<p>Reason I ask is I'll be livin in the dorms this coming fall and my mom doesn't feel like I'll need to bring my car with me. She's concerned cause I drive a 98 Ford Minivan that had a lot of problems while my dad had it a few yrs. ago. </p>
<p>So is a car really necesssary? Do you use it to drive to campus, even if u live on campus? Do you not use it at all? How does it go with u guys who are or have been in college??</p>
<p>No. 5678910</p>
<p>just get a sweet bike</p>
<p>Car would be a necessity when you are trying to leave campus to buy groceries or go out..etc.
It may or may not be necessary to go to class though.</p>
<p>It's a great thing to have even in the big city, but not a necessity.</p>
<p>The 98 Ford vans aren't nearly as bad as the 99s. When they redid them that year I know the problems multiplied.</p>
<p>I'm guessing your problems are with the tranny and brakes? We had a 91 Sable when I was little and over six years it ate up 12 sets of brakes and 2 automatic trannies. For all the cash we spent on that we could have had a used Honda Civic.</p>
<p>As far as having a car on campus, you need it. Minivans are good because you can help move people (like if someone moves to another dorm). They're not the top choice for getting chicks, but at least you can get a lot of people/stuff in them.</p>
<p>Find someone on your campus who is good with car repairs, or find a good mechanic near campus in case something goes wrong.</p>
<p>Without a car you're asking for headaches, lonely nights, and boredom.</p>
<p>Well, I haven't had issues with it since my dad gave it to me last summer, but when he drove it, he had a ton of problems with it lol. I mean I remember times just a couple yrs. ago where the minivan just stopped running on multiple occasions and needed a jump to start the car up again. And this happened on multiple occasions. </p>
<p>My mom's nervous about allowin me to take the car cause it's old, it has had lots of problems in the past, and has died before like I said and needed a jump to restart it. </p>
<p>In terms of boredom, what if you have friends on campus who have cars, while you don't? Can't you still have fun and do stuff if they drive you? I would think you can do this.</p>
<p>If you have a car in a city like NYC or Chicago or Boston or DC or Philly, you ARE asking for trouble. In those cities, having a car is a MUCH bigger liability than an asset. Parking at NYC SUCKS and you'll fork over large amounts of money ($400/month) so that you won't have to move your car every two hours. And your parking space will most likely be 2-4 blocks away and very small, that is IF YOU CAN FIND ONE. So if you're going to a big city like NYC, DO NOT TAKE A CAR. Sell it, ditch it, dump it in the Hudson, just get rid of it. Because if you're going to college in a big city, you will be miserable for the next four years of your life with a car.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Car would be a necessity when you are trying to leave campus to buy groceries or go out..etc.
[/quote]
Not necessarily. It depends on the school and the city/town.</p>
<p>future: You are wrong. I am in Chicago, and I have had a car the last two years and will again next year.</p>
<p>I am going to the Univ. of Illinois in Champaign, which is kinda like a suburban type of city I would say. Not really urban, but it ain't rural either.</p>
<p>A 1998 is not considered old. That's the age of the newest car in my family! My boyfriend drives a 1989 BMW...and I'm about to get a 1987 Camry...now those are old.</p>
<p>bearfolife i'm in the same situation as you...except i'll be in Ames, IA at Iowa State. not a big city but not in the middle of nowhere either. i'm taking a car but i'm only gonna use it to come home, go on trips with friends, etc. The two major dorm areas don't have much parking and therefore students park down at the football stadium (10-15 minute walk at the most), see if Illinois has anything like this. You shouldnt need to drive around campus to get to classes...most campuses you can walk from one end to another in 10 minutes or less. or get a bike (another thing i'm considering). see if Illinois has a bus system. Iowa State has CyRide, which goes all over the city of Ames and the campus and is free to ISU students. you dont NEED a car, but it makes going home for a weekend less of a hassle and things like that.</p>
<p>yea, there's a bus system, in fact, my mom talked some one of her co-workers who said that she knew a guy who goes to Univ. of Illinois and takes a bus from campus to a mall which is about a half hr. from where I live. So it's entirely possible, I just don't know which way to go with it.</p>
<p>cars can be convenient (depends on where you go, in NYC theyre actually an inconveniency), but are not necessary</p>
<p>i've lived 5 years without a car in an area where people normally think it is impossible -- southern california, where practically everyone owns their own car (and it's well-known for it's traffic jams) </p>
<p>first two years i lived on campus, and next three i lived nearby -- I had free buses for which the school paid (within a certain territory) - to add up the costs, i saved my family a huge load of money over those 5 years -- i'm going to buy a car in 2007 but I saved up enough money to get myself a new one instead of used (i want a new car because i've seen some of people i know have many troubles with the used cars they purchased, not everyone, but you just don't know if it'll be you next -- plus it'll be much nicer looking inside and outside)</p>
<p>there are instances where you really wish you had own transportation especially if you move off-campus - but if your are on good terms with your roommates and have good friends with cars, you can always ask them to give you a ride here or there once a while</p>
<p>life with a car in southern california surely has its own troubles -- at my university, parking on-campus does cost money and if you arrive after 8am you'll have trouble finding spots (by lunch a few clear out) -- some people started parking in the near-by parking lots and then taking free shuttles to the campus, which means they still have to "wait for the bus" technically -- parking is generally a scarce commodity in urban california -- some apartments have only one or two parking spots while more than 1-2 people might live in an apartment -- then you have to figure out how to divide the spots -- driving is also very aggressive around here -- that has been noted by anyone who arrives from neighboring states -- and gas prices are not low either (around 3.30-3.60 right now)</p>
<p>anyhow, i thought owning a car would be more trouble than it is worth -- you cannot go without it indefinitely -- but if you will live on campus and you do not plan to go out and party or have a medical emergency every weekend, then it is definitely worth the trouble financially to go without it</p>