<p>Hi, I'm a high school senior right now, i know the better thing i should be worried about is college apps right now but i'm slightly concerned with what im about to say.
So my dad bought me a car about 3 months ago, and I'd love it if I can take the car with me to wherever I get in, but I have also been hearing things like no cars for freshmen, is it strictly true to every single school? no matter whether you live on campus or rent a apartment yourself...? well most likely I will be living on campus, and I even made a plan that next year if I decide to go to a school on the east coast, I will have a trip of driving across the country by myself since I live in california.
Can someone please tell me about it? I really wanna keep my car with me. For someone who has been living in a suburb for the longest time, I'm completely used to relying on my car wherever I go :/ Plus, the car is brand new I dont want to just leave it home for a year..</p>
<p>It really depends on the school. You’re going to have to check with EACH school you apply to.</p>
<p>I know some schools say freshman can’t have cars or whatever. But it varies. As a freshman most of the time your car will be sitting anyways. Parking is expensive and a pain in the but to find around most schools. People will be constantly asking you for a ride everywhere. </p>
<p>If you go to school on the east coast then that’s 3000 miles each way. That’s a lot of wear and tear on a car. What are you going to do for the summer because you can’t fly back and leave your car to sit for 3 months?</p>
<p>Side note: Teens who get brand new cars from their parents irritate me. “Oh you got 3/4 of the way through HS…here’s a $20,000 gift”. Give me a break.</p>
<p>Really, unless you’re working off campus or you live in the middle of nowhere, a car is pointless. </p>
<p>And driving 3,000 miles by yourself WILL suck.</p>
<p>A car for a freshman is best if you go to school within reasonable driving distance from home, since as queenthethird said, what are you gonna do about school breaks?
I lucked out because my school not only allows cars for freshmen, but has free parking as well. </p>
<p>Check with the schools you apply to, figure out how much parking costs and decide if you think it’s worth it. Keep in mind gas costs, which can be slightly alleviated if you charge your friends when they want you to drive them places. If people have a problem chipping in a couple bucks for gas, don’t drive them places. If you give people rides for free too often (really, however often you’re comfortable with) they will take advantage of you and you will find yourself spending far too much money on gas.</p>
<p>
OP do you know the details of your warranty? If it ends at 50,000 miles, that’s a little over 8 trips both ways or maybe three to three and a half years, depending on how much you would drive at college.</p>
<p>To your question: it depends. My school actually has free parking for all students, freshmen included. This is rare, but it exists. As rge said, you will have to check with each school you apply to for a real answer.</p>
<p>There are several schools which allow cars for freshmen. I have a car and I’m a freshmen! I even drove it 1500 miles to use it here. Just check with your school to see if it’s okay, and it seems like more often than not it is.</p>
<p>Ok then Thanks for all the responses. Because when my college friends told me about it, it sounded like its an universal rule that applies to all colleges. I will look into details on my own. And I totally forgot about the warranty thing, thanks zchryevns for the reminder.
And queenthethird, I’m sorry if the post irritated you, but the truth is that I needed a car to go to school that is an hour of walking from home because my parents both work, none of them can take me home, nor drop me off, which means no one can take me to my volunteer work either. We did not have any spare old cars, my parents were both happy with the cars they have , therefore I had to get my own car. My dad was concerned that a used/second hand car would possible have hidden problems so he got me a new car to avoid such issues. To you, i might be seen just like one of those spoiled kids who beg their parents to get them a brand new car so they can show off all around, well, I needed it to go to my work place, volunteer places, and more. So please don’t judge if you don’t even know what the truth is. I’m really happy that you responded to my problem and mentioned the mileage, but I didn’t need your last own personal opinion to make me feel stupid.</p>
<p>If you go to an urban school, having a car may be more hassle than it is worth. On the other hand, it can be useful if the school is in the “middle of nowhere”.</p>
<p>^^ Then it really sounds like your dad is the problem, no offense. It just sounds like he’s setting you up for bad habits. A teenager should never be given a new car. A used car is fine, my parents got me a used car and I got it to 100k miles with no problems (until it was totaled in an ice storm). Plus, it’s just really dumb to buy a new car- such a waste of money. I bought my own car last year for less than $10k and was only a year old. New, it would have been over $20k. Why pay double the price for something that’s only a year old? Just a bad lesson to teach your kid imo.</p>
<p>My school has a very suburban campus, and freshman are allowed cars.</p>
<p>My school doesn’t allow freshmen to have cars unless they’re commuters, more than 500 miles from home, have medical appointments to get to, or they have a job.</p>
<p>I technically got a “new” car, as in, my parents bought it new, but when my mom wasn’t driving it, I was allowed to. Then I finally became the main driver of the car this past Christmas. As long as the teenager’s careful (I understand there are a good many who are not or who are more inexperienced, though), getting a new car for him/her shouldn’t be an issue.</p>
<p>I had a car as a freshman, and the main advantage is that it opens research/volunteering opportunities and makes you helpful to students who don’t have cars (which can lead to friendships). For example, I can volunteer at the free clinic (which is in a bad neighborhood and rather far from the campus dorms) or go on a day trip on Saturday. Of course, one has to get used to “urban” if your college is in a city like mine. Driving during the mornings in a city is nothing like going to a suburban high school.</p>
<p>Just borrow someone else’s car without him knowing.</p>
<p>My son’s grandpa bought him a new car for his birthday and he’s taking it to college as a freshman. It’s a 6 hour drive to college from San Diego to San Luis Obispo. It’s over $400 a year to park. But it will be more convenient for getting home and back on vacations and summer. There is nothing wrong with having a new car. You seem to be mature and appreciative of your car, nrseries. So wait until you decide on your college and what the best situation will be for the car and freshman year.</p>
<p>jesus christ why are you guys giving OP **** for being lucky/fortunate/whatever? I get the impression that he was just kinda given a car, not like he begged and pleaded for one. You’re telling me if one of your parents offered to get you a new car you’d turn it down on principle?</p>
<p>^ Word.</p>
<p>10 char</p>
<p>Only one of the schools that I seriously considered said No to freshmen with cars. And that school was in the middle of one of the US’s largest cities.</p>
<p>If you’re looking at a more rural school, they’ll probably let you have cars. If you’re looking at a school in a big city, they probably won’t, but you won’t need a car, because you’ll probably have pretty good public transportation.</p>
<p>My school allows freshmen to have cars and we’re in the middle of Columbia. You don’t really need one here, but the school allows it. On the downside, guaranteed parking is over $600 a year and a parking decal, which doesn’t guarantee parking is $75 a year.</p>