Cars!

[MedChic]

Anyone who's going into med school have a car?

I was thinking of getting one this year - interview year, so by the time I leave for med school (provided I get in) it will be all paid off. Anyway I was just wondering how people who do have cars are planning to deal with insurance bills. Are your parents paying? Are you using loans to pay them? Or are you planning to moonlight at a job somewhere?

Are weekend jobs feasible in med school (like bartending, waitressing etc.)?

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[QuakerPreMed]

Anyone who's going into med school have a car?

I was thinking of getting one this year - interview year, so by the time I leave for med school (provided I get in) it will be all paid off. Anyway I was just wondering how people who do have cars are planning to deal with insurance bills. Are your parents paying? Are you using loans to pay them? Or are you planning to moonlight at a job somewhere?

Are weekend jobs feasible in med school (like bartending, waitressing etc.)?

I have a car (thanks mom and dad) but i'll probably be giving it back to them, depending on which school I end up at. Parking in some of these cities costs as much if not more than my insurance...

 

[Droopy Snoopy]

Anyone who's going into med school have a car?

I was thinking of getting one this year - interview year, so by the time I leave for med school (provided I get in) it will be all paid off. Anyway I was just wondering how people who do have cars are planning to deal with insurance bills. Are your parents paying? Are you using loans to pay them? Or are you planning to moonlight at a job somewhere?

Are weekend jobs feasible in med school (like bartending, waitressing etc.)?

Are you from NYC? I only ask because most people outside of big cities with tons of public transport get cars sometime before senior year of college, like in high school. People tend to finance cars for 4-6 years, so if you're talking about paying off a new car in two years your payments will be around $1000/month. I worked through hs and undergrad and paid my own way, but there are very few without advanced training (prn nursing or something) who work during med school. I certainly wouldn't sacrifice study time to go work at Applebee's or something. You'll understand when you get here trust me.

 

[lsumedgirl]

I've got a car, and it'll be paid off at the beginning of my 2nd year. Livin' off the loans, all the way!!!

 

[melissainsd]

I just got a new car, paid for it, and I am seriously considering divorcing my husband so I can marry my car. I kid. My situation is a little different, because I am married and therefore our household will still have incoming $. You can always take out more loans though.

 

[Adcadet]

I'd hold off as long as you can -insurance is expensive!

 

[geekOCD]

Loans pay for my car. At my school, weekend or part time (<10 hrs/wk) are feasible...but you'll want something with flexibility for when exam time comes or when the inevitable med school conflict arises. While it's feasible, since you're taking that time away from your social/relaxation time, it will start to wear on you.

 

[MedChic]

Are you from NYC? I only ask because most people outside of big cities with tons of public transport get cars sometime before senior year of college, like in high school. People tend to finance cars for 4-6 years, so if you're talking about paying off a new car in two years your payments will be around $1000/month. I worked through hs and undergrad and paid my own way, but there are very few without advanced training (prn nursing or something) who work during med school. I certainly wouldn't sacrifice study time to go work at Applebee's or something. You'll understand when you get here trust me.

Yes, I went to college in NYC and did not need one, as living in NY I had the option of being transported around w/o doing the driving (New Yorkers can understand!)...I can pay for a car, due to the number and quality of jobs I have had, but I'm concerned about future monthly payments. If I get into school in NYC, that may not be a problem as I can stay with my agency and continue working on and off, but if I end up in upstate NY or out of state, this won't be possible. I don't want to compromise study time but what about bartending at night or something?
Anyone out there who's done this?

 

[bigdog8829]

I would definitely wait it out. see where you get in (and perhaps if you get in?) you don't want to be stuck with car payments when you don't even need one.
sure you may have money for one now, but that money may very well be better used paying off med school loans. don't forget how all the interest adds up on those loans, the $10K you have now really amounts to 20K in the future.

 

[GuzzyRon]

Anyone who's going into med school have a car?

