<p>Alright, so I saw another thread about Freshman taking cars with them to school. I'm an incoming freshman, and I don't have a car. I just accepted a position with residential living at my school, and I said I would be willing to work during Winter, Spring, and Summer break. So since in the other thread most people said it wouldn't be a great idea freshman year, how do you feel having a car during your last 3 years? Is it worth the hassle? Do people still try to bum rides off of you? I'm going to college that's in a small city. All my relatives live at 20 minutes plus away from the campus. Only one uncle lives in walking distance, but it's still 20 minutes away. So I wouldn't want to be the relative who is always asking for rides. I really would only need this car during breaks. Any tips or advice is appreciated!</p>
<p>I’ve found having a car to be a really good idea. It makes you more independent, at least in the sense that you don’t have to be carted around everywhere.</p>
<p>If people bother you for rides, maybe you can ask your parents if they would be okay being the “bad guys”. I mean saying something like, “My parents really don’t like me giving rides to people (very much), and I’d feel bad if I had to lie to them like that.” I just put that stuff in parentheses just to give some freedom on the phrase if you wanted to use it. My parents give me free rein to make them the bad guys if the situation makes me uncomfortable.</p>
<p>I’m entering my sophomore year and I’m probably purchasing a car in the next month or so. I haven’t had any experience yet, since I’m yet to purchase the car, but here’s my two cents.</p>
<p>As a freshman, you probably wont get a parking permit on campus. That being said, you also live on campus too, so you don’t really need a car to commute to anywhere. Public transportation should do fine (buses, trains, even cabs with friends). During breaks, can’t you go home and use a parents or a siblings car? 20 minutes is not a far drive, taking a bus would only take less than an hour or so.</p>
<p>As for the last 3 years, I’m living off campus. My reasons for a car are: (A) groceries (B) going to class (I have classes from 8am up to 8pm at night, with large breaks in between) (C) going to the gym. All in all, you have to realize you’ll be paying the following for a car:</p>
<p>(a) Insurance
(b) Gas
(c) Maintenance
(d) The cost of the car (or depreciation should you wish to sell it in a few years)
(e) Any repairs
(f) Extras (gps, tint, whatever you add to it)</p>
<p>Being under 21, we have to pay more than others for insurance. If you go on your parents insurance, you should pay much much less, but still a substantial amount. Create a cash flow forecast, throw all those values in, see how much you can really work without affecting your work/social schedule, and see if it’s worth it to you.</p>
<p>Do remember to calculate how much it would cost you for buses, trains and cabs during the years you plan on using your car. I calculated my own to come around $2800-$3800 for 3 years, including weekly trips to the supermarket (2 buses + walk there, cab back).</p>
<p>I biked, rode buses, and walked during freshman year. I only took the train downtown, and cabs were when trains weren’t running (laaate at night). The only difference now is that I live a further distance from campus, the gym, and need to purchase things often. In the end, it’s up to you. If you think it’s worth it, go for it! Personally, I’m plan on working to pay off my monthly insurance.</p>
<p>Notes: Take a look at kbb.com and edmunds.com for depreciation and average costs of maintenance, gas, etc. For insurance, look at multiple providers. Geico was the most expensive for me, and Liberty Mutual being the cheapest.</p>
<p>Cars are quite expensive. Unless you can clearly justify why you need them, you shouldn’t have one.</p>
<p>This argument actually applies to everyone. For people who have a job, it’s really quite simple: if the car shaves 1hr getting to and from work, even if you earn $20/hr, that’s $400/mo – enough for gas, insurance, and payments on a cheap car.</p>
<p>Run the same calculation on your college situation and figure out if it’s worth it.</p>
<p>Exactly. It makes sense for me, since I eventually will have to make the trek to school by myself, and flying is pretty cost-prohibitive. But people who want a car on campus do have to figure if they truly need one or not.</p>
<p>I think it depends on the school, the location, the student, and other variables.</p>
<p>If I was going to one of the residential colleges in my city, then I would definitely take my car… just because you just really need a car where I live because public transportation is terrible and everything is spread out.</p>
<p>But what helps with that is that we have some of the cheapest gas in the country. I might put $20 in my car a week and I have a gas guzzler.</p>
<p>Where I’m going for college, on the flip side, I don’t plan on needing a car, so I’m leaving mine at home.</p>
<p>@Excelblue the problem with that is you’re generally gonna work a maximum of 8 hours a day any way. might as well say that tooling around on the computer for an hour is a waste (and it is, but that’s probably not gonna stop people from using Facebook instead of cleaning bathrooms for an hour).</p>
<p>I’m now going into the final year, and I’ll maybe buy a car 2nd semester. Obviously have to buy a car when I graduate. I think that for most people in the freshman/soph/jun, a car is more a want than really a need unless you have to get back and forth to a job across town.</p>
<p>PS - You get raped on insurance until you’re 25 years old, not 21 as someone said. Same reason why you can’t rent a car without extra fees if you’re < 25 yo.</p>
<p>My school is in the middle of nowhere and surrounded by miles and miles of rolling hills and farmland (it’s perfect for a teen slasher flick) and 5 hours from home, but I’m not planning on getting a car anytime soon. My mother’s been pushing one, but apparently the parking at my school is terrible (I’ve only been there once to register for classes before orientation to make sure I got the classes I wanted/needed and it sucked then in June).</p>
<p>Car’s are just way too expensive from gas, to upkeep to the car itself so I plan on walking or biking wherever I need to go. I’ll save money and the walking is great for your butt. lol I’m thinking about saving for a Vespa (or Vespa-like scooter) to get myself for Christmas, but that’s the close I plan on getting to a car at least until I graduate.</p>
<p>And about insurance, you don’t get “raped” (ugh, that sounds so dumb) when it comes to prices if you’re on your parents insurance and they have discounts for being a good student. My mom has Allstate and added me on when I got my license. I just needed to have some paperwork signed by a counselor every so often to verify that my grades were at least a 3.0 average and my insurance was maybe $60 a month. I was 18 when I got my license so I wouldn’t have to go to driver’s ed and I’m 19 now. It’s a lot less than people I know on their parent’s insurance paying close to or over $100. My ass.</p>
<p>Entering sophomore, living on campus, with insurance in parents’ plan (I pay, but it’s a LOT cheaper)</p>
<p>I live about two hours away from school, and I try to go home twice a month. This makes it <em>much</em> easier to do so (or go camping or visiting friends at nearby schools, whatever) without being a burden on others. Also, I don’t have a meal plan, so I’ll be going to the grocery store about once a week.</p>
<p>Thankfully, my parents realized that if they pay for my gas going home and back to school, I’ll go home more often. 
