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I’m graduating soon, and I’m going to be on my own financially. One of the things I’m sure I’ll have to do pretty soon is buy a car, as I’ll be moving off campus and won’t necessarily have easy access to my new workplace. But I’m not sure I understand how car loans work. What determines the rates on those–it’s my credit, right? But how is my credit calculated? And should I even take out a car loan at all, or is taking on debt to buy a vehicle a bad idea? Experts, please help!
Am I the only one who finds the idea of buying a car incredibly intimidating? I’m not talking about the process of going to the dealer, choosing a car, negotiating a price, and all of that. I’m talking about the actual concept of buying a car and owning something that costs as much as a typical car does! I don’t want to drive around in clunkers for the rest of my life, but I’m also really wary of putting a ton of my money into one single object that could be stolen or ruined. Also, what if I’m just bad at taking care of my car? I’d slowly ruin something that’s worth more than anything else I own. Is there another way to look at this that I’m missing?
I’m a college senior graduating this coming May with a degree in political science. I’ve already landed a great gig near Harrisburg, PA, which is where I’ll be moving to immediately after my graduation. While I’m definitely excited about relocating and starting my career, the one major obstacle I’m facing is not having a car.
That wasn’t an issue while spending the last four years attending an inner city school with everything necessary to live within walking, biking, or bussing distance. During the few occasions when that wasn’t enough, I’ve simply relied on Uber or Lyft. Unfortunately, that won’t necessarily be the case where I’m headed.
My parents lent me one of their cars throughout high school. As a result, I’ve never owned a car myself. How should I go about getting one?
SMU alumnus states his reaction to democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton’s response to her email scandal.
