Do you need a car in Law School? Forum

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kn6542

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by kn6542 » Sat Oct 03, 2009 9:09 pm

hi_im_josh wrote:If you're going to law school in a major city like DC or NYC, you don't need a car at all.
Shit, I sure am glad you pointed that out.

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by Cavalier » Sat Oct 03, 2009 9:10 pm

It depends entirely on the school and what you're used to. Personally I'm managing fine without a car at UVA, but that's because I found a place that's less than ten minutes from the law school, and across the street from a shopping center that has pretty much everything I could need. However, it does confine me to the area around the law school, which is fine with me since I'm new to the area and have nowhere to go, but would probably be intolerable for some people.

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by Batman2 » Sat Oct 03, 2009 9:17 pm

TheLuckyOne wrote:
Batman2 wrote:
TheLuckyOne wrote:
Batman2 wrote:
Um, what's wrong with an 80's Trans-Am?
Doesn't look too good to me :P

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It would if I painted some flames on the sides.
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I can almost hear "Pour Some Sugar on Me" just by looking at this picture.

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by Kulax22 » Sat Oct 03, 2009 11:44 pm

ruleser wrote: Fly out to Cali to buy one - here, because everyone buys such nice cars and due to the weather there is no deterioration (no rust at all ever, no wear and tear from rain/slush/mud, no salt in the air, etc)
I've heard that before about cars from Cali :)

But don't you need to pay the higher taxes, re-registering it elsewhere and so forth too? I'm guessing that detracts from some of the money otherwise saved. I have no idea about buying cars, can you pay lesser taxes if you're taking it asap to another state?

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by The Zeppelin » Sun Oct 04, 2009 12:01 am

If it's good enough for the Bandit, it's good enough for me.

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kn6542

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by kn6542 » Sun Oct 04, 2009 10:17 am

Kulax22 wrote:
ruleser wrote: Fly out to Cali to buy one - here, because everyone buys such nice cars and due to the weather there is no deterioration (no rust at all ever, no wear and tear from rain/slush/mud, no salt in the air, etc)
I've heard that before about cars from Cali :)

But don't you need to pay the higher taxes, re-registering it elsewhere and so forth too? I'm guessing that detracts from some of the money otherwise saved. I have no idea about buying cars, can you pay lesser taxes if you're taking it asap to another state?
Um... yeah. Buying a car in Ca can be 'spenive. People generally pay more for their cars there. Depending on where in CA you buy it, you might pay a lot of sales tax. Also, I hardly would say that the entire state is rust proof. I think this person must mean So Ca.

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by rkitten » Mon Oct 05, 2009 7:39 pm

Doesn't this completely depend on where you are living and who you are? I would determine this by whether the place I was moving to had apartments near the school with parking (that I could afford), and if so take it. If I was moving to Manhattan there's no way I'd take a car, but to Ithaca? Most definitely.

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by jay115 » Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:43 am

macattaq wrote:No. If your car is, as pointed out, in BFE then having a car is probably a good idea. If you're in a city or large town with decent mass transit or ZipCars available, then you really don't need one. ZipCars are a benefit because you can check them out for $7 an hour + $50/year fee. Figure you go grocery shopping 2x/mo, plus get some clothes, then you really won't be spending much on one of those. Compare this to either A) the outlay for a used car or B) the loan payments on a new car and then either A or B plus monthly insurance and parking pass and/or cost of parking in a city.

A better idea is to try and live as close to school as possible, so that your major reason for commuting is eliminated. If you have a grocery in walking distance, then you really have everything you need. Tag along with the friends you will make in school for group shopping at Costco or wherever.

As for your reasons for getting a car here's my response to A): You're not really going to have a lot of time for this traveling you speak of. Seriously. You may find that you have a lot of free time on your hands at the start of the semester, but towards the middle the work will really start to pile up. Plus, the weekends are really the only time you get to study and do chores, watch TV, etc.

