Car in med school?

[Vox Animo]

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This fall I am going to be starting at CCOM. I do not own or never have owned a car. I am poor. I was considering buying one next year. Will i need a car my first two years in medical school? Or am i better off doing without until I have too buy one?

 

[Rafa]

It really depends on where you go. If you're in a big town with public transportation, then you don't need cars to get around (and if you do, you'll be able to rent them for relatively cheap). If you're in a small town, getting to the grocery store might prove tricky if it's far, but you can always bike. Think about how you got around in your undergrad. Personally, I'm not planning on buying a car wherever I go - unless my dorm is a twenty minute drive from the school buildings, I'm not going to need one. For you, I'd recommend simply calling the school and asking if it's necessary to have a car to get around campus, and to get to the nearest sources of food. I'd also visit the area before attending, and get a personal feel for how easy/difficult it is to get around.

And FWIW, cars are some of the most innefficient, costly, and wasteful means of transportation around. Even if you don't care about the environmental damage they do (or the way it becomes difficult to breathe in large cities when walking down the sidewalk because of all the exhaust fumes from cars on the road), you'll constantly find yourself pouring money into it (for gas, for tune-ups, repairs, accessories...). IMO, unless your occupation will require it, avoid getting a car for as long as possible - certainly for as long as you're in a campus setting, where the majority of students won't have (or need) cars.

Edit:

Oh, I definitely agree with benefits for grocery-buying. Going more than once a week is a hassle. If you're in the Cambridge/Boston area though, you can definitely get by without one. There's the T (subway), the bus system (through both cities), zipcars (rental cars), etc. Most of the universities there also have little shuttles that run around campus.

Overall, I guess it depends on the school. If everything is close and dense and packed (Boston, Chicago, NY-area schools), you'll likely have a public network good enough to get you around, and the majority of people will either use those or their two feet. If you're going to a smaller place though (somewhere rural or quiet), you might be better off with a car. I'd definitely call and visit to see for myself first, since there are exceptions to every rule. 🙂

 

[pagemmapants]

I know for sure that Duke requires that you have a car. I also know that at Baylor it's easier to not have a car and just live near the light rail. I've had a car for the last 3 years of undergrad in LA and it's been absolutely indispensable: sure, gas is expensive and you're occasionally gonna have to do the dance of death with a mechanic, but the benefit/cost ratio for me was plenty high enough to keep it. You'd think LA would have decent public transport. Um. No. The Blue Bus is great for the West side, but the Metro is pretty sheisty. Besides, I'm a country girl living in the city which means I need to get OUT once in a while. Oh, and esp. if you're at USC and not UCLA the bus system becomes even sheistier. Bay Area? Yeah, no worries about cars. The Bart will take you anywhere you want to go!

Dunno if anyone else has any other specifics about other places.

 

[tacrum43]

Well, I'm not sure which location the OP is talking about, but I'll just throw the one I know out there, which is DC. Most people here don't have cars, and there is good transportation, as long as where you are coming from and going to is on the metro line. Otherwise, the bus is okay, but you have to time everything based on the bus schedule (which is frequently inaccurate) and not yours. That is why I ended up bringing my car.

It is also very useful to have for buying groceries, because it takes up a lot of time to have to go to the store more than once a week (which you have to do without a car, as you can only carry so much if you are walking or riding the bus). It would probably be fine if you had a roommate with a car who was willing to make trips to the store with you.

 

[BMW M3]

If you need to travel over 5 miles a day, buy a really cheap but reliable beater; mid to late 90's civics can be had at less than $5k. I won't be needing my car since i'll be in a huge metropolis w/ mass transport.

