Cars for the College-Bound

Say it's time to kick your college-bound fledgling from the nest. What vehicle do you send your kid to school in? Do you recommend something safe, utilitarian, fun, durable, economical?

If you have recent experience with choosing a car for college, tell us what you went with, and why.

by John Beltz Snyder on May 26, 2009 - 3:10 p.m.
  • chartguy

    I'm a big fan of weight (for safety, not performance). Kids still have got a lot to learn, and if there's an accident, weight protects them.

    I was one of three children who each learned to drive in an old (1968?) Oldsmobile Vista Cruiser, with the smallest V8 that Olds offered. It was slow and heavy, and had horrible understeer. Having a long wheelbase relative to its width, it was VERY stable, wanting to straighten out of a slide rapidly. The fact that the center of gravity was so far toward the front didn't hurt the stability, either. I figured all that out sliding around empty dirt roads as a kid.

    I guess that's my point. Most kids are either going to test the limits intentionally (as I did) or will first encounter them in an emergency. Either way, I'd prefer that they do it in something that will protect them, and will not bite them with instability. Something underpowered, heavy and front-engined with a long wheelbase relative to its width would be my thought. SUVs can fit that bill, as long as they aren't too tall. Older Volvos can, as well.�

  • lvisconti@diversityinc.com

    I had a 1971 Pinto wagon. With the 2.0l engine and the 4 speed manual transmission, it was very slow - but I miss that car to this day.

    Recently, I drove a Hertz rental Toyota Rav4. I thought it was a fine little car - plenty of room for a road trip and underpowered enough to be safe for a college student.

  • carkid
    'Like the idea of the old college clunker.� However, our daughter does not have a mechanical bone in her body.� I want something a little newer, and with the deals available possibly something very new with a warranty.� We haven't started looking yet.� It will be good to know what others are considering.� The other option, since she will not be too far away from us, is to not give her a car but, instead buy her a Vespa.� She's crazy about them and they would be more affordable than a new car.� That gives her enough power to get around the town and the campus and the parking situation will not be as bad.�� We can pick her up and drop her off or she can hitch a ride with other students from around here on weekends when she wants to come home. ��
  • casualgiraffe@earthlink.net
    I'm with carkid. Do college students really need cars? How about a bike? I didn't have a car at college, and got along just fine in a Midwest college town (Columbia, MO, if you're curious). If the college is in a community where a car is just indispensable, I would sure want my loved one to be in a car with ABS, stability control, and side curtain bags. How about a 2006 Hyundai Sonata? That was a lot of car for the $ back then, and had stability control standard (which even some Volvos still didn't have). Dependable, cheap to run, safe. I bet a used one would be a steal. Need more room? A 2005 CR-V has these safety features as well. The College clunker is a fun image, but I think college kids need the safest vehicles they can get!
  • Seyth Miersma

    My vote (in terms of new stuff) would be for a Nissan Versa 1.6 Base. Six airbags, ABS, super low running costs, not too powerful but great for urban (or campus-like) driving, easy to park, tons of room for rowdy friends, and no one is going to steal it. All that for $11K, plus a couple of hundred bucks to pick up a sound system (it doesn't have one). Done and done.�

    That's for the lucky kid though, not nearly as character building as the rusted out Suzuki I rocked when I started school! And no, it wasn't safe (neither was I though).�

    Seyth Miersma
    Managing Editor
    Winding Road//NextAutos

  • dasko

    Dasko

    �

    I am a college kid. Over the course of my studies, I have been to three schools, in two countries, (voluntary moves). I have noticed a few things.�

    �1. Parking spaces are small and close together, so turning radius is something to check for when shopping and by the same logic, the smaller the vehicle the easier parking will be.

    2. Your roommates/suitesmates/housemates/neighbours/buddies/floormates will want to borrow your car, often for dates. More often then not, they cannot drive a stick, so student cars should be automatic. These people who borrow your car are also not going to know the dimensions right off the bat so having a car with a near-vertical rear end like a hatchback, wagon, minivan or *shudder* SUV is helpful when parking. By the same logic, the nose of the vehicle being visible from the driver's seat is also helpful.�

    �

    �3. You will often be carrying large quantities of stuff/ people when you drive. Remember Flounder's trip to the Food King grocery store in Animal House? Students rarely live in the same place for more than two semesters in a row. I spent two years in a house. When I switched to an apartment I managed to get my double mattress in the back of my Mazda Protege5. The mattress was unharmed, all I had to do was tie my trunk fold some seats.�

    �At least four door are needed. Letting your buddy out of the backseat is lame.I have also used my car as a sort of minivan, carrying 4 girls in the backseat and two rugby players in the trunk on the way to the bar. Yes I was the DD so it was somewhat responsible behaviour. In this situation I wish I had two folding seats in the trunk. �I have seen people curl up in the trunks of an Acura RSX which is better than riding in the trunk of a sedan which I have witnessed firsthand, like I have seen people ride in the bed of a truck.�

    �4. Students are bad drivers and they have distracting habits that make them worse drivers. Get a car with ABS, that is a must as are front airbags and at least side safety beams.Bring something a couple of years old because it will get little dings and dents and those on a new car will lead to suicide. By the same logic don't spend more than 8 or 10 k on a car. Four wheel discs are also needed on anything heavier than a Honda Fit.�

    �5. Get something good on gas that can get to sixty in at most 10 or so seconds. Any slower and you will be changing your pants after every highway trip.

