<p>I have WAYYY too much stuff for me to carry. I have a desktop computer, TV, lot of books etc etc.... My family is not in US right now (i live with my friend) so i can't leave anything, or otherwise i must throw it away....</p>
<p>So i've been thinking about taking my car up to California (basically to carry all my things) Is it a good idea to take a car up to LA? (i know the traffic must be horrible) Is there alot of public transportation? Thanks for answering my questions</p>
<p>i don't know about having a car on campus but driving in L.A. is unlike anywhere else. They drive insanely fast on the freeways because most of the time traffic sucks and they can only go 5 mph. You need to be a really good driver, fast reflexes and not at all hesitant. However, public transportation is really bad so if you don't have a car, best if you get to know someone who does. :-)</p>
<p>Is there a high likelihood it will get stolen? I worried that a white boy driving a new audi around south central is not a good idea.</p>
<p>HA! that's why i have somehwat crappy toyota camry that i don't have to worry about... but since my dad's really old buick got stolen, i guess its not totally safe either..</p>
<p>Not only is LA traffic really, REALLY bad, but parking at USC is terrible also. Permits are ridiculously expensive, and if you are lucky to get one, chances are you'll be parking off-campus in one of the parking structures. These parking structures are safe, but it's just a hassle to park there and take the bus on campus and vice-versa.</p>
<p>Depends ultimately where you live. Don't bother if you live in a dorm unless you really don't mind. If you live in Century or Cardinal Gardens, they have limited parking so you might get lucky.</p>
<p>Street parking is just a pain...</p>
<p>Parking is bad here, but you do get to reap the benefits over weekends and long breaks.</p>
<p>I really wish I had a car here...:(</p>
<p>Unless you gonna rely on public transportation or a bike, you need a car in LA. After driving in LA, it is spread out to me. If you were in SF, you dont need one cuz the liability is greater and parking in SF is impossible and very pricey.</p>
<p>lol, LA traffic is pretty bipolar, you can be stuck in the notorious LA traffic jams, and then the next moment it clears up and everyone is speeding along insanely fast. People tend to not be so courteous and are worried about their own agendas, it's a rough road out here. Parking is horrible anywhere in LA. People are also always cutting in between cars like their in a car chase straight out from the matrix or something. I'm pretty scared to go out to LA myself, I was almost clinically dead from all the shock by the time I got to LAX from the Inland Empire.</p>
<p>Gah, it'll be terrible for me to drive over there.. (especially after driving in empty oklahoma streets for a long time)</p>
<p>Actually the perception of traffic depends upon where you come from, drivers in LA are much better than drivers in Boston or NYC. If you actually want to go anywhere having a car will be incredibly useful, but yes the parking situation is absolutely horrible. I'm hoping to get a car next year, but I'm not sure how it will work out. I think people here actually drive slower than they do on the east coast, which surprises me, but it makes me think that it will be a lot more managable. I would encourage you to have a car if it's feasable.</p>
<p>haha yeah jessetfan. i was thinking la driving must be pretty bad if it's worse than boston... i guess not though, which is definitely a good thing.</p>
<p>Heard you need a car in LA if you're going to have any fun, because public transportation sucks. Having grown up around cities where nobody owns a car, the idea was kinda foreign to me, but apparently that's how it is. Since I don't live there I couldn't say for sure...sounds like a lot of people think the costs outweight the benefits, and maybe it's better just to make friends with people who have cars, so you can reap their good fortune but avoid the hassle.</p>
<p>No drivers in LA are better than drivers in Boston, dcl. Being from the east coast it's one of my points of reference, they actually signal here, which is so different from Boston.</p>
<p>I probably can't handle LA traffic. Here in upstate New York there is no traffic, so any big city would be a shock to my system. But I NEED my car, so I'm definitely going to take it no matter where I go.</p>
<p>Get a good GPS system for directions!! It does help when you are very unfamilar in a new city. My driving experience in LA was pretty cool. The GPS system helped me. Im shipping my car to LA cuz driving from the South will be too hard on it and the gas is too high.</p>
<p>do you think people used to atlanta traffic can handle la traffic?</p>
<p>How much would keeping a car there cost? In terms of license tabs, parking fees, etc.</p>
<p>To check on tags and driver's licenses, here's the California DMV website:
<a href="http://www.dmv.ca.gov/online/vrir/vr_top2.htm%5B/url%5D">http://www.dmv.ca.gov/online/vrir/vr_top2.htm</a></p>
<p>As far as car insurance, check with your insurer.</p>
<p>Also, you might wanna register to vote in California. That way you can become a resident and qualify for State Aid.</p>
<p>California Voter Registration:
<a href="http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/votereg1.html%5B/url%5D">http://www.ss.ca.gov/elections/votereg1.html</a>
<a href="http://ca.lwv.org/lwvc/edfund/voterreg/%5B/url%5D">http://ca.lwv.org/lwvc/edfund/voterreg/</a></p>
<p>So gas is expensive in LA, I'm guessing? What does people without cars do? Although transportation sucks, can they still get around? (especially around and in USC)</p>
<p>in response to gas prices: <a href="http://losangelesgasprices.com/%5B/url%5D">http://losangelesgasprices.com/</a>
don't count on relying on mass transit.
you'll be able to get around usc's campus without a car, but you'd need one if you want to take a roadtrip or visit surrounding areas. you can make a friend to drive you on such trips, and you'll be fine without a car. I live in the area and my dad went to SC, and if I go to SC I won't be taking a car with me.</p>