As for B): The best advice I heard was at orientation: If you try to live like a lawyer when you're a law student, you'll be living like a law student when you're a lawyer. Don't waste the money on a new car now. Wait until you have a job. As for right now, get over the ego issues. Not everyone in law school drives something super flashy, and most people don't care what you're driving. If its all you, well...still, get over it.
i have to sell my beloved car now because my UG is in the shitty northeast (demolished my car like the first month of buying it because of the god damn snow), but i was worried about having to buy a new car out in LA, but i totally forgot about ZIPcar. does anyone actually use ZIPcar here, and can anyone report on his convenience/availability?

la traffic does kind of suck and apparently theres a trade joes/mall/city within walking distance of UCLA so i suppose i dont really need a car...

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by j2d3 » Mon Dec 28, 2009 6:47 am

you don't really need a car 4 ucla. you'll want one eventually but you won't need it for your first year. a good bike is great fun in LA.

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jay115

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by jay115 » Mon Dec 28, 2009 7:28 am

j2d3 wrote:you don't really need a car 4 ucla. you'll want one eventually but you won't need it for your first year. a good bike is great fun in LA.
suppose i need to re-learn how to ride a bike... :oops:

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by Hattori Hanzo » Wed Dec 30, 2009 7:29 pm

j2d3 wrote:you don't really need a car 4 ucla. you'll want one eventually but you won't need it for your first year. a good bike is great fun in LA.
I'd say you don't need a car if you want to stay within the Westwood Village area but beyond that, LA's PT system sucks!! Also, LA is a broadly spread out city, which further justifies getting a car.

Edit: and the bike will work on east-west routes. North-south is pretty steep.

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by irishman86 » Wed Dec 30, 2009 7:32 pm

j2d3 wrote:you don't really need a car 4 ucla. you'll want one eventually but you won't need it for your first year. a good bike is great fun in LA.

It's fine if you want to stay around campus, but LA's public transportation sucks the biggest balls out of any city i've been to.

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by MC Southstar » Wed Dec 30, 2009 7:40 pm

You'll need it to drive off a bridge like a real Senator.

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straxen

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by straxen » Wed Dec 30, 2009 7:49 pm

jay115 wrote:
macattaq wrote:No. If your car is, as pointed out, in BFE then having a car is probably a good idea. If you're in a city or large town with decent mass transit or ZipCars available, then you really don't need one. ZipCars are a benefit because you can check them out for $7 an hour + $50/year fee. Figure you go grocery shopping 2x/mo, plus get some clothes, then you really won't be spending much on one of those. Compare this to either A) the outlay for a used car or B) the loan payments on a new car and then either A or B plus monthly insurance and parking pass and/or cost of parking in a city.

A better idea is to try and live as close to school as possible, so that your major reason for commuting is eliminated. If you have a grocery in walking distance, then you really have everything you need. Tag along with the friends you will make in school for group shopping at Costco or wherever.

As for your reasons for getting a car here's my response to A): You're not really going to have a lot of time for this traveling you speak of. Seriously. You may find that you have a lot of free time on your hands at the start of the semester, but towards the middle the work will really start to pile up. Plus, the weekends are really the only time you get to study and do chores, watch TV, etc.

As for B): The best advice I heard was at orientation: If you try to live like a lawyer when you're a law student, you'll be living like a law student when you're a lawyer. Don't waste the money on a new car now. Wait until you have a job. As for right now, get over the ego issues. Not everyone in law school drives something super flashy, and most people don't care what you're driving. If its all you, well...still, get over it.
i have to sell my beloved car now because my UG is in the shitty northeast (demolished my car like the first month of buying it because of the god damn snow), but i was worried about having to buy a new car out in LA, but i totally forgot about ZIPcar. does anyone actually use ZIPcar here, and can anyone report on his convenience/availability?

