Shopping for a car

No car, no legs. This is the cruel reality of living in the US.
Car is an important and valuable investment. Also get maps or GPS (that's better and more advanced in this techy world.) It's waste of time to get lost especially in the traffic jam.
Most car prices here are 60-70% cheaper than you can buy in Asia (Taiwan).

Buy

• New cars
  Dealers are on the Steven's Creek Blvd. and El Camino Real.
• Used Cars
  You can with go dealers or check local news classified from private owners.

Test ride the car, better in the morning, before owner starts the engine. This is the best timing to check the car condition.

Listen to the engine. Always open the hood.

If you are not so confident about your car knowledge, take the car to a garage. The technician can check the car for you. It cost around $30-50.
When purchasing a car, be sure to look for:

• Certificate of Title (pink slip)
• Bill of Sale

Car Insurance

In California, you must have car insurance that covers you when you're driving any car. If a police officer stops you, you must show proof of car insurance. If you have insurance but don't have proof to show the officer, you'll be charged with an infraction for driving without proof of insurance and must take proof of your insurance to court and pay a fee.

Insurance is the necessary evil, you must buy it. The listed below are the two big insurance companies:

• AAA
• Farmers and etc.

Registration

Register your car at Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) within 5 days of purchasing.

For registration you pay 7.75% tax on the car price stated on the bill of sale plus $10 for the paperwork. The DMV will then give you a "Registration Card" to keep in your car and will mail your new "Certificate of Title" within three weeks.

"License and Registration Fee" is for license plate. This is for the stickers that appear on the license plates and are valid for one year.

Sell

If you buy one car, you will definitely sell it when leaving the country or buying another new car.

Try to advertise it on the San Jose Mercury News, the small money will return well. Yahoo Classifieds, and Craigslist are free, but you need to update it often.

Things to do before listing on the market:

• Smog test
• Certificate of Title
• Notice of Release of Liability

Traffic Rules

If you can drive in the rest of the world, say in Taiwan, there should have no problem driving in the US. The culture and driving codes are different. Here are some things worth to remember before you start the engine.

STOP signs:

STOP signs! STOP signs! Everywhere.

Especially when driving in residential area, be careful of the neighborhood kids and walkers, make a full stop when you see the sign.

Count 4 when you hit the brake, 1-2-3-4, that makes a "real" STOP.

Check out for a 2-way or 4-way STOP sign. Follow the "First-come-First-Go" rule. When the traffic lights at an intersection break down, the rule works too.

Car-Pool:

These are lanes, mostly on highways, which are reserved for buses, cabs and cars with more than one or two passengers. There are sign stating how many passengers must be in the car to drive in the car-pool lane. The restriction is only valid for the rush hours that are also on the signs.

Right-turn on red lights:

This is what American culture differs. Drivers are allowed to turn right even when the traffic light is red. All you have to do is make a full stop, look for the traffic and then turn. Be patient, sometimes it takes a red light to turn green before you turn. Watch out for sign indicating that "no turn on red."

Tickets

The police stops you for driving too fast or running a red light, you will be given a "Notice to Appear" ticket. If you don't have proof of your car insurance, you'll be charged with an infraction for driving without proof of insurance. You will receive a mail telling how much the ticket you get worth. If you don't get the mail, you are lucky and safe from the fine.

• No driver's license $115.00 & 3 points
• Drive without insurance - fine $575.
• A STOP sign violation $120.00
• Speeding on the high-way (75 miles, where 55 miles are allowed) is $109
• Running a red light $270
• Car-Pool lane Violations: $271 and up.