Should You Send Your Daughter To School With A Car This Fall?
Lots of students will be heading off to college this fall driving their own or a family car and keeping that vehicle with them for the academic year. Some schools forbid freshmen students from having a car, while others simply don’t have the parking space available to welcome hundreds if not thousands of additional vehicles.
But even if your child’s school allows students to bring cars with them, is that something you should consider? Let’s take a look at some of the things families must consider before allowing their daughter or son to have a car on campus:
Parking Fees – You’re already paying thousands for tuition, room and board, and books, so what’s so big about a single semester parking fee charge? At some schools those fees can amount to hundreds of dollars per semester, a sizable charge for certain. If you haven’t figured it out parking fees are one charge colleges love to assess to help cover other campus related expenses. Then again, at some schools additional campus police must be hired to patrol lots and in colder climates snow removal must be handled – your parking fee will contribute to covering those expenses.
Car Insurance – What sort of insurance rate will your insurer charge for having a car on campus? Some families don’t notify insurance companies about the change of address figuring that it is a temporary move. However, if you must file a claim and the car is domiciled in another city, you could find that the insurance company will hit you up with a premium increase once they learn about the move. Then again, your car insurance rate could drop if that car is registered and insured separately in another location.
Regular Maintenance – More than likely your student won’t be putting a lot of miles on the car while it is on campus, but it will still need to be maintained. Sure, you can take care of some of those matters over Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring and Summer breaks, but who will handle more costly repairs when a problem arises far from home? A newer car shouldn’t be a problem but that 1999 Buick LeSabre with 200,000 miles could prove to be costly and troublesome to maintain.
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