<p>I'm a senior in high school and I am wondering if driving a nice car on college campus is a good idea.</p>
<p>I guess your definition of "nice" will vary, but I drive a Mercedes C250 Sport. </p>
<p>Before everyone jumps into conclusions, I'd just like to point out I've bought this car with my own money. I pay all outgoing expenses including car insurance and repairs, so please do not post any accusations about my "rich parents," because they did not contribute a dime to my car.</p>
<p>So my question is: Should I bring my car to the college campus once I go to college?</p>
<p>I plan to attend University of Georgia or a similarly large public school. With all honesty, I am aware I will definitely get dings and scratches on my car, as will any car, but what I am worried about are far worse consequences such as break ins, intentional damages, etc... </p>
<p>Unless you leave your doors unlocked or your valuables in plain sight, I doubt your car will be tampered with. In any case, at a large public school there will be plenty of nice cars on campus and your C-class won’t stand out much, so I wouldn’t worry.</p>
<p>Are you planning on commuting from home or living off-campus? If you’re going to be staying in the residence halls or joining Greek life, I don’t see any great need for a car because everything will be close by. Maybe a bike or a bus pass if you really don’t feel like walking. </p>
<p>My school has a very large international student population - and as you may know, international students tend to be on the wealthier side, since most are funding their education fully through cash flow and savings; especially students from Europe, the Middle East, and East Asia. I’ve seen Maseratis, Ferraris, Bugattis, and Lambos on campus - and nothing seems to happen to them, despite their flashiness. I think you’ll be fine. </p>
<p>What year? I drove my dad’s newer C class to campus for a little while and nothing happened at all (not even a scratch). I keep my Mustang on campus now and haven’t had so much as a dent/scratch yet. It definitely depends on where you’ll park, but just park smart in the lot. Don’t park around other cars, don’t leave any valuables on the seats, etc.</p>
<p>@Vctory
I kid you not. It’s really bizarre and kind of hilarious because these kids from South Korea, UAE, China, etc come here to go to school in America completely driven by prestige and their families back home are millionaires funding their entire education - and since “American college” is pretty impressive regardless of where you go, they choose the most selective of the schools they were admitted to, regardless if its actually selective or not in reality. </p>
<p>They couldn’t make it into Harvard, MIT, BC, BU, Northeastern, etc - so now they’re attending a commuter UMass campus with the irony being that most American students at the school are there because it’s so damn cheap (like 1/5 the cost of other schools in the area) - so they’re essentially studying alongside kids who couldn’t afford better while they’re renting apartments in some of the most expensive neighborhoods in Boston (like in the same neighborhood where former Senator/current Secretary of State John Kerry lives), driving these wildly expensive cars, to go to one of the cheapest schools in the entire state. To me it’s a lot like wearing an Armani suit to pick up some groceries from Walmart. </p>
<p>These international students are wild, man. I just remembered that back in October, I was sitting behind this kid in my Environmental Science lecture and he was watching anime on his laptop the entire time - and then in the last ten minutes of class, he checked his bank account and had a whopping 213,000 dollars. </p>
<p>I currently have 4 dollars in my bank, lol. I can’t even withdraw it. The sum is too small to take out from an ATM. </p>
<p>It has gotten to the point that I annoy my friends by talking about the international students. I love them. They’re great. They make me question reality. It’s hilarious. They’re literally driving cars that could pay for 5 or 6 Bachelor’s degrees from our school. Like you could literally go to school 6 times, for 24 years, for the cost of the car they use to drive 3 or 4 miles everyday. I’m literally just laughing right now thinking about them. </p>
<p>I wonder what the graduate students* from those same countries must be thinking and talking about them…</p>
<p>*Typically funded as research assistants or teaching assistants, so they do not have to be wealthy, although they certainly do have the academic merit to be considered suitable to be PhD students by the departments.</p>
<p>The really funny thing is nobody in this country cares, lol. I always got a kick out of the uber-rich international students as well because they would act as if everyone should bow down and respect them for having so much money. In reality, they just look so out of place that it’s downright amusing.</p>
<p>Ironically, these kids would probably earn more respect buying their clothes from Target and driving around in a 15 year old Subaru.</p>
<p>My friend just texted me “maybe you shouldn’t buy your son a Maserati 350s if he doesn’t know how to actually drive” - she said she saw him go up on the curb twice driving from the parking lot to the University’s Campus Center. LOL. </p>
<p>There’s this really high end shopping district in Boston that is basically the equivalent of Rodeo Drive or Fifth Avenue taken back a smidge - there’s a Louis Vuitton, a Dior, a Chanel, a Barney’s, etc - and I go there sometimes just to window shop and people watch with my friends (because I literally cannot afford to do anything else) and a lot of really young (18-20) international students shop there and you’ll see them carrying loads of bags; 5 or 6 bags each and you think how these kids must’ve spent at least 15 grand in the course of 2 hours. It’s crazy. What’s more is that Boston has a lot of very wealthy individuals - people who are worth millions of dollars, and they don’t spend the way the international students do. With all the world renowned surgeons and corporate attorneys and CEOs in Boston - none of them can throw down dead presidents the way a 19 year old South Korean girl can. </p>
<p>Having meaningful relationships, accomplishing various short and long term goals? A lot really. </p>
<p>I dated an ultrawealthy international student my freshman year of college. Sure he had essentially carte blanche with his parents’ card but he still had a number of goals that he was looking forward to during and after college. </p>
Well, somebody’s rich, because what high school student can afford to buy a Mercedes (unless we’re talking about a very old used one)? The insurance alone would be beyond most kids’ earnings, to say nothing of gas. Maybe the grandparents are generous with birthday gifts? And if you can afford to spend “your” money on a fancy car, it’s because you aren’t being asked to use any of it to help defray school or personal expenses. Sorry, but that will read as “rich” to the majority of your fellow students. You have to decide what image you want to portray. </p>
<p>@MommaJ
I love how you quickly jump to an affirmative conclusion that this money is not technically mine. I have a steady job and I have done research as to how much money it will cost me to own this car. I have tuition money tucked away in my savings account and have plenty left to cover other expenses to get me by.</p>
<p>Is it wrong that I want to spend on a luxury car I’ve dreamt of owning with the money I worked extremely hard for? </p>
<p>I personally do not care if people think of me as “spoiled and rich,” because my true friends will know I worked hard to earn what I’m driving now. </p>
<p>There may not be a lot, but there are students my age who earn just as much, if not more than what I make while in high school, so please do not assume it is impossible to do such things.</p>
<p>I however appreciate your time. I apologize for my tone, but it is very frustrating sometimes to see people quickly judge my car/earnings with frowns thinking this is all passed down through the family. </p>
<p>I don’t get why people think there’s something wrong with “rich” teenagers. Even if the OP’s parents bought him the car, I don’t see anything wrong with that. A child can’t control their parents’ wealth so why is it looked at negatively? </p>
<p>I’m curious as to what sort of pre-high school diploma employment one could get that would afford them the type of money to afford a luxury car. The kids at my high school were lucky to find jobs that paid a dollar or two more than minimum wage. </p>
<p>^^ Yea, I judge the students who make any sort of presumption about the personality of a student based on his or her car far more than the actual owner itself.</p>
<p>I don’t think anyone here thinks there is something “wrong” with them. The issue has more to do with how these kids show “their” wealth to others… it just comes across as tacky IMO. </p>
<p>Based on what I saw in college, most of these kids drive expensive cars and spend inordinate amounts of money at high end shops to try and impress others. Is it really that impressive though when it’s your parents money? I certainly don’t think so. </p>