Driving in the States

[Malarkey]

Maggots, friends and Americans of the GF

 

I'm going to the States on the 20th and I'm looking into the idea of renting a car to drive up the Pacific Coast HIghway from San Diego to Los Angeles for the scenery and the attractions along the way. I have a license, but I've not drove in about 2 years due to public transport being much more cost effective. Would you recommend it? Any car rental advice?

 

Reps for those who post pictures of Baywatch and other cult 80's TV Series that were based on a beach.

 

 

[lifetime fan]

I did New York to Miami years ago with drive away places.

 

Basically you get to drive someones car for them from one part of the country to another within a set time frame for free or a minimal cost.

 

You get a fair amount of time to do it but you obviously don't have the freedom of hiring a car, a lot cheaper though. The other drawback is you may end up having to wait in a town for 2 or 3 days for another car to come in that's going in the right kind of direction for you.

 

Certainly if money is tight and you don't mind winging it a bit it's a great way to travel across America.

[Red Dawn]

I did that drive and more a few years back but from San Francisco down to SD. Its brilliant..real easy to drive..roads are great and the drivers out west are courteous and chilled unlike their counterparts in the east.

 

San Diego is a beautiful city. The people are so chilled out. Beaches are class, city centre has a lovely vibe too.

 

Only tricky bit was LA and getting the right exits on the highways. The best scenery though was north of LA up through Santa Barbara and Monterrey. If you could extend your driving a bit I would definately do it. The Big Sur is stunning.

 

I didnt like LA at all. Did a few tours of the usual spots and drove around a bit. It was my least favourite place I went to in California.

 

Vegas is a few hours away and would be worth an over nighter.

[Bjornebye]

[Malarkey]

I did New York to Miami years ago with drive away places.

 

Basically you get to drive someones car for them from one part of the country to another within a set time frame for free or a minimal cost.

 

You get a fair amount of time to do it but you obviously don't have the freedom of hiring a car, a lot cheaper though. The other drawback is you may end up having to wait in a town for 2 or 3 days for another car to come in that's going in the right kind of direction for you.

 

Certainly if money is tight and you don't mind winging it a bit it's a great way to travel across America.

 

Cheers, LF. I'll look into that shortly. Just having a quick skim over it and it looks a little limited at the minute. The only one I can see is from San Diego to Alaska.

 

Car rental seems really cheap in the States. Would you agree?

 

I did that drive and more a few years back but from San Francisco down to SD. Its brilliant..real easy to drive..roads are great and the drivers out west are courteous and chilled unlike their counterparts in the east.

 

San Diego is a beautiful city. The people are so chilled out. Beaches are class, city centre has a lovely vibe too.

 

Only tricky bit was LA and getting the right exits on the highways. The best scenery though was north of LA up through Santa Barbara and Monterrey. If you could extend your driving a bit I would definately do it. The Big Sur is stunning.

 

I didnt like LA at all. Did a few tours of the usual spots and drove around a bit. It was my least favourite place I went to in California.

 

Vegas is a few hours away and would be worth an over nighter.

 

Big Sur is what's roped me into doing the drive! It'll be at the end of my trip. I'm finishing up in LA.

 

The driving aspect is what I'm looking at. It looks as though it's like a 3 hour drive. I'll probably opt for renting a car instead of taking a Greyhound.

[Red Dawn]

Definately get the car..trust me...its a dream to drive in California.

[lifetime fan]

Cheers, LF. I'll look into that shortly. Just having a quick skim over it and it looks a little limited at the minute. The only one I can see is from San Diego to Alaska.

 

Car rental seems really cheap in the States. Would you agree?

 

 

I've not rented sorry mate, I either had a car or did the drive aways.

 

Fuel is cheap as chips compared to here mind.

[Malarkey]

Definately get the car..trust me...its a dream to drive in California.

 

 

"So, when can you start?"

[Dougie Do'ins]

I've been driving for 25 years and I just could not get to grips with driving on the right so gave up on it. It seems most Americans just struggle with the basics of driving.

