<p>I will be attending UCB as a grad student this fall. I most likely live off-campus. I am trying to figure out what to do with my 2006 Honda. Is it a hassle to have a car in Berkeley? Is it very expensive? I live in the mid-west and a car is a necessity.</p>
<p>If you are a grad student living off campus, I would recommend bringing your car. It is not a necessity, but it will open up a lot of fun options. You may have to look for parking occasionally, if you don't have a space where you live, but it should be manageable. </p>
<p>You don't need a car though. And there are lots of car share services (zipcar or citycar or whatever) you could use instead. And BART is very convenient. etc. etc. But still if I were you I'd bring my car.</p>
<p>It is a hassle and it is almost certainly going to be LEAGUES more expensive than where you are now.</p>
<p>Costs to consider: parking tickets (they are very aggressive about ticketing here, and that's an understatement; they run $40+), parking (free-$200/mo, depending on whether it's included with where you're living or not), gas (among the most expensive prices in the nation), rust (it IS a city by the ocean), smog checks (CA has stricter emissions requirements than a lot of the US), and car theft. The car theft will almost certainly not be a problem as long as you're smart -- don't leave windows down, doors unlocked, and don't park in shady places and leave your car unattended for a week -- but the others will almost certainly make an appearance at some point.</p>
<p>It is undoubtedly convenient to have a car. There are a few times when you're really going to want to have it, such as making a big visit to the grocery store, picking up furnishings, going to places public transportation can't easily reach, etc. However, those things are usually isolated enough that relying on a combination of the BART, the bus, and the car share services is more than enough for a huge percentage of the students, grad and undergrad, who attend Cal.</p>
<p>Bring the car if you can find an apt. with parking, which typically runs an extra $100.00 per month. Do not bring a car if you do not have a place to park it for days at a time as you will likely get tickets that add up to more than the cost of parking ever would. The only thing that would make Berkeley perfect is if it were a taxi town like New York or San Francisco. As it is, you have to call a taxi and hope they show up within forty minutes so it isn't very convenient. Re: rust, etc... I have lived near the ocean for my whole life and have usually parked my cars outside. I have never seen any rust or other adverse effects on any of my cars.</p>
<p>I don't think rust is a problem with modern cars. Certainly not from living in Berkeley.</p>
<p>I don't see the problem with parking on the street. You may have to move it around periodically for whatever reason, but it's nothing like living in San Francisco, where parking on the street is a huge hassle.</p>
<p>How about insurance rates. Are they higher than in other places? I am under 25 and pay $1400/ year.</p>
<p>I'm very glad that you were able to drive a newer car and didn't have a problem with rust, but I did not have a newer car and did indeed need to worry about the problems of particularly damp air. In Berkeley, this is not a chief concern anyway -- it's not THAT wet most of the time -- but it is something to think about if your car is prone to it.</p>
<p>I know nothing about insurance, sorry. I was spoiled and on my parents USAA rate when I was driving.</p>
<p>i live in the bay area</p>
<p>as an undergrad
do not bring your car to berkeley
find a friend who has one
hopefully they'll like you
give them gas money
gas is super expensive out here</p>
<p>depending on where you want to go
bart works well
and isnt thaat far from the campus</p>
<p>cantstopdancin52: He clearly states that he is a grad student!!! and will live off-campus.</p>
<p>im an undergrad who has a car, but i get free parking from my fraternity. having a car definitely opens up a lot of things for you and makes everything much more accessible. for example, its much easier to get to san francisco (esp the parts BART doesnt reach) and things as simple as going to safeway</p>
<p>^^How much do you pay in insurance?</p>