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.
Getting a driver’s license in the US is very cheap and should only cost you a total of about $50-$100. If you are older than 18 years old, all you have to do is pass the written test and then take the road test when you think you are ready.
Make sure you reach out to the DMV (Department of motor and vehicles) in your state to make sure what you have to do as an International driver. All I had to do was show up at the Wisconsin DMV and I was able to get a license in a matter of 3-4 weeks.
For more information, click the following links:
Minnesota DMV website: https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/dvs/Pages/default.aspx
Wisconsin DMV website: https://wisconsindot.gov/Pages/online-srvcs/external/dmv.aspx
North Dakota DMV website: https://www.dot.nd.gov/public/
Purchase a car in the United States
To be able to purchase a car in the U.S you are going to need a U.S driver’s license and good car insurance (GEICO, Progressive, AllState, State Farm, Liberty Mutual...).
Insurance can get very expensive if it’s on your name. Usually, it varies between 1500$ 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.
There are many websites where you can buy used cars and you can find good, reliable cars starting from 4000$ to 10000$ and more.
Some of the websites I’ve been told to look at were:
• Autotrader.com
• Cargurus.com
• Cars.com
• Facebook marketplace (some of the best deals are on here but less reliable)
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).
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).
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.