    So I suggest:

    Kia Rondo with or without third row

    Mazda Protege5

    Mazda3

    �Saturn Astra

    �Current gen Vibe/Matrix

    Volvo V40

    Last gen Saab 9-3 hatch

    Honda Fit

    Volvo V70/850 Wagon with or without tailgunner seats

    Mazda 6 Hatchback

    Audi A3

    VW Rabbit/GTI

    VW Golf

    Subaru Impreza or WRX

    �Chevy Malibu Maxx

    Dodge Caliber ( I know it is garbage but it is cheap)

    Kia Rio5 (same logic as Caliber)

    �

    �

  • Trinks
    My '97 Altima saw me through 4 years of college with nary a hiccup. My family and I are big fans of Altimas with the KA engine ('93 til '01 for the uninitiated), having owned 2 with several aunts and uncles owning one as well. Even my girlfriend's Stanza (with a similar engine) is approaching 200k and still running strong. These are economical, durable, safe cars that will just keep going and going with minimal maintenance. Even now after graduating, I'm looking at '00 and '01 models to replace Old Faithful, such is my trust in these tough little Nissans.
  • Nissan Versa (low cost) Nissan Cube (roomy and not too expensive) Honda Fit (the less funky version of the Cube)
  • karl
    wow, theres not much credit given to students as far as driving goes, most kids will have gotten a car in highschool and already gone throught the whole, test the limits and push the boundaries stage. By the time they are in college, MOST students will have calmed down and will have gotten over the stage of driving like a crazy a**. the right car varies from person to person, some stay immature and would be better suited to walking, and some are collected enough that they could drive a ferrari and not get into any trouble. I for one never let people borrow my car, and i dont let many people ride with me, so none of those will really factor in, and maybe those are things to stay away from, so maybe a maual transmission coupe would be best, that way the car is less likely to get trashed and borrowed
  • Duke
    A used Honda element. The plastic floors are easy to clean following the post-kegger yak attack (from your friend in the back seat, of course, not the driver).
  • Mike
    Is this for a car the parents are providing? If so, it should be a very unappealing model. Why? It is a chance for the child to upgrade his life without parental assist. There is great pleasure in earning something more desirable than what you have now. And there is no greater dis-service you can do to your child than to buy them a brand new, very appealing model. What will your child be able to buy on their own to top a new BMW convertible? My personal first choice: Minivan. Cheapest you can get. All utility, no sexy at all. The minivan is going to make that first new Nissan Versa seem sooo nice.
  • Personally for my boys I'll take drivability and handling over bulk -- I figure the accident they don't have is better than the accident they survive with bumps and bruises. Instead of a Vista Cruiser I'd suggest a mid-eighties BMW (3-series e30 or 5-series e28). Cheap to buy and insure, 4 doors, great gas mileage, big trunks, easy gutter mounts for roof racks (for mountain bikes and mattresses). All that, and they're really easy to drive with great visibility (actually the most important thing for a young driver) and few distractions. Right, they're also very safe albeit not stuffed with airbags. Most are manuals, which will cut down on borrowing. After an old BMW, just about any late 90's or early 00's 4-door sedan would work. A hatchback (Saab 900?) is insanely handy in college for all the laundry they'll bring home.
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  • Auto Loan
    Either way, I'd prefer that they do it in something that will protect them, and will not bite them with instability. Something underpowered, heavy and front-engined with a long wheelbase relative to its width would be my thought. SUVs can fit that bill, as long as they aren't too tall. Older Volvos can, as well
  • Jeff
    My son is still in high school, but we're looking for a car that will take him into college. We have $10K max for a budget. First let me say I'm a BMW guy. I have an E36 M3 (track car) and E60 530i now, previously an E46 330i. I would lean toward an E46 325i sedan as these came with a good stability control system and 6 air bags. The handle great and still look good. You can find 2001-2002 models that have been well cared for with under 100K miles for $8-9K. The other car we are considering is the Mazda6 -- side airbags were an option in 2006 and standard in 2007. I have seen several under 50K miles in our price range.
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  • Bob
    Dasko's comment about friends borrowing the car lead me to the opposite conclusion: make sure your kid can drive a manual, and do NOT buy an auto. As the buyer and insurer, the last thing I want is other kids driving my car. If they're driving it with permission, and they wreck it, my insurance has to cover it, not theirs. Rule #1 when my kids drive is that no one else gets behind the wheel of our cars unless it's to take my kids to the hospital. I second a Hyundai Sonata. High quality, safe, excellent reliability, excellent value.
  • I'm in college and drive a 2005 Impala LS with the 3.8. Basically any of the W-bodies are cheap to purchase, safe, reliable, large enough to haul lots of junk when moving back and forth from home to college, and they get relatively decent gas mileage. Or basically any other sedan, similar to what's been said.