la traffic does kind of suck and apparently theres a trade joes/mall/city within walking distance of UCLA so i suppose i dont really need a car...
Zipcar is the best thing ever! I live in SF, usually take public transit to work, and zipcar is perfect. I don't even notice that I don't have a car. There are some problems...I don't think the way damage is assessed for example, is the best, but I've never had any major issues. It's extremely convenient if you have a lot nearby and I've never had availability issues. Free gas, parking, insurance means it's probably cheaper than a car, and you're usually driving a new car. I was very skeptical at first, as are most of my friends, until I show them how it works. If you're in a big city or near a campus, it's the only way to go. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by superflush » Thu Dec 31, 2009 3:38 am

Hattori Hanzo wrote:I'd say you don't need a car if you want to stay within the Westwood Village area but beyond that, LA's PT system sucks!! Also, LA is a broadly spread out city, which further justifies getting a car.
irishman86 wrote:It's fine if you want to stay around campus, but LA's public transportation sucks the biggest balls out of any city i've been to.
TITCR

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by superflush » Thu Dec 31, 2009 3:41 am

jay115 wrote:i have to sell my beloved car now because my UG is in the shitty northeast (demolished my car like the first month of buying it because of the god damn snow), but i was worried about having to buy a new car out in LA, but i totally forgot about ZIPcar. does anyone actually use ZIPcar here, and can anyone report on his convenience/availability?

la traffic does kind of suck and apparently theres a trade joes/mall/city within walking distance of UCLA so i suppose i dont really need a car...
I read that ZipCar closed down SoCal operations, with the execption of UCLA, USC, UCSD, & USD

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by jay115 » Thu Dec 31, 2009 3:44 am

superflush wrote:
Hattori Hanzo wrote:I'd say you don't need a car if you want to stay within the Westwood Village area but beyond that, LA's PT system sucks!! Also, LA is a broadly spread out city, which further justifies getting a car.
irishman86 wrote:It's fine if you want to stay around campus, but LA's public transportation sucks the biggest balls out of any city i've been to.
TITCR
I'm torn bc I'd obviously like to gun around LA at my leisure, but driving (AND PARKING) in LA sucks balls. That, and I have friends in LA that have cars plus I'm sure other 1L's next year will have cars. Arg... thanks all for the input!

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by thepcv » Fri Jan 01, 2010 6:16 am

Sold my car before going into Peace Corps. Definitely not planning on having one when I return for law school.

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by BobSacamano » Fri Jan 01, 2010 12:50 pm

Even though I don't use it too often (only to go to the grocery store, really), I have a car for my mid-sized city (population of 300,000-400,000). In fact, everyone does. If the car is paid off, you won't be spending that much money on it. I think I put it two or three tanks of gas during the first semester. What sort of "maintenance" will you need to do?

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by de5igual » Fri Jan 01, 2010 1:21 pm

BobSacamano wrote:Even though I don't use it too often (only to go to the grocery store, really), I have a car for my mid-sized city (population of 300,000-400,000). In fact, everyone does. If the car is paid off, you won't be spending that much money on it. I think I put it two or three tanks of gas during the first semester. What sort of "maintenance" will you need to do?
maintenance:
oil changes, brakes, "check engine" light going off, window regulator malfunctions, 60K mile check ups, 100k mile check ups, so on so forth...

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by superflush » Fri Jan 01, 2010 1:28 pm

f0bolous wrote:
BobSacamano wrote:Even though I don't use it too often (only to go to the grocery store, really), I have a car for my mid-sized city (population of 300,000-400,000). In fact, everyone does. If the car is paid off, you won't be spending that much money on it. I think I put it two or three tanks of gas during the first semester. What sort of "maintenance" will you need to do?
maintenance:
oil changes, brakes, "check engine" light going off, window regulator malfunctions, 60K mile check ups, 100k mile check ups, so on so forth...
Yea, definitely. but in the case of people who already have cars that are paid off, the costs are pretty reasonable. I pay between $60-$65 for insurance each month, then there is gas, and maintenance expenses. I'd probably only ditch my car if I went to NY ... places like DC, Boston, Chicago, & SF, I'd probably look into parking costs and just suck it up and keep it. Anywhere else, they're be no question about keeping it.

