[Patrick del Poker Grande]

[ QUOTE ]
why not just buy a crappy car for 1k/2k and put it on the market when you get back for a lower price then you paid for it? itll be like renting a car for $500 as long as you buy a car that people would want to buy at a $500 discount.

[/ QUOTE ]
The only problem with this is: do you really want to take a $1k-$2k car on a cross-country trip? Rental cars aren't the greatest thing in the world either, but you can generally count on at least getting a new and reliable car.