Rental Car

You won't find public transportation from the North Side.

You could buy a cheap car as soon as you get here and sell it again a month later. It's a bit of a gamble, but there's a good chance you'll get the same for it when you sell.

I don't think you'd find many willing to let you "borrow" and pay them. They would still run the risk of you having a accident, their insurance not paying them because you were driving, etc...

Did you check to see if your visa/mc will cover you for insurance. Many visa/mc cover you for car rental insurance.

Great advice. Thank you.

To rent a car for a month seems like a huge expense. We might just have to find a cheap car, however we are just worried about the maintenance and possible "break down" issues. Can we find something reliable? Otherwise our other option is to ship our Jeep.

Looks as though we don't have a visa/mc that covers for insurance.

You can also check with your current insurance provider. Some companies offer a rider for limited coverage in other geographic areas. It will cost you but likely much less than purchasing insurance from the rental car company.

Check the rates on Hotwire. Even if you rent for a week or 2, you can then get another deal for the final 2 weeks.

Avis rents monthly rentals. When I did my PMV last year I was able to get a decent rate. It was under $800 for 30 days which is not that bad considering that they handled my flat tire and I didn't have to worry about the car dying and me being stuck without a vehicle.