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

[verapatskevich]

next year my commitments multiply by about 3X - why is that? ;-)
Maybe you are interested in scooters? They are more practical and easier to park and convenient to use in the city.
How is everything? Have a wonderful day.

[rebeccavich]

Things are good, thanks! Commitments multiply because I move from cushy post-doc to busy visiting-assistant-professor. Scooters won't work in this climate -- it rains for months at a time.

How are things with you?

[verapatskevich]

It's great, I am back in school now, doing my PhD. Visiting professor, I like this, great!

[verapatskevich]

Can you live closer to university?

[rinelk]

Cars are a source of not only expense, but risk. The less expensive the car, generally, the greater the risk of major disruption to your routine due to maintenance issues. Your career seems flexible enough that you might well be in a position to want to move in a year or two, and selling a car or transporting it would be another pain. Absolutely worth avoiding if at all possible.

That said, my concern with zipcar is its occasional nature, which would be reinforced by the hourly cost. As a person with less thoroughly ingrained driving habits, you would probably be fine if you drove frequently and got in the swing of things, but less comfortable and more likely to have something go wrong if you didn't drive much.

To my eyes, none of your options are that appealing.

[rebeccavich]

I agree that none of the options are great, but that only proves the desirability of getting one's driving skills in place early when living in this society.

I'm not too worried about re-selling or transporting -- you know more, but it doesn't seem like a huge deal to me, especially if I'm getting a used car.

As far as maintenance issues, my parents argue that leasing a new car is the way to go to avoid that -- but that doubles or triples monthly car payments.

[rinelk]

I think you may already have missed the "learn to drive early" boat. :-)

Selling a car for roughly what it's worth often requires patience. Since it won't kill you to be without it for a week or two at the end of your stay, whenever that is, you could just craigslist it a month or so before you want to leave.

As for transporting, I doubt I'd be keen on a cross-country drive if I were you, but there are some elements of that which would be kind of awesome if you had the time to take it at your own pace. You'd certainly have someplace to stay when you got around 6 hours from Boston. Putting it on a train or something seems likely to be more expensive than it'd be worth.

My impression of the financial efficiency of leasing is pretty negative, but it's ill-informed.

[arkanaut]

It seems like your main concern is commute time. What about moving to a spot closer to campus and taking public transit?

[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

[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.