[Trumo]

I've been driving for 25 years and I just could not get to grips with driving on the right so gave up on it. It seems most Americans just struggle with the basics of driving.

 

They're all swerving to avoid you.

[alles ist gut]

[cloggypop]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U41zDEKBss

[RedKnight]

I was considering it when I was last over there but the whole 'no undertaking law' put me off.

[stringvest]

It's dead easy. And cheap. What's not to like?

When Americans come over here, they absolutely shit themselves trying to drive on British roads.

[neko]

My advice is to rent the car at a time (and place) that is a little quiet, to give yourself some time to get used to being on the right side of the road before jumping on the highways at rush hour.

 

So long as you're not a complete gumby, you'll get used to it quick enough. 

 

I already warned you about hand guns and road rage, so be courteous.

[Rico1304]

I'm not an ace or uber confident driver but found it easy over there. All the cars are autos and they generally drive a lot slower.

[PestiRed]

My advice is to rent the car at a time (and place) that is a little quiet, to give yourself some time to get used to being on the right side of the road before jumping on the highways at rush hour.

 

So long as you're not a complete gumby, you'll get used to it quick enough.

 

I already warned you about hand guns and road rage, so be courteous.

For me the right hand side is pretty easy to get used to if you're on a motorway or in a city where you can follow the car in front. Suburbs tend to be where I forget

 

However that's Europe where the motorways have the same rules as UK. Not sure how it would be on a highway where you can over take in any lane

[Trumo]

For me the right hand side is pretty easy to get used to if you're on a motorway or in a city where you can follow the car in front. Suburbs tend to be where I forget

 

However that's Europe where the motorways have the same rules as UK. Not sure how it would be on a highway where you can over take in any lane

 

That was the issue I had when I hired a car in Europe. Following traffic and the general road rules aren't a problem as such, but you can easily forget your bearings when the roads are empty.

[mattyq]

My advice would be to rent a car as it's easy and cheap

A Sat Nav is handy as the signs often make no sense at all

[RJ Fan club]

Sat Navs are good for lane planning too. The one I had in Iceland recently would display roughly which lane to be in, so gave you plenty of time to switch. Mind you driving in Iceland is about as easy as it gets, even Reykjavik is fairly quiet and courteous.

 

Driving in the states is good for saving cash on accommodation. Motels and places on the edge of town are way cheaper. Some motels have a coin slot to pay for the Bed vibrate. Dead sleazy and boss.

[DJLJ]

One thing to keep in mind, it is quite difficult to find a car with manual transmission, so you will most likely need to get used to driving on the right, which isn’t too bad and driving an automatic, which can be difficult. 

 

As for the driving up the coast, I would probably even try and drive all the way up to San Francisco, the scenery is stunning. Give yourself plenty of time to do the drive, because there are plenty of absolute gorgeous places to stop and see when driving up.

[Liverpool lad]

I done it for months. And if I can do it then so can others

 

[RedSand]

I presume you mean the 20th of August.

I'm gonna be busy with a wedding (mine) that week, but if you are around the week after, give me a yell and the first round is on me. I live in San Diego and have done that drive... it is superb and have great photos too...

Don't wanna post them and ruin the suprise. But........ let me know if you'd like me to post them up.

Feel free to ask any questions and If I can help in anyway, I will.

 

Driving here is a piece of piss.

I moved from right hand drive to left hand drive.... so as LL said If I can do it, anyone can.

[lifetime fan]

One thing to keep in mind, it is quite difficult to find a car with manual transmission, so you will most likely need to get used to driving on the right, which isn’t too bad and driving an automatic, which can be difficult. 

 

As for the driving up the coast, I would probably even try and drive all the way up to San Francisco, the scenery is stunning. Give yourself plenty of time to do the drive, because there are plenty of absolute gorgeous places to stop and see when driving up.

 

What on earth is there difficult about driving an automatic?

[DJLJ]

What on earth is there difficult about driving an automatic?

Going from 3 pedals to 2 pedals on top of going left to right hand driving. All adds up.