Decisions, decisions

[rebeccavich]

So, I need to make a decision about getting a car or not getting car.  Portland's public transportation system is nice and robust, but getting to campus is a pain (40 minutes door-to-door rather than the 15 it would be if I drove; it gets worse when the shuttle isn't running, which it only does when school is in session).  It's been okay this year

Comments

[haeddre]

Leasing: Don't do it. I come from a family of car salesman. People who lease cars are known in the business as gullible fools who believe capitalist advertising, or are clearly rich enough where cost doesn't matter. It is alway, always ALWAYS better to buy and pay for repairs from a financial standpoint.

That being said, it sounds like you can't afford it. If saving $200 a month on rent seems important, and you need a loan just for $3500... I don't know where you'd even get a loan for that little -- most car loans ask for a downpayment of $2,000-3,000 to begin with. And you won't get a very low interest rate for a used car -- those are reserved for new cars. I spend $200 a month just on gas. You might not drive as much as I do, but a tank for a small sized sedan costs around $50 these days (I drive a Corolla, which is "compact" and has much better gas mileage than my Camry--I'd probably be spending $75 a tank if I still had that one). And if it is an older car, you will likely spend at least a couple grand a year just on basic maintenance and repairs on little things like brakes, fluid changes, other "minor" repairs, and big repairs or an unfortunate string of small repairs could easily cost more. Back when I had an older used car, I was regularly spending between 3 and 5 grand a year before I finally got sick of it and bought a new car. Even with a relatively new car, I spend at least $1,000 a year on oil changes, brakes, factory recommended maintenance. And that amount will increase every year as the car gets older.

Since Portland has a good transportation system, and you are uncomfortable with driving anyway, I think it would actually be cheaper to spend a couple hundred MORE on rent and move closer to campus, if you need to get there more easily.

[haeddre]

Also, like me, you are a single woman living alone across the country from any male members of her family. Mechanics WILL try to take advantage of you, and you WILL find yourself suddenly having to deal with things like flat tires all by yourself in the middle of the night with no one to call for help (which is why you must buy AAA if you do get a car). I've become pretty good at telling mechanics to cut the shit, so they don't tend to fuck with me anymore, but that took me a few years of getting ripped off (and I think I'm naturally meaner than you:), and I've been driving for a LONG time, and I'm not scared or even phased by breakdowns anymore (most drivers I know freak out), but it can still be very, very stressful as a single woman to deal with owning a car without any men around to help. Just a headlight going out turns into a huge fucking ordeal.