Should I get a new car before med school?

[auburnO5]

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And by "new" I mean "used." The car I'm driving now is old, and gets terrible (<10 mpg) gas mileage. I'm not going to have to pay any rent or anything while in school, so I was wondering if anyone has any experience or advice on getting a newer car while in medical school. Thanks!

 

[chman]

Are you going to be commuting? If not I don't really see why you would.

Here, these might help;

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=705929&highlight=new+car

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=689851&highlight=new+car

 

[plauto]

I wouldn't until you need one. Especially if you're in a city, your car's going to get destroyed anyway unless you pay for a private garage.

 

[7starmantis]

And by "new" I mean "used." The car I'm driving now is old, and gets terrible (<10 mpg) gas mileage. I'm not going to have to pay any rent or anything while in school, so I was wondering if anyone has any experience or advice on getting a newer car while in medical school. Thanks!

😱 You driving an old hummer? Still, no reason to use your money on a car if you dont need it just yet.

 

[auburnO5]

😱 You driving an old hummer? Still, no reason to use your money on a car if you dont need it just yet.

not quite. Between the terrible gas mileage and the lack of AC, it sucks though. I'll be about 20 minutes away from campus.

 

[amine2086]

And by "new" I mean "used." The car I'm driving now is old, and gets terrible (<10 mpg) gas mileage. I'm not going to have to pay any rent or anything while in school, so I was wondering if anyone has any experience or advice on getting a newer car while in medical school. Thanks!

I would say it depends on the location of the school you will be attending. If it is in a big city with good public transportation, do not buy a car. But if you are going to a school "in the middle of nowhere" a car may be a necessity.

 

[chman]

I would say it depends on the location of the school you will be attending. If it is in a big city with good public transportation, do not buy a car. But if you are going to a school "in the middle of nowhere" a car may be a necessity.

This. I take public transportation and there are some advantages and disadvantages. I save a lot of money, I can read on the bus and get extra work done, I get more exercise. But on real busy days when I am volunteering, working, and going to school it can be a real time sucker.

 

[oaklandguy]

I would say do it. It would suck to have a car break down on you on the day of an exam etc. Just one less thing to worry about.

 

[7starmantis]

I would say do it. It would suck to have a car break down on you on the day of an exam etc. Just one less thing to worry about.

Good point, you wouldn't want this or especially during clinical years either.

 

[vin5cent0]

10 mpg?! What the hell are you driving? One of those tanks they use to move space shuttles around?

 

[cpants]

Like others have said, if you will need a car for school it might be a good idea. Living 20 minutes away from school, a modest used car with better mileage could easily pay for itself in gas savings in a year or two.

 

[JJMrK]

If it were me, I would only do it without taking out a loan (i.e. you can pay for it with cash).

If you do decide to buy, I'm reposting this from a different thread:

Couple of things:

1) New cars are generally not a good idea, since the largest hit to a car's value occurs when you drive it off the lot. In other words, dealer mark-up is huge.

2) Leasing is generally not a good idea. If you pay $200/month for four years, that's nearly $9000. At the end of that four years, you don't own anything. You'd be much better off spending 9k initially and then selling the car for however much it's worth (6k?) at the end of the 4 years.

3) Avoid "certified" used("pre-owned") cars. Basically this is just a way to get you to pay dealer mark-up on a used car. You'll get the best bang for your buck buying used from a private party.

4) When buying from a private party, look for a vehicle with fewer than 60k miles on it. Ask things like, "How often did you change the oil?" and "Where did you have it serviced?". If the person did their own service, ask to see receipts/records. At the very least they should have notes on when they changed the oil, inspected the brakes, etc. It's also a good idea to have the car inspected by a mechanic. Most private sellers are pretty good about this (but you are expected to pay for it). If they refuse, look elsewhere. Also, always ask for the VIN and run a CARFAX.

 

[ilikekiwis]

i'd say go for it, 10mpg is terrible.

anybody have experience buying used from a rental company, ie hertz?

 

[brooklynblunder]

wow you totally missed the boat on cash for clunkers

 

[FlowRate]

i'd say go for it, 10mpg is terrible.

anybody have experience buying used from a rental company, ie hertz?

Don't do it. People abuse rental cars like you wouldn't believe.

wow you totally missed the boat on cash for clunkers

Gosh, what a wasteful government program. A friend of mine got in on it tho.



I will try my best to get a new car if I end up going to a school where it's needed/snows a lot. My current car is on its last legs, I think. 190,000 miles. Good car, but I drive it kinda hard (sometimes necessarily) and it's RWD, which I love, but makes really deep snow a bad idea. It's real fun in light snow and ice though... my tires were almost bald for the first few parts of winter, made for.. exciting.. (terrifying/fun) sliding around on the way to school.

 

[brooklynblunder]

really? i heard economists called it a pretty huge success and actually did a good job reviving the american car industry

 

[FlowRate]

really? i heard economists called it a pretty huge success and actually did a good job reviving the american car industry

There are lots of hack economists in this country. Essentially, YOU paid for people to turn in their perfectly well-working cars to be destroyed. Why pay people to waste perfectly good capital? In fact, the bailouts and Cash for Clunkers were pretty much covered by inflation, national debt, and tax hikes. Additionally, of the people I know who did get in on Cash for Clunkers, most bought foreign-made cars. I don't have the stats on hand, but I'm pretty sure they would back me up on a larger scale there. As much as I like Cadillac, the Camaro, the 300C, and the Corvette (all low-volume models), GM and Chrysler should have gone under. Ford is pretty kickass globally and didn't require bailout money. Anyway, this is a very long, off topic conversation starter. If you'd like, I'd be willing to discuss my thoughts via PM, but we should probably keep this thread on topic =)

 

[Uisa]

Wow... really? You really needed to ask this question??? The fact is we don't know where you're going to med school, if your med school curriculum requires you to commute to other hospitals to work in different clinical settings, how far you're going to live from campus, etc. etc.

Here's a simple answer; get a new car if you want one/need one.

 

[NerdyAndrea]

Be careful with buying anything while in school. I am only spending on necesseties. I don't know much abut med school. My plan is to live on campus wherever I may go, but have a car in case....I'd go with a used Honda or Toyota.

I almost typed camps on the live on campus....I suppose if it was a commuter only campus I could camp on the lawn.......woders if camping on the lawn of your top chice medical school when the time comes shows dedication.......hhhmmmm it's definitely creative and would make you stand out.

It's midnight I think I'm funny.

But the first paragraph is my advice 🙂

Andrea