 

[C.P. Jones]

i know that UConn says that ppl will probably need a car. it's not just about where you are living and getting to the grocery store.....it's about the school and their policies. your school, such as uconn, may have a first year primary care "class" and that can take you pretty far from the school, so look into whatever school you are thinking about and see if you will only be at the school or if they will have you go elsewhere as well.

also, houses are such a waste. they burn so much oil and electricity, they have trouble holding any of the heat they generate....or cold they generate. and you can easily get around living in a cardboard box. and then the houses w/ fireplaces....yea, can't breath when your within a half-mile of those smoke stacks. and it takes so much money to maintain, repair, taxes, insurance, oil, electricity, water...i'd hold off on a house as long as possible.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

I'd suggest posting this in the osteopathic forum to see if any current students can help you out. However, I'm thinking you would need a car at CCOM for the third and fourth years because you have to travel all over Chicagoland. Also, there's no public transporation to the Downers Grove campus, so you'll need a car to get from campus to anywhere else. That sticks you with living on campus and bumming rides from your neighbors to get to the grocery store, etc, which might very well be feasible but sort of a drag.

 

[Nikki2002]

you're occasionally gonna have to do the dance of death with a mechanic

 

[11-44]

I wonder if Rafa's going to complain when all those patients drive their car to his/her clinic/office or when one whole ambulance brings just one patient at a time to the hospital they may one day have privileges at.

Wouldn't it be much more efficient for a physician to visit their patients on bicycle? We could call them barefoot doctors, much like they did in Maoist China during the revolution.

Really, what's the point of even seeing them? It would really be much better to just leave them strewn around the city in their respective cardboard boxes. But then, isn't that another cause celebre?

 

[anon-y-mouse]

I wonder if Rafa's going to complain when all those patients drive their car to his/her clinic/office or when one whole ambulance brings just one patient at a time to the hospital they may one day have privileges at.

Wouldn't it be much more efficient for a physician to visit their patients on bicycle? We could call them barefoot doctors, much like they did in Maoist China during the revolution.

Really, what's the point of even seeing them? It would really be much better to just leave them strewn around the city in their respective cardboard boxes. But then, isn't that another cause celebre?

False analogy and slippery slope all in one post? Jackpot!

Of course gas-guzzling ambulances are the quickest way to bring dying patients to a hospital -- no one would disagree. However, one can still hate wasteful cars (for day-to-day transportation) and love ambulances that bring patients in, in life-or-death situations. Saving someone's life takes number one priority over someone driving a hummer to work every day. I'm personally an advocate of better, more universal public transportation and hybrid engine technology. Public transportation doesn't work? Hmm, new york doesn't seem to agree...

 

[63768]

i personally would need a car. just as others have their stress-coping techniques, my car is mine. i love opening it up on the highway or something.

plus, the advantages of having it (being able to go where you want, when you want) outweigh the disadvantages of having it (pollution, which is not a really good reason, gas, which is not that bad when you learn how to save money).

oh and public transportation only works in those cities that are densely packed. newer cities that are subject to urban sprawl cannot effectively use public transportation.

 

[Nikki2002]

i would flip if i didn't have a car--i've got places to go!

 

[drmota]

ride a bike. god will love you more. especially if you're an atheist.
-dr. mota

 

[DrRads101]

I'd suggest posting this in the osteopathic forum to see if any current students can help you out. However, I'm thinking you would need a car at CCOM for the third and fourth years because you have to travel all over Chicagoland. Also, there's no public transporation to the Downers Grove campus, so you'll need a car to get from campus to anywhere else. That sticks you with living on campus and bumming rides from your neighbors to get to the grocery store, etc, which might very well be feasible but sort of a drag.

There is public transportation to Downers Grove. There are two Metra stops.

Why are people in here giving the OP advice for Duke, Boston, etc.? CCOM is in Chicago.

 

[Doctor Bagel]

There is public transportation to Downers Grove. There are two Metra stops.

Why are people in here giving the OP advice for Duke, Boston, etc.? CCOM is in Chicago.

true, but i don't think they're close to the school, so you need a car to get to the metra stop. also, there aren't buses that will take you from an apartment off campus to campus or from campus to the grocery store or whatever. from my visit to ccom, i got the impression that it would be a real pain to live in that area without a car.