I was thinking of getting one this year - interview year, so by the time I leave for med school (provided I get in) it will be all paid off. Anyway I was just wondering how people who do have cars are planning to deal with insurance bills. Are your parents paying? Are you using loans to pay them? Or are you planning to moonlight at a job somewhere?

Are weekend jobs feasible in med school (like bartending, waitressing etc.)?

If the car will be paid for before you start med school then I don't see why you shouldn't get it.

 

[Adcadet]

If the car will be paid for before you start med school then I don't see why you shouldn't get it.

Because if you don't need it now, you'll needlessly be paying insurance on it. Not to mention gas, oil, and other various fees.

 

[easilydoctor]

Thankfully, I am financially disciplined. Doubley, I am also a hard worker by nature. Therefore, I've been working somewhere which benefitted my application/resume and continued getting promotions and raises while maintaining very well in school. I've almost managed to save up (in cash) enough to buy a Porsche Boxster S which should be in my garage by summer '07. My parents take will care of the insurance while I do the gas.
I'm considering selling it for med school, maybe, if I don't get any scholarships. Yea, so basically I go about my personal life like a business and my social/career/professional life as if it is a reflection of my character. Keeps me busy and sincere with my work/colleagues at the same time. Sounds funky but its the only way to live! -=D

 

[Dr_Berk]

I've almost managed to save up (in cash) enough to buy a Porsche Boxster S which should be in my garage by summer '07. My parents take will care of the insurance while I do the gas.
I'm considering selling it for med school, maybe, if I don't get any scholarships.

You're considering selling a car you don't even own yet? Also...why do you think anyone is interested in what kinda car ur buying (in cash)?


I'll be taking my car to school. It'll probably add some thousands to the loans. Sometimes I feel like I'll be in debt forever.

 

[Critical Mass]

The last thing that I did before starting med school money-wise was to pay off the note on my Honda Civic.

 

[musiclink213]

I would wait until you know which school you're going to. If you end up back in NYC, what are you going to do with a car? I went to school in LI, and I got a car for my junior year, but I'm back in NYC now, and my car is basically just sitting in the driveway because it's just easier to take a train where I need to go. But I'm keeping it because as of now, I'll be in LI next year, where i'll need a car. However, if I wind up say in Boston or NYC, my mom will be taking my car. So basically, unless you have some dire need for it now, I would wait until you know where you'll be.

 

[green453]

I did (am doing) exactly what you are considering. I bought a cheap ($3000) little car and have put in some wrench time, so I fully expect it to last me through medical school. As far as insurance goes, when you have an old beater, you can get by with liability only, which makes things considerably cheaper.

I spent undergrad in Philly (parking not as much as NYC, but much more than my hometown of KC), but because of my job and where I'll be going to school (state school where pretty much everyone drives), a car was a necessity.
It won't be too bad if you just get the thing payed off before med school. Insurance for me is only ~$500 a year, but I would be in trouble if I had higher insurance or had to make payments from my loans.

 

[psipsina]

There are some places where you will need a car and then there are some places where it will be a burden to have one. Since you won't know where you're ending up for a while, why not put aside the proposed car money into a savings account until you know, if you get in somewhere that you will need the car you can go ahead and buy it once you are comitted to going there, if you end up in a NYC or Boston type school then you have an awesome shopping spree waiting for you instead.

 

[kdburton]

Anyone who's going into med school have a car?

I was thinking of getting one this year - interview year, so by the time I leave for med school (provided I get in) it will be all paid off. Anyway I was just wondering how people who do have cars are planning to deal with insurance bills. Are your parents paying? Are you using loans to pay them? Or are you planning to moonlight at a job somewhere?

Are weekend jobs feasible in med school (like bartending, waitressing etc.)?

Get a cheap car and the insurance will most likely also be very cheap. I bought a reliable $2,000 car a couple months ago and I've already got it paid off. So I won't have to worry about making any payments in med school and my insurance will easily be covered by my loans (its only a couple hundred every 6 mos for my car I think).

