dash cam is t going to save you from that.

They can sniff a foreign tourist a mile away and as a tourist, if you don’t act like a complete prat, you’ll never have an issue.

If you get caught speeding, just pay the fine like you do here.

 

[SoliD]

I've encountered police twice in 4 US trips and over 10,000 miles. The first time I was speeding (unintentionally) through an area marked for roadworks (but none were happening at the time). My paperwork was checked, the guy asked about our trip and gave me a warning (thankfully allowing me to avoid the fine which was doubled due to the roadwork area). The second time I was pulled over on the hard shoulder of a motorway and they stopped to check I was okay and if we needed any help.

Just had the one encounter when my wife got pulled over in Oklahoma, car coming the other way spun it around, lights on. I was creasing up as she was doing about 65 in a 55 (luckily down from about 80 a minute or so before) soon as he spoke to her and realised we were tourists, checked our paperwork then gave the just slow down talk before letting us on our way.

 

[Quartz]

Why are you going to be criminally prosecuted?

I hope I won't be; I want to be prepared for the worst.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

To be honest, I’d be more concerned about keeping away from the utter lunatics that are out there than the police.

 

[Peerzy]

I hope I won't be; I want to be prepared for the worst.

What other preparations are you making for this trip? It would be reasonable to contact your solicitor ahead of time and either have them accompany you on the trip or at least ensure they are paid in full for the hours you are there so that they can answer any questions and sort out the inevitable wrongful arrest. You would also be wise to rent a second car and have that follow you to mitigate any problems whereby the original car has a mechanical fault or a tyre puncture. I'd also suggest volcano insurance if you plan on travelling anywhere on earth, just in case.

 

[Johno please?]

Booked a hire car from LAX before the pandemic, it was aound £600..... same car is now £2k lol, I thought it would be more but not more than double.

 

[weringo]

Booked a hire car from LAX before the pandemic, it was aound £600..... same car is now £2k lol, I thought it would be more but not more than double.

Keep checking the prices. I just got back from Florida and it was £2k to hire a Mustang in Miami for 2 weeks when I first checked last year. A few weeks before the trip it dropped to £550.

 

[SoliD]

Booked a hire car from LAX before the pandemic, it was aound £600..... same car is now £2k lol, I thought it would be more but not more than double.

Not sure if it's still valid but if you go on Expedia and look to pick up from the nearby marriott or hilton the price is about 1/2 or less.

 

[Johno please?]

Not sure if it's still valid but if you go on Expedia and look to pick up from the nearby marriott or hilton the price is about 1/2 or less.

Yea it was cheaper for an SUV or something but not for a mustang, thanks anyway

 

[Johno please?]

Keep checking the prices. I just got back from Florida and it was £2k to hire a Mustang in Miami for 2 weeks when I first checked last year. A few weeks before the trip it dropped to £550.

Cheers il keep an eye out then.

Planning this trip in Sept: Just over 2 weeks.

Newport Beach
Vegas
Mammoth Lakes
San Fransisco(1 day)
Pacific Highway
Monterey
LAX

Anyone got any thoughts or criticisms?

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Cheers il keep an eye out then.

Planning this trip in Sept: Just over 2 weeks.

Newport Beach
Vegas
Mammoth Lakes
San Fransisco(1 day)
Pacific Highway
Monterey
LAX

Anyone got any thoughts or criticisms?

Mammoth lakes to San Fran is a huge trek to have with nothing in between while presumably spending the day in Yosemite.

 

[mjt]

Anyone have any experience with renting a Challenger (or similar) with Alamo? Specifically out of Salt Lake City, but I appreciate it's quite a niche request

Is the Challenger the V8 R/T or more likely to be the SXT V6?

 

[SoliD]

It'll be the v6 unless specified.

 

[Quartz]

Anyone have any experience with renting a Challenger (or similar) with Alamo?

Is America so dangerous that you need to hire a tank?

 

[mjt]

It'll be the v6 unless specified.

Fair enough, thanks.
Just looked on Enterprise's fleet and the "Sporty Car", which is Challenger or Similar must be the V6 as Ford Mustang GT, Camaro SS, Dodge Challenger SRT or similar is under American Muscle Car.

Is America so dangerous that you need to hire a tank?

I'd take a Mustang GT as well to be fair, but they're few and far between outside of the main hubs like LAX, MIA, LAS, etc.

 

[Scottland]

Out of interest, has anyone ever done this type of thing on their own? Any if so - any tips or recommendations for doing it solo?

 

[Ryan-3]

A lot for me to read through in this thread, but I'm going to Chicago at the end of august and will have the best part of a fortnight there. Thinking of renting a car with the girlfriend and going up through Canada, route not confirmed.. anything specific to look out for? Ideas on the best deals? Tourist spots up that way worth checking out?

I'm 27 so shouldn't have any issues regarding age and car hire.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

I think you need to check that you can take the hire car out of the US and into Canada.

Car hire has gotten very expensive as of late and if you are not starting and ending in the same place, you’ll generally be charged an additional fee which could be hundreds.

 

[Ryan-3]

Yeah, we're going to check before booking to whether the company accepts going into canada, then make a point of it when booking if possible (and at the rental desk, as they need to sort out paperwork also). Seems quite steep to drop it off elsewhere, although my flights (not my choice) mean we'd be returning back to the pickup point anyway, so it avoids that.

 

[Fr0dders]

Anyone have any experience with renting a Challenger (or similar) with Alamo? Specifically out of Salt Lake City, but I appreciate it's quite a niche request

Is the Challenger the V8 R/T or more likely to be the SXT V6?

I rented a dodge charger when in LA in 2019. Was the V6. As others have said it won't be the V8.