Help Billfred Find a Ride!

[KarenH]

Originally Posted by Billfred

Mom's decided that I really don't need a car for college, although she's willing to reconsider at the end of the semester.

So, is she going to let you get a Segway?

I lived on campus at University of California, Irvine, all my four years there. My senior year, I got an old Schwinn bicycle from a friend. He only wanted $20 for it. Prior to that, I walked everywhere on campus. I got acquainted with the bus system for off-campus jaunts, but riding the Orange County and Los Angeles buses home on weekends took four times as long as driving, and fully as long as riding a bicycle those 40 miles. So, I usually arranged a ride if I needed to go home. My parents did let me borrow a car for one week when I had a seminar 20 miles from campus.

It pays to research your options on your particular campus--some are bicycle-friendly; at others you "need" to have a car. According to locals, USC, the California version, stands for University of Spoiled Children, and you should hear what some of THEM drive (sounds like lamb-bore-gheenee) --and in a high-crime neighborhood!

I must balance the above statement: I do know one student there who is NOT particularly spoiled, and he doesn't drive one of THOSE kinds of cars. I hear that he is grateful for his four years' experience with Team 330 (Beach Bots), which helped him learn how to manage projects--a necessary skill for his architecture major. He did very well on his assignments, and provided valuable assistance to his fellow students on their projects. Sound familiar?

[evulish]

Heh. My 1996 Ford Contour hasn't failed me yet. A few years ago, we bought it used for maybe $5k.. Now it probably couldn't get more than $2.5k. It runs great, has NEVER failed (minus the snowy hills of Erie, PA and when it got covered in a 1/3"-1" layer of ice.. but I guess I can't blame that on the car ). It's a sedan and a peppy car. I recently filled the 12-gallon tank and headed to Buffalo, NY.. and as a round trip, it's probably 340 miles or so.. and I still have a quarter of a tank left. With 108k miles, the only current problems with it is the cupholder is broken and the back seat squeaks.