 

[polycon7]

I'm having the same dilemma with my car on whether I should take it to school in philly. Can't imagine the insurance to be extreme because its a '98 but parking is going to be alot of money out of my pocket. It definitely would be nice to have a car just in case I want to get out of town on the weekends or drive to the IKEA store which is across town, but I think I might wait and see if I really need it out there.

OP, I'm having a hard time figuring out if I need a car this fall and I own one! I would definitely wait on investing in a vehicle until you know where you're going. As it was already mentioned, cities like NYC and Boston would be a total waste of money.

Whoever mentioned the Boxster..thats a sweet ride

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

I'm having the same dilemma with my car on whether I should take it to school in philly. Can't imagine the insurance to be extreme because its a '98 but parking is going to be alot of money out of my pocket. It definitely would be nice to have a car just in case I want to get out of town on the weekends or drive to the IKEA store which is across town, but I think I might wait and see if I really need it out there.

OP, I'm having a hard time figuring out if I need a car this fall and I own one! I would definitely wait on investing in a vehicle until you know where you're going. As it was already mentioned, cities like NYC and Boston would be a total waste of money.

Whoever mentioned the Boxster..thats a sweet ride

just to qualify the consensu a bit, it's also gonna depend on which *part* of a big city your school is in. boston u's website explicitly states that many rotation sites are in the suburbs, and so students should have a car. u of chicago is in a part of chicago that a number of students would prefer to commute to, and it's much less of a hassle if they have a car. a number of aecom students seem to have cars, both to get to the nicer areas of the bronx for shopping and to commute into manhattan for fun. if i go to u pitt, i expect to not have a car even though it's a smaller city, as most of what i need is around the school and the rest can be gotten to via a free bus ride.

 

[colliea21]

Instead of buying the red/black Porsche with power lock/windows buy a red/black Honda(Mazda, whatever) with power lock/windows. Use the rest to pay for med school.

 

[pennybridge]

seriously people, money for car payment/insurance is budgeted into med school cost of attendance, do the math. So what if you don't take 30k in loans offered you.... like that's going to make much difference 7 to 10 years from now when you're out of residency?

get a fly car while you're in med school, you could get a needlestick and catch the AIDS, and you'd be driving a broke ass corolla when you could have been having fun in something fast.

 

[Raelo885]

just to qualify the consensu a bit, it's also gonna depend on which *part* of a big city your school is in. boston u's website explicitly states that many rotation sites are in the suburbs, and so students should have a car. u of chicago is in a part of chicago that a number of students would prefer to commute to, and it's much less of a hassle if they have a car. a number of aecom students seem to have cars, both to get to the nicer areas of the bronx for shopping and to commute into manhattan for fun. if i go to u pitt, i expect to not have a car even though it's a smaller city, as most of what i need is around the school and the rest can be gotten to via a free bus ride.

You may want to rethink that about Pitt. I grew up in the area, and am thinking about going to pitt next year. It is not a public transport friendly city. The busses are really not all that reliable. I am not overly car dependent either; I haven't had one for any of my 4 years at school in boston. I would seriously reconsider the decision not to buy one. Pittsburgh has a lot to offer but some of it is very, very hard to get to via bus from oakland/shadyside.

 

[Doctor~Detroit]

You may want to rethink that about Pitt. I grew up in the area, and am thinking about going to pitt next year. It is not a public transport friendly city. The busses are really not all that reliable. I am not overly car dependent either; I haven't had one for any of my 4 years at school in boston. I would seriously reconsider the decision not to buy one. Pittsburgh has a lot to offer but some of it is very, very hard to get to via bus from oakland/shadyside.

i will. thanks.

 

[gary5]

If you plan on living in med student housing (which I recommend), then you typically don't need a car. I would wait until 3rd year to get a car, unless your parents are nice enough to buy you one. I had a car when I started med school, and it's very convenient, but I also live off campus.