I can pretty much get by with them filling up the tank at home, since I still will walk or bike everywhere I can.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes but <em>you</em> can’t own the car and be on your parents insurance.</p>
<p>“If the car is in the child’s name, then the insurance has to be in their name as well.”</p>
<p>[Can</a> a car insurance policy be in your parent?s name?](<a href=“http://www.insuranceproviders.com/can-an-auto-insurance-policy-be-in-your-parents-name]Can”>http://www.insuranceproviders.com/can-an-auto-insurance-policy-be-in-your-parents-name)</p>
<p>Ok I should clarify my immediate family (mom, dad, sister) live 2 hours away. My aunts, uncles, and grandparents live close (20-40 min away) to the university. So technically I do have the offer of using my cousin’s car as long as I contribute to his gas, and probably insurance etc. He has a motorcycle, but I know he will still need his car. </p>
<p>Right now I can only justify using it for breaks when I would be staying with relatives to get to my job. I only have one relative in walking distance to the university, and I rather not spend all my time there. They don’t really have a spare bed for me. I would be sleeping on their basement couch. One set of grandparents would take me, but they would get sick of taking me everyday. I know they wouldn’t just let me use their car because one time a relative flew up and used it for a week. My grandma was crabby because she had to wait for my grandpa to come home to use a car. Other set live about 30 min away, and don’t drive into town unless needed which is about once a week. I don’t plan on taking summer courses, but I wish to stay so that I can work. </p>
<p>In regards to the insurance payment. Right now I’m on my parents and they do get discounts for being a good student. I believe I have to keep a 3.0 When they where going to charge my sister for it, parents only asked for $30 a month. As of now they pay for it for some reason. I plan on paying them for insurance, cell phone, and most likely for some money for the dogs. One of them I actually adopted so technically he is mine.</p>
<p>Residential living is across the street from my dorm this year so I don’t need a car. I have to stay on campus for two years. I would like to move off campus junior and senior year. There is only the bus system, and cabs for public transit. Bus is free to students, but they run on limited hours, and only go certain routes. They do pick ups at certain apartments. It cost more money if you wish to run to the bigger cities because you end up riding the Lamer’s bus. </p>
<p>For this year I have worked out that if I ever need to go to the bigger cities my aunt will take me when she goes. If I ever need to go to a relatives house for a family function I have to walk over to the one relatives house, or if I can go on a Friday my one aunt will get me after work. I may hold off on actually looking at cars until I the summer arrives. I can get a parking permit this year. It’s first come first serve. I wouldn’t need a parking permit until summer.</p>
<p>Can you clarify why you need the car? Is it to get home during breaks or do you want to be able to drive places during breaks?</p>
<p>I would need it to get to work during breaks. If I ever did want to go home I would need it unless my parents come up, or meet someone half way. I would need it get to some stores, but certainly I could wait and go when a relative goes to that store.</p>
<p>I just recently bought a car this May as I needed it for a summer internship about 700 miles from where I live and with no relatives, and not great public transportation. I will keep it through undergrad and then see what I am doing for grad school and whether I will need a car there. A car will be useful at school, but it is not necessary. Often, friends are willing to lend cars when needed. Last year, I was even the spare key person for two friends, meaning I could pretty much borrow their cars whenever, which was incredibly useful. </p>
<p>I recommend borrowing friends cars when you can, and also remember that they may need to go the same places as you. Bumming rides from friends is an acceptable practice (within reason), especially when you chip in for gas.</p>
<p>As long as you can personally justify the need for it you should get it. I know that for me a car is purely a want. The school I currently go to gives its students a free bus pass on your student ID. That gives you access to anywhere in the city as long as you find the right bus. So I know that I don’t need a car. Sure when I go to buy snacks for my dorm I can’t bring back as much stuff as I could with a car and sometimes I need to get a friend to go with me, but it saves a lot of money from gas, insurance and other car expenses.</p>