Buying an automobile
Your company may allow you only several weeks to get yourself a car. That's because they do not have a clue on what it takes to get one. Based on the social security application, the driver license application, and the procedure of the insurance company, the total time will be a minimum of 4 weeks and more likely 5.
In my home country, I take several months before I buy a new car. I study consumer reports, go visiting dealers, talk to people who have the cars I like, etc. To do this in a few weeks in a country where the car brands are completely new to me, is not easy. It takes several weeks at least to become familiar with all the US auto manufacturers, the types, and their behaviour. Many companies sell the same model under different brand names, with only small differences, but with each brand having its own position in the market with respect to quality, price, and sophistication. US cars are often luxurious, so you need to become familiar with power seats, -brakes, -windows, -doors, multiport engines and more details.
You have two options: a new or a used car. If you are not willing to invest over $ 25,000 in two new cars (assuming that you have a partner), with all the fast depreciation and the loss of interest of that part of the money that is yours, it is better to have a look at used cars.
To do this you need even more information about the
car, as well as on the car dealers that sell them.
First rule: the price tag on the car is never the final price. There is a substantial
margin in the price of used cars, and you have to become proficient in negotiation
if you want to get the best price.
Second rule: Never buy a car immediately. Check first for the cars or models
that you like, check all the free advertisement papers at the supermarket for
the average rate, and check the newspaper ad’s as well. That will give
you, in a week or two, a reasonable indication of the price. Also check the
Blue book value of the car (special booklet and website with prices of new and
old cars). Depending on mileage and other things this price will vary with plus
or minus $ 1000 or so. After this action, it is time to shop around with
the used car dealers, and have test rides. The test ride is usually no problem.
Most will ask you for a copy of your passport and/or (international) driver
license. Some prefer to accompany you, others just give you the keys to take
the car on your own. Test ride is usually 15 minutes.
That is just as simple as getting a credit card or a mortgage: You only get it if you have a credit history. The easiest way to lease a car is bring all the lease money cash with you. That would make leasing a car identical to buying a car, and the problem is solved. It will be less easy to convince your autolease salesman to accept you with a small down payment. The quick solution for that is to ask one of your colleagues again to co-sign on the lease, making him/her responsible if you mess up. If you do not want to burden them with this responsibility, the other option is to have a sufficient down payment (probably a few thousand dollars) and a letter from a bank in your home country, stating that you have been an excellent customer who always paid the bills on time, and whom they, if they would be in a similar situation, would immediately grant a substantially higher loan. So talk to your home bank about this before you leave, or have them fax a letter to your autodealer. If you found a car, the next step is to find a reliable garage. Otherwise, you may find that repairs can be quite expensive.
Be aware of the ‘golden’ rule for people who move. The three most important things to look for if you move to another place are: 1) a new dentist, 2) a garage, and 3) a hairdresser. You can have a lot of problems with other things, but if one of the above three messes up you really are in trouble.
Car repair quality and prices in New Jersey will vary like anywhere else in the world: at the official dealer garage you pay much more than at a general repair shop. There are several ‘chain’ repair shops as well: Jiffy Lube is positioning in the oil replacement and lubrication area, for example, Midas for exhaust systems, and shops like STS, Goodyear, Pep Boys, and Sears for all repairs. Pep Boys seems to be the lowest in price, but you have to know beforehand what you would like to have repaired. Most garages will do an overall car checkup with repair recommendation for around $ 35. Note that the checkup is likely just to see if nothing really falls off your car: they will not check if wheel ball bearings are old or if your brakes have the right thickness. The general rule is that garages will not do anything that you did not ask: If you bring in the car without engine oil for a tire job, it will likely leave the garage with new tires but still without engine oil. The liability problems in the US are a main cause for this behaviour.
With respect to purchase of a car, my case was a bit different. I happened to know a Dutch person who exports US cars to the Netherlands from New Jersey. Although he moved to the US some 20 years ago, he still has a weak spot for Dutch people and will provide you with a car without trying to rip you off like some of the car dealer mafiosi. He buys the cars at dealer auctions twice a week, so he sees about 5000 cars a week. Once you decide on the car of your preference, he will be able to get you a used one in a week or so. He also helped me with all the administrative stuff that had to be done to get the registration etc. His name: Louis Baggerman, Auto DeLuxe, Neptune. He is very experienced in selecting reasonable quality cars from the presented ones. The chance that you will end up with a ‘dead bird’ is very small, and even in that case he may be willing to assist you in fixing things. Of course, nobody is perfect, so there is always the risk that the automobile is not 100% what you expected, or that you need to make some expenses for repair soon. However, as an individual, it will take you a long time before you have gained similar skills, and at considerable expense. After checking multiple advertisements in newspapers I could not find my cars for prices lower that Louis’ prices, even if I added the costs for some repairs. Conclusion: it’s not a 100% guarantee, but Louis will save you a lot of effort (multiple hours of hassle with aggressive car sales persons and test drives) and will usually come up with something you like.