Freshman wants to take car to school next year

Parents Forum
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<p>My daughter went to a college almost 900 miles away. She didn't have a car until her senior year and didn't really want one but the only reason she could do without was because her friends had cars. Because her car was one of the older ones, she did not drive it home for her two breaks. One thing I really, really didn't like was that she and friends would drive straight through (about 14 hours) without sleeping. They would stop for meals oh, and I guess a couple of times they did stop at Penn State to visit friends (about 3 hours away) but for the most part they just drove. </p>

<p>Our son, a college sophmore, has had his car at school since freshman year. His college has four breaks and he's almost 400 miles away. He's a very good driver, his college is in a semi-rural area, abundant and cheap parking ($25 a year) outside his dorm, and a straightforward ride home without any big cities to drive through. He's also a low key, non-drinker. Our insurance costs are suprisingly low too. The only downside is that he's sort of lazy about getting riders so has ended up driving himself.</p>

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<p>I have the same feelings a atomom. My son has not needed a car at school, but at some schools it really is very inconvenient not to have one. My son is very responsible, but I would have been very uncomfortable with him driving to and from school as freshman. Now that he is another year older, I would feel a bit better about it. My son does not have a car because of the expense (esp. high insurance costs). He'd like a car, but is surviving. BTW, kids with a car I noticed end up running errands and acting as chauffers for those without cars. They are not going to say no to their closest friends. I know that my son will have 3 other apartment mates next year and only one of them currently has a car at school. Another one might bring one to school in a year, so not everyone has a car. Also, my son has mentioned that there are parking complications at the apartment complex where he will reside next year.</p>

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<p>Our son toook his car to college starting jr year and it has been a great conveinience. Since he has an apartment with a 12 month lease he was able to become a NYS resident and is saving some money($250?) on auto insurance.</p>

<p>He is able to shop for groceries, clothes and sundries at area big box discounters and is saving $$$ there too.</p>

<p>It has also given him a greater degree of independence which is a good thing IMHO now that graduation is only about 6 months away. Many colleges students lead somewhat cloistered lives with the confines of campus and while this is a good thing freshman yr, by jr year I feel it is advantageous for them to begin living more independently and experiencing the joys of grocery shopping, cooking, paying monthly rent/bills, fixing leaky faucets, etc. Having a car makes this quite easier to do even if the apartment is close to campus like our son's is.</p>

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<p>For a student living off campus, a car really makes sense--it is much more convenient for grocery shopping and such. That aside, I think a responsble kid is fine with a car at college, and a 600-mile trip is definitely doable in one day if it is all or mostly interstate--if not, then I would suggest a stopover. </p>

<p>My D goes to school 600 miles from home and has had her car with her since freshman year (she had considerable highway driving experience even before that, and my husband drove with her the first time, for the start of freshman year, while I drove spearately with a carload of her belongings). She flies home for Thanksguiving and other (very rare)short breaks but drives for Christmas and at the beginning and end of the school year. It is a very easy though long trip--literally all interestate except for about two miles at one end and one mile at the other. The one difficulty is that the days are so short around Christmas break that she makes the last few hours of the trip both ways in darkness. On the other hand, she has the flexibility of putting the trip off or leaving a day earlier to go back if the weather forecast is bad. All in all, I would say having the car has been a great convenience.</p>

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<p>When I was in college, I didn't want a car for the convenience at school (it was neither a big campus nor a big city) but I lived 500 miles from home, and we weren't in a position to afford plane tickets back/forth. So, I parked my car on city streets, moved it around a bit to avoid tickets, etc. and I drove home each break. These were the days before cell phones, and so I'm a bit surprised my parents were OK with their daughter driving alone. But, I was a sensible kid. I would call them and leave a message when I left. I always stopped at exactly the same places along the way (places I told my parents about with the hard/fast rules of no rest stops, no night time driving), and I'd call them at my half-way point. (I know it's macabre, but I actually did think that the calls would help narrow the search parameters if I should come up missing). I had to demonstrate to my dad that I could check my oil and change my tires before even getting a car, so I knew I could do that. (Had a blown tire one trip, but no shortage of kind help who changed my tire. But, it was good to know I knew how to do it myself). </p>

<p>Given that my parents were assuming such a burden with my college choice, it was nice not to add plane tickets to/from airports that were hardly on the beaten path.</p>

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<p>If your son is a good driver and tends to be a responsible person, I would let him bring his car. My daughter goes to school 900 miles away and she brought her car to school for junior and senior year after moving from dorms to an apartment just off campus. For breaks she always flies home and my husband drives out with her to move her in in August then flies home. Her car has come in very handy for all of her grocery shopping and other shopping excursions and when she needs to be on campus late at night. It has also helped her to become more independent.</p>

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<p>There seems to be a general agreement that by end of jr year year, kids really like having cars. Getting to jobs is far easier. Even with lots of on-campus activities, they want to explore the larger area around them. My concern is that S hasn't taken car in for tune-up and oil change.</p>

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<p>A car does require responsibility. It does not usually save money. Cars need insurance, gas, maintenance. Not to mention the cost of the car. It would be hard to save money with a car even living off campus. </p>

<p>The main responsibility is the driving itself. You can lose your life or kill someone with a car in an instant. So the student should be aware of this and live accordingly. If you have doubts about your student's driving, drinking, judgement, recklessness, etc, he should not have a car away. The permanent grief that an incident with a car can bring is not worth the joy and convenience that giving a student a car brings. This is a serious consideration and the main obstacle to giving a young adult a car. </p>

<p>The upkeep is another problem. It can be a major headache. I have trouble keeping up with cars that need a lot of maintenance. When you have a young person far from home that has car issues, it is a headache not only for him but for mom and dad as well. I've had to deal with the nightmare car mechanic with poor consequences even with years of experience. Also if things happen like accidents, tickets and other car related problems, some one has to take care of them.</p>

<p>The distractions of having a car are issues too. Not only the above problems, but having a car opens new things to do. They can be at the expense of schoolwork. Errands for friends, going places far away, going to events far away, may not always be wise decisions. Kids with cars are put under pressure to provide transportation for others. That is a given. Maturity to withstand this pressure is necessary or it can lead to problems.</p>

<p>The expense can be enormous. An accident, a traffic violation, a breakdown can blow the budget. I remember a neighbor's daughter having a car breakdown enroute home for Christmas break in the middle of nowhere. What a pain. A new car is expensive both in terms of insurance and payment, and the bomb can break you with its unreliability and maintenance expense. Mechanics don't run cheap. </p>

<p>To give your student a car at campus means thinking about all of these issues. Yes, kids really like having cars. Makes a lot of things easier, it's handy, let's them explore the area, gives them more options, can solve the coming home problem. But there are a plethora of issues that arise from having a car to consider.</p>