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by kn6542 » Fri Jan 01, 2010 8:01 pm

superflush wrote:
f0bolous wrote:
BobSacamano wrote:Even though I don't use it too often (only to go to the grocery store, really), I have a car for my mid-sized city (population of 300,000-400,000). In fact, everyone does. If the car is paid off, you won't be spending that much money on it. I think I put it two or three tanks of gas during the first semester. What sort of "maintenance" will you need to do?
maintenance:
oil changes, brakes, "check engine" light going off, window regulator malfunctions, 60K mile check ups, 100k mile check ups, so on so forth...
Yea, definitely. but in the case of people who already have cars that are paid off, the costs are pretty reasonable. I pay between $60-$65 for insurance each month, then there is gas, and maintenance expenses. I'd probably only ditch my car if I went to NY ... places like DC, Boston, Chicago, & SF, I'd probably look into parking costs and just suck it up and keep it. Anywhere else, they're be no question about keeping it.
God, you're one of those ppl who thinks putting gas in it and changing the oil every couple months will keep the damn thing running. Assuming your car is rather new, it's going to hit a wall in a few years where all kinds of shit goes wrong with it because you failed to take proper care of it.

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by de5igual » Fri Jan 01, 2010 8:17 pm

kn6542 wrote:
superflush wrote:
f0bolous wrote:
BobSacamano wrote:Even though I don't use it too often (only to go to the grocery store, really), I have a car for my mid-sized city (population of 300,000-400,000). In fact, everyone does. If the car is paid off, you won't be spending that much money on it. I think I put it two or three tanks of gas during the first semester. What sort of "maintenance" will you need to do?
maintenance:
oil changes, brakes, "check engine" light going off, window regulator malfunctions, 60K mile check ups, 100k mile check ups, so on so forth...
Yea, definitely. but in the case of people who already have cars that are paid off, the costs are pretty reasonable. I pay between $60-$65 for insurance each month, then there is gas, and maintenance expenses. I'd probably only ditch my car if I went to NY ... places like DC, Boston, Chicago, & SF, I'd probably look into parking costs and just suck it up and keep it. Anywhere else, they're be no question about keeping it.
God, you're one of those ppl who thinks putting gas in it and changing the oil every couple months will keep the damn thing running. Assuming your car is rather new, it's going to hit a wall in a few years where all kinds of shit goes wrong with it because you failed to take proper care of it.
+1, auto maintenance costs me more than 1K a year (things conveniently fall apart right after the warranty period)

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by superflush » Fri Jan 01, 2010 10:17 pm

f0bolous wrote:+1, auto maintenance costs me more than 1K a year (things conveniently fall apart right after the warranty period)
Well, yea, that is pretty much what I will expect to pay each year. I'm not saying that I think there are no expenses. I'm just saying that with the expenses the way they are for me, I'd likely take my car anywhere except NYC.

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Re: Do you need a car in Law School?

Post by superflush » Fri Jan 01, 2010 10:18 pm

kn6542 wrote:
superflush wrote:
f0bolous wrote:
BobSacamano wrote:Even though I don't use it too often (only to go to the grocery store, really), I have a car for my mid-sized city (population of 300,000-400,000). In fact, everyone does. If the car is paid off, you won't be spending that much money on it. I think I put it two or three tanks of gas during the first semester. What sort of "maintenance" will you need to do?
maintenance:
oil changes, brakes, "check engine" light going off, window regulator malfunctions, 60K mile check ups, 100k mile check ups, so on so forth...
Yea, definitely. but in the case of people who already have cars that are paid off, the costs are pretty reasonable. I pay between $60-$65 for insurance each month, then there is gas, and maintenance expenses. I'd probably only ditch my car if I went to NY ... places like DC, Boston, Chicago, & SF, I'd probably look into parking costs and just suck it up and keep it. Anywhere else, they're be no question about keeping it.
God, you're one of those ppl who thinks putting gas in it and changing the oil every couple months will keep the damn thing running. Assuming your car is rather new, it's going to hit a wall in a few years where all kinds of shit goes wrong with it because you failed to take proper care of it.
No, I said there is going to be maintenance expenses.

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