 

[exmike]

If you need to travel over 5 miles a day, buy a really cheap but reliable beater; mid to late 90's civics can be had at less than $5k. I won't be needing my car since i'll be in a huge metropolis w/ mass transport.

i guess you'll be leaving your M3 behind when you go to nyc. thats enough reason to go somewhere else 😛

do you go on e46fanatics

 

[gary5]

If you can postpone buying a car, you'll be less broke for M1 and M2.

 

[BMW M3]

no joke this is what i did.....

Buy a used BMW, not just any BMW but a 740IL. not a new one, but one that has gone down from $85k to about 20k. (mine is a 2000 740IL) $20 grand now when financed is 400 bucks a mo. Use your student loans 🙂 That way you will have a great car, it wont break down on you, and you will be driveing in style durring school. Your class mates will hate you, but who cares.... There just jelous 😀

Honestly this is what i did. There is a wonderful feeling about going 95 miles a hour down I95 that releaves the stress of studying. I know im going to get flamed for this post. Thats ok too.

Think of it this way, if you die when your 200k in debt you just screwed the bank over big time....... Hopefully that wont happen, but it might bring a smile to your face if **** hits the fan........

Lets face the facts. BMW makes a nice car. We are going to be in school for a long time. We are going to semi poor for a while after school, so if you buy a car and use your loans for it you will be able to have a reliable car and enjoy it for a while. this only makes sence of course if your going to keep the car for 7 years or more. Other wise deprecation will eat up the saveings..... You could buy a honda or some american P.O.S. and watch it rust in 4 years or buy a BMW and park it in the salt for 10 years with out a speck of rust. These cars require some care. Its not a honda. But when you go out in the morning it will start. Hell it even tells you when something is going to fail before it does. For example i got a message to replace the O2 senser (it told me what one, it has six) becuse it is expected to fail soon. Other cars would let you drive down the road untill it fails, give you a check engine light and stall out leaveing you on the side of the road. Buy one -> Drive one -> you will never drive anything else in your life. Trust me!

This doesnt work well for large cities like boston or NYC. parking alone is mad $$$. but for anywhere else this is a great idea.

So think about it, do you want to use your bike for a few years then buy a beat up honda just to watch it break down when you NEED to be somewere? Sure you will have less debt. But whats 20 grand in 10 years any way? If all goes as planed almost anyone on SDN will be makeing some fat cash in 10 years anyway. We work very hard, why not enjoy it a little now and then. Like when you have to drive. AKA every day of your life. Oh ya, buy a Valentine One! it makes driveing 95 on I95 much cheeper! (this thing is sooooo much better than any other radar detector out there) You get a full mile warning before you get hit. You start slowing down way before anyone else, then watch as everyone else gets caught in the speed trap. Oh ya, cops generly leave 740's alone.

Ive had mine for almost a year and love the thing. The 540 is a nice car too. Cheep INS too!

Let the flameing start!!!!

How are BMWs different from a porcupines? The pricks are on the inside

 

[Mr. Tee]

I myself would get a Honda Civic or something...no sense in unleashing the M power and paying for all that gas with loan money

 

[BMW M3]

I myself would get a Honda Civic or something...no sense in unleashing the M power and paying for all that gas with loan money

😱 Fellow e46 m3 driver??!

 

[mrbob581]

Looking for a nice 850 CSI to restore, I just have to find one thats in trouble and get it over here.... Any Ideas?

Hey what are you guys getting for gas MPG in your m3?

 

[BMW M3]

Looking for a nice 840 CSI to restore, I just have to find one thats in trouble and get it over here.... Any Ideas?

Hey what are you guys getting for gas MPG in your m3?

barely 275 per tank which figures out to be around a little over 17 mpg (60% city / 40% highway driving) 🙁 🙁

def. get civic, prius, or bike if you want to save on gas.

