CARS AND LAW SCHOOL Forum

[justadude55]

Hi everybody, so I have never needed to buy a car (combo of living in big metropolitan areas, just borrowing from people and driving a taxi for a while). How much does a car fit into your budgeting? Can my student loans cover car payments + insurance + gas?

As I am 99% sure I'm not going to be in a large city, I will need a car. I'm thinking a 5 year lease is the smartest way to go.

[dextermorgan]

Buy something cheap and used. You will almost certainly get rid of it when you graduate, and it's not good to pay debt with debt.

[thegor1987]

visit the campus and you will get a really good idea of whether you will need a car. Not all non big city law schools require cars if you live close to campus/downtown

[justadude55]

Buy something cheap and used. You will almost certainly get rid of it when you graduate, and it's not good to pay debt with debt.

can student loans cover the cost?

[nonprofit-prophet]

I'm dealing with the same issue. It depends on your school's COA estimate and how much of that you will need to spend on food and housing. If you can shave a bit off that category and the transportation budget, you might be able to get a cheap car for around 2-3 grand if your school's COA is generous. If the COA lowballs housing and food costs (or hits it right on the head), you'll have to take out additional private loans or save for a car before law school. The third option is to take out a loan for a cheap car and pay the hundred-something bucks a month for it out of your loans, but paying debt with debt is an awful idea.

[kalvano]

I'm thinking a 5 year lease is the smartest way to go.

Fucking lol.


No.

[2011Law]

visit the campus and you will get a really good idea of whether you will need a car. Not all non big city law schools require cars if you live close to campus/downtown

+1,000,000

Not all non-big cities require a car, though it is nice to have one when you need to get somewhere quickly and it's raining outside.

EDIT: Would also like to add that some big cities do require a car, like Miami (where I'm from) and L.A. (from what I hear).

[T6Hopeful]

Buy something cheap and used. You will almost certainly get rid of it when you graduate, and it's not good to pay debt with debt.

can student loans cover the cost?

Definitely not. The cost of attendance factors in certain costs (including, but not limited to books, room & board, medical insurance, and transportation), but the "transportation" factor is more meant for gas/public transportation I think, not leasing/buying a car. COA minus any financial aid you get will be what you can take out in loans. So, if you do have any extra money lying around to buy/lease a car in the first place, I would say a) use that, and b) do NOT save that money for your actual cost of living and use your financial aid to buy a car. Like dextermorgan said, it's not good to pay debt with debt.

I'd say wait and decide on a school first, and THEN explore the transportation options. I understand you're 99% sure you won't be in a big city, but I would definitely suggest narrowing it down to your personal situation first.

[joebloe]

Definitely visit the school and talk to somebody about public transport. As an example, UIUC looks like it's in the middle of goddamn nowhere on paper, but Champaign-Urbana has a surprisingly good public bus system that students ride for free. Even living in an off-campus apartment, you can get by without a car (though it can be inconvenient if you choose the wrong one).