Getting an American Driver's license and purchasing a car
Getting an American Driver's license
The United States is not well known for its public transportation system. You need a car to move or you will be stuck at home. Personally, I was very lucky because I had a lot of guys from the team living in my neighborhood and they could give me rides to practice or to team events.
So, in two years, even if sometimes I really wished I had one, I never necessarily needed one.
If you have a driver's license from back home, you can legally drive for one year in the US. Consequently, you will have to get an American Driver's license.
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Getting a driver’s license in the US is very cheap and should only cost you a total of about $50-$100. If you are older than 18 years old, all you have to do is pass the written test and then take the road test when you think you are ready.
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Make sure you reach out to the DMV (Department of motor and vehicles) in your state to make sure what you have to do as an International driver. All I had to do was show up at the Wisconsin DMV and I was able to get a license in a matter of 3-4 weeks.
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For more information, click the following links:
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Minnesota DMV website: https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/dvs/Pages/default.aspx
Wisconsin DMV website: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/online-srvcs/external/dmv.aspx
North Dakota DMV website: https://www.dot.nd.gov/public/
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Purchase a car in the United States
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To be able to purchase a car in the U.S you are going to need a U.S driver’s license and good car insurance (GEICO, Progressive, AllState, State Farm, Liberty Mutual...).
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Insurance can get very expensive if it’s on your name. Usually, it varies between 1500$ a year to 2000$ or more.
If you are on a B2 VISA, you will not have a Social Security Number, so you won’t be able to get leasing for a car but you will have to buy it cash from a dealership and pay for it right away.
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There are many websites where you can buy used cars and you can find good, reliable cars starting from 4000$ to 10000$ and more.
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Some of the websites I’ve been told to look at were:
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• Autotrader.com
• Cargurus.com
• Cars.com
• Facebook marketplace (some of the best deals are on here but less reliable)
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When buying a car make sure you are sure whom you are buying the car from (usually it’s better from a dealership than a random person).
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If you are in the north, keep in mind that for 4 months a year there is going to be snow and very cold weather so get a 4x4 car or at least a front-wheel-drive (the worst type of car would be rear-wheel drive, you will get stuck everywhere you go).
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Make sure you really need a car before getting one, I always loved being independent, but I always had someone that could drive me wherever I wanted to go and never had really big problems about it so I never got one until I really needed one.