 

[Mr. Tee]

10 mpg...what can I say? there are too many ricers around here, and I always have to show them who's boss

 

[mrbob581]

😎 Lead foot syndrome, ya me too! 18MPG being somewhat good, 14 when im being bad. check out the stealth one kit for the valentine one. It will put the display on your Heads up display in the dash, or on the NAV unit, computer area. kinda cool cuz eveyone wont stack up behind you at night becuse they can see your detector.

 

[lyn2006]

barely 275 per tank which figures out to be around a little over 17 mpg (60% city / 40% highway driving) 🙁 🙁

def. get civic, prius, or bike if you want to save on gas.

Yeah- if you're looking for good gas mileage, try a civic. I drive a 98 civic LX and it gets 40+ on the highway

 

[gary5]

If you buy a new car and purchase a 7-year warranty, you'll be covered through med school and residency. That's a wiser choice than buying any used car.

 

[BMW M3]

If you buy a new car and purchase a 7-year warranty, you'll be covered through med school and residency. That's a wiser choice than buying any used car.

Most car dealers give you a 4 yr / 50,000 mile warranty and then allow you to upgrade to an extended 7 yr / 100,000 mile warranty when your warranty is about to expire. But (at least for BMW) you are only allowed to service your car at the dealer you bought the extended warranty from.

Thus, I'd hold off on the extended warranty until your warranty is about to expire so you can buy it from a dealer that is close to your med school / residency.

 

[LO281OK]

Get a cheap Datsun Diesel and convert it to run on used vegetable oil from Fast Food restaurants...

 

[deleted77919]

barely 275 per tank which figures out to be around a little over 17 mpg (60% city / 40% highway driving) 🙁 🙁

def. get civic, prius, or bike if you want to save on gas.

I had a '95 M3 that I dearly loved (until some prick stole it and totalled it 0.4 miles from my house). I was getting 22 mpg around town and about 28 on the highway. I was usually pretty gentle on the gas pedal tho . . .

 

[C.P. Jones]

the thing about gas mileage as reported from the dealers is that the testing is done w/ a top speed of 60, an average speed of 48, no a/c or heat on, very very slow acceleration

basically, what the EPA says is not the mileage a normal driver would get. that's why i love it when i see a Prius speeding on the highway...quite ironic

 

[45408]

And FWIW, cars are some of the most innefficient, costly, and wasteful means of transportation around. Even if you don't care about the environmental damage they do (or the way it becomes difficult to breathe in large cities when walking down the sidewalk because of all the exhaust fumes from cars on the road), you'll constantly find yourself pouring money into it (for gas, for tune-ups, repairs, accessories...). IMO, unless your occupation will require it, avoid getting a car for as long as possible - certainly for as long as you're in a campus setting, where the majority of students won't have (or need) cars.

but the most important factor is that they are by far the most convenient form of transportation. Unfortunately, society is moving in a way that places most people in residential areas that are quite some distance from their workplace.

 

[45408]

If you buy a new car and purchase a 7-year warranty, you'll be covered through med school and residency. That's a wiser choice than buying any used car.

I dunno about that. So many Asian cars are so reliable anyways, that the warranty isn't nearly as important. I'd rather go with a cheaper used car.

 

[gary5]

I dunno about that. So many Asian cars are so reliable anyways, that the warranty isn't nearly as important. I'd rather go with a cheaper used car.

Now that I think about it, you would probably save some money by buying a Honda/Toyota at about 3 years old, because you're not paying the "new car" premium. However, you'll need to spend more for repairs too. I'd shoot for a mileage of <= 50k so you can drive it to 100k. I bought a Honda at 75k and drove it to 150k. It made it, but parts do get old and wear out, so you need to replace them. Betweek 75k and 150k, I replaced/had fixed: clutch, timing belt, A/C, shocks, brakes (multiple times), CV joints. Every one of these things was in the $600-$1000 range. This was on top of the standard tires and brake pads. So my point is, watch how old you go 'cause you'll have to replace things.

 

[LO281OK]

but the most important factor is that they are by far the most convenient form of transportation. Unfortunately, society is moving in a way that places most people in residential areas that are quite some distance from their workplace.

