1 year car renting cost in Dallas (Howe, Italy: rental car, leasing, insurance)

[arn21b]

Hello,

I plan to move from a foreign country to Dallas, TX and would need to rent a car for one year as have to come back to my country after.
What would be the average cost for a middle-range car (4 people car) and the cost of insurance (full damages coverage)?
In addition what would be cost for electrictity and water for a ~700sq feet with AC?

Many thanks for your answers

Best

[diablo234]

Honestly you are much better off just buying a car here and then sell it when you leave.

However if that is not an option there is Rent A Wreck and Enterprise.

[TurtleCreek80]

I don't know if car rental agencies rent for that extended period of time. A cheap rental car with insurance is around $30-40/day.

You'd probably be better off buying a cheap- but reliable- used car like a Honda Civic or Accord or a Toyota Corrola. I'm sure they are out there for $5k & under.

[FarNorthDallas]

Yeah I think you can rent a car month by month and it's at a discounted rate than the normal per day rate.
Long Term Car Rental - Enterprise Rent-A-Car

[loves2read]

renting a car for a year is not really a financially sound move--
better off to buy the car that will serve your needs at the best price--
that might include checking used cars on site such as Edmunds or Consumer Reports and seeing which recent models offer good price/quality stats AND being able to buy the car at a fair price
My understanding of the used car market now is that prices and financing costs are high and that if you have good credit or cash it is usually possible to buy a new car cheaper

insurance in TX for auto is expensive--one of highest markets in US--and if you are only visiting in the US and don't have driver's history here you might have higher rates
maybe there is company that deals more with coverage for those visiting

PS==water bills for an apt are usually included in the rent
for electricity much depends on the age of the bldg, the location of the apt (like does it face the west and get LOTS of sunshine which would put burden on the AC), and whether or not YOU as the renter get to select your electric provider...some apt complexes bill to the renter for electric usage--more expensive normally than choosing your own provider and paying electric bills to that company...

[Squirl]

I own a condo that charges all owners each for their share of all utilities. It is about 1200 square feet. I pay $150-200 per month. So for 700/sq' I would safely budget about $150 per month.

You might be able to finish out someone's car lease. Call a couple of leasing places and a couple of dealers and find out if they know of any leases for one year.

[loves2read]

that is good idea about the leasing--but with someone out of the country that might not be option--company might want larger downpayment with no US credit history

[Squirl]

Originally Posted by loves2read

that is good idea about the leasing--but with someone out of the country that might not be option--company might want larger downpayment with no US credit history

True that ^; might have to pay the whole lease upfront rather than a monthly rate. But when we have traveled I've had few troubles w/credit issues. Seems very few things are that local any more.

[ghaladh]

We came from Italy one month ago and we rented a car for one week for 290$, more or less.
In the meanwhile we searched for a used car on Craiglists.org and we acquired a 2001 Chevrolet Prizm in good conditions for 3,000$. You can find real bargains quite easily without the need to rent a car.
Even the cost of the insurance is not that high, at least compared to those in Italy: we pay with Geico no more than 600$ per six months. In Italy an average insurance costs approximately 1,700$ per year.
Of course, everything depends by your income.

[arn21b]

I thank you for your answers. It will be extremely useful
Best