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Sending your son or daughter to college can be a bittersweet experience. You
are excited for them and proud of their accomplishments but, at the same time,
sad to see them go. With all the preparation and excitement during those last
few months before they fly the nest, there is a potential for simple (yet
important) things to go overlooked. One of these is your soon-to-be college
student's transportation. Although you may not forget to buy them a car, it is
also essential that you look at the specifics of the vehicle you are about to
buy.
Individual Needs
When looking for a car, start by determining what
your child's individual needs will be. Let's take a look at some examples.
If your child will be driving home on the weekends, you may want to get a car
that has relatively low mileage already on it. This may depend on how far your
student has to drive, however, many college towns are 30-50 miles from the
nearest large city. This means 60-100 miles round trip. You may also want to
take into consideration how often your child will come home. Every weekend?
Every other weekend? Once a month?
If your child will use the car on a daily bases to drive to work or class (if
not living on campus), then mileage may also be an important factor. Most major
universities have a bus system that will not only take students anywhere on
campus, but also anywhere around town. Many college kids take a vehicle with
them and leave it parked 90% of the time because they can go to class, go to
work, or even go shopping by taking the bus. If your child exercises this
convenient option AND will not be driving home frequently, then you may be able
to save money by purchasing a car that already has a few thousand extra miles on
it.
If your child will be moving home during summer break and will be
transporting his or her own belongings, then you may want to ensure that the
vehicle has sufficient trunk space. However, if your child will be traveling
frequently (such as in our first example), then you may need to sacrifice the
trunk space for decent gas mileage. A bigger trunk means a bigger car. A bigger
car means worse gas mileage. If you child will be going home regularly, he or
she will likely need a small, compact car.
Finding the Right Car
To decide which car is the "right" car, both
you and your child need to have a say in the decision making process. Although
you will be looking at the price and mileage on each vehicle, your child will
probably be checking out each selections look and features. Try to be the voice
of reason, without giving ultimatums or using a "I'm paying for this car so you
will do as I say" attitude, which may push them to want the wrong vehicle even
more.
The best plan is to sit down with your child one evening and do your car
search from home, where you can discuss the options of each car -- without a
salesman over your shoulder -- and do side by side comparisons. A website like
www.vehiclesonline.com will
help you to find the best deals closest to you.
Once you have your list of potential vehicles, the two of you can then
schedule an appointment, by email, to test drive each vehicle before making your
final decision. The key to finding the right car for your child is having a wide
selection to choose from, so that you can make the best decision based on what
is available in your local area, not what is available on one lot.
About the Author
The author, William Nicholson, is a Vice President of Member Services, Inc.,
and lives in Dallas, Texas. William has spent the last 10 years developing
on-line car and truck buying programs for members of large affinity groups such
as wholesale clubs, airline frequent flyer programs, and other membership
groups. You can email William at william_nicholson@sbcglobal.net.
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