Hopefully this will lead to more work from home hybrid options.

Definitely go with the slightly used auto. The money you save will be more than enough to cover any problems you have with it. Besides, if you research the buy well, you won't have any more problems than any other 2-5 year old dependable car.

 

[synapse lapse]

I have a 93 Civic I purschased over 3 years ago for only $4k, It is in excellent shape (everyone comments that they can't believe it is a 93). It gets 36 MPG on the highway, doesn't have any leaks, and I have not had to have anything fixed on it since I purchased it (except I replaced the tires). I gotta say be practical and buy a Honda/Toyota that will last forever.

 

[Rocket3004]

no joke this is what i did.....

Buy a used BMW, not just any BMW but a 740IL. not a new one, but one that has gone down from $85k to about 20k. (mine is a 2000 740IL) $20 grand now when financed is 400 bucks a mo. Use your student loans 🙂 That way you will have a great car, it wont break down on you, and you will be driveing in style durring school. Your class mates will hate you, but who cares.... There just jelous 😀

Honestly this is what i did. There is a wonderful feeling about going 95 miles a hour down I95 that releaves the stress of studying. I know im going to get flamed for this post. Thats ok too.

Think of it this way, if you die when your 200k in debt you just screwed the bank over big time....... Hopefully that wont happen, but it might bring a smile to your face if **** hits the fan........

Lets face the facts. BMW makes a nice car. We are going to be in school for a long time. We are going to semi poor for a while after school, so if you buy a car and use your loans for it you will be able to have a reliable car and enjoy it for a while. this only makes sence of course if your going to keep the car for 7 years or more. Other wise deprecation will eat up the saveings..... You could buy a honda or some american P.O.S. and watch it rust in 4 years or buy a BMW and park it in the salt for 10 years with out a speck of rust. These cars require some care. Its not a honda. But when you go out in the morning it will start. Hell it even tells you when something is going to fail before it does. For example i got a message to replace the O2 senser (it told me what one, it has six) becuse it is expected to fail soon. Other cars would let you drive down the road untill it fails, give you a check engine light and stall out leaveing you on the side of the road. Buy one -> Drive one -> you will never drive anything else in your life. Trust me!

This doesnt work well for large cities like boston or NYC. parking alone is mad $$$. but for anywhere else this is a great idea.

So think about it, do you want to use your bike for a few years then buy a beat up honda just to watch it break down when you NEED to be somewere? Sure you will have less debt. But whats 20 grand in 10 years any way? If all goes as planed almost anyone on SDN will be makeing some fat cash in 10 years anyway. We work very hard, why not enjoy it a little now and then. Like when you have to drive. AKA every day of your life. Oh ya, buy a Valentine One! it makes driveing 95 on I95 much cheeper! (this thing is sooooo much better than any other radar detector out there) You get a full mile warning before you get hit. You start slowing down way before anyone else, then watch as everyone else gets caught in the speed trap. Oh ya, cops generly leave 740's alone.

Ive had mine for almost a year and love the thing. The 540 is a nice car too. Cheep INS too!

Let the flameing start!!!!

Meh, I have a car now in undergrad and plan on keeping it for graduate school, unti it breaks down and isn't worth fixing.

And by the way, Audi makes a better car... a car for the TRUE driving enthusiast. Have a BMW owner drive one, and you will never go back. 😉

Mmmm... can't wait until this summer. I will finally get a chance to work on my car... GT28RS, FMIC, 450#inj, 255lph fp, and a nice tune.... woooohoooo
👍 😀:

I wonder, does anyone else here work on cars? What a frustrating but oh-so rewarding hobby

And to the OP... if you dont care about warranty, a civic will do you fine... cheap, reliable, great gas mileage, and fun to play around with, and if something does happen, parts are cheap, labor is cheap and they are pretty straight forward if you care to do some of the work on your own. I have had 2 before and they were both great.

If you do care, then get a CPO'd car that covers lots of stuff (some CPO'd cars dont cover that much and make you pay a deductible, so do some research first)