Please, need advices on buying a car. I have too much money on my hands (yeah right)

Parent Cafe
21

<p>if you expect to recieve finaid- a work study job on campus will connect you with students you wouldn’t ordinarily meet
Make needing a car a non issue- so that is thousands of dollars in earnings right there
Not “count” on financial aid forms like an outside job will be</p>

<p>My daughter still doesn’t have a car and she graduated from college this past spring
She lives in city with decent public transportation which was a criteria of sorts as she didn’t want the hassle- of owning her own car.</p>

22

<p>I’ve been spoiled by a fantastic Volvo mechanic. Mufflers - $250. Brakes - $200. Most I ever paid was $1,500, and that was for the tune-up of a lifetime, that replaced darn near everything. If anyone in Boston needs a good Volvo mechanic, PM me. :)</p>

23

<p>I am a college student who drives a Toyota Echo (I got it used). It is excellent, reliable, cute, and cheap to maintain. It gets 40MPG.</p>

24

<p>If you have that much money to spend on a car, buy a cheap, reliable used Toyota or Honda and invest the money. Why someone would spend 500 dollars per month just to drive around and feel safe is beyond me.</p>

25

<p>The “feel safe” part I do understand. Consider how many people are killed in car accidents every year. Consider that someone else’s idiocy can hurt you as much as your own idiocy.</p>

26

<p>Driving around and feeling safe would be one of my top priorities too. Just don’t think you need to spend $500 a month to do that.</p>

27

<p>I drive a hybrid and it drives like a dream. However, it is a social statement purchase, not a gas savings experience unless you spend a lot of time in stop and go traffic which is usually in large metro or huge surburban sprawl sections of America. Where I live, I seldom have to stop a long time and coast, so we don’t have that benefit. A gas car would have run us the same costs as the hybrid in general for gas purchases in my underpopulated part of America.
The battery runs the car under 15 mph and that is going to save you money in traffic jams, stops on the beltway and killing time waiting for your turn at a light in a long line of traffic.<br>
Google top ten lists at AOL, edmunds, consumer reports etc for ideas on great used small cars…get at least front wheel drive for stablity in bad weather and get your car inspected before buying. Used cars can be a smart choice when your income is challenged.</p>