Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A car is 20k used. It doesn't shock me people would buy their kids cars, at all. It's a small expense for someone UMC. People pay 80k/year for college, buy whole homes, pay for a down payment...Having a dependable car is important based on where you live.
Avg new car sale is $47k (!!!) at the moment. And used comes with risks like maintenance, lack of free loaner car if in for service. Even things like worrying about tires and brakes on a used car is a chore and a safety risk.
Very decent/safe cars can be had for $27K. Your figure probably includes SUVs and hybrids, which are not needed for a first car.
Used cars are risky, full of unknowns, and not exactly the steal they used to be. If you’re a responsible college grad with good credit and a nice job, get a practical new car. 2-3 years of 100% worry free transportation is worth a premium.
The bigger stresser and ding to my self esteem when I was a young college grad was my piece of junk car. Buy your kid decent wheels if you can afford to help.
Anonymous wrote:Assuming you got rid of their high school car and they attended a college where they lived on campus and/or in a city they didn't need a car. Now they've graduated and begin a job in a region that requires a car. Does it go without saying UMC and wealthy parents go car shopping with their college grad kid the summer after they graduate, so they can begin their career with a stable vehicle? UMC parents should pay for the entire car, or only a large down payment... or parents co-sign a lease and pay the up-fronts but the kid will pay the monthly payment? Unsure what is normal.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:No, UMC parents buy their kids a car during HS.
If your kid goes to say Yale or Notre Dame or NYU and doesn’t drive at college, you’re going to keep their old car in the garage? No. You’re going to unload it. So they’ll need another car when they graduate.
Anonymous wrote:No, UMC parents buy their kids a car during HS.
Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:Anonymous wrote:A car is 20k used. It doesn't shock me people would buy their kids cars, at all. It's a small expense for someone UMC. People pay 80k/year for college, buy whole homes, pay for a down payment...Having a dependable car is important based on where you live.
Avg new car sale is $47k (!!!) at the moment. And used comes with risks like maintenance, lack of free loaner car if in for service. Even things like worrying about tires and brakes on a used car is a chore and a safety risk.
Very decent/safe cars can be had for $27K. Your figure probably includes SUVs and hybrids, which are not needed for a first car.
Anonymous wrote:I never crowdsourced my parenting decisions, to ensure that my actions were “normal.”
I gave my kid a car for a college graduation gift, because I knew she would need one in grad school and she had little to no savings. She was allowed to pick the vehicle, with a (pretty low) price limit and requirement for a very good crash test rating on the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s website. She paid the fees (registration and taxes), as well as ongoing gas and insurance.