Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Hey I’m new here, but I wanted to pose a scenario and see what people think I should do.
I am starting law school next year and probably moving across the country from Oregon. There is a small chance (say 25%) that I would stay in the Pacific Northwest or Western US in general, but a 75% chance I will be moving all the way to the east coast or at least to the mid-west. To make things more complicated I am moving to Europe for eight months from November to the end of June.
I’m trying to decide if I should keep my car and drive cross county, or sell my car before I leave for Europe and buy a new one wherever I end up going to law school. The car is a 2000 Subaru Outback that runs great and has low mileage for its age (140k) but is still 13 years old. I’ve been moving around the world for the past couple of years and my life is pretty portable in a suitcase.
Option #1: Park the car at my parents’ house for eight months and then probably drive it when I move to law school next summer. I’m pretty sure that the car will survive the next three years of law school, but it would be 17 years old by the time that I graduate. I can fit everything I could possibly need in the car but I’ll end up paying gas & lodging for a cross country trip and probably spend a week of my summer driving. And I don’t know how easy I will be to sell a Subaru in Virginia, North Carolina, Minnesota or Missouri vs. Oregon.
Option #2: A friend of mine has asked to buy the car before I leave for Europe. She is willing to pay $5000, which is over national market value for the vehicle but seems to be in the range that cars like mine are going for in the area. In this case I can fly directly from Europe to wherever I end up going to law school next summer, which would save me money in flights. I will have everything I need for school in my suitcase, but will probably end up needing to ship a couple (two) of boxes from home. Then I can spend the $5000 to buy a (new) used car wherever I end up while saving myself the drive time and travel money.
I’m trying to decide if I should keep my car and drive cross county,
or sell my car before I leave for Europe and buy a new one (at) law school...
(or not buy one even then if I live close enough to use good transit/bicycle).
I can fit everything I could possibly need in the car but I’ll end up paying gas & lodging
for a cross country trip and probably spend a week of my summer driving.
This is NOT a bad thing. Plan an extra week for the trip and see a few more sights too.
Quote:
Option #2: A friend of mine has asked to buy the car before I leave for Europe.
Thoughts.
As you're leaving for EU imminently... the ($5000) bird in hand is hard to ignore.
But quite frankly, I'd feel guilty selling that car for more than $2000 to anyone; especially a friend.
As you're leaving for EU imminently... the ($5000) bird in hand is hard to ignore.
But quite frankly, I'd feel guilty selling that car for more than $2000 to anyone; especially a friend.
That's what I thought, but then I did a little research. Similar cars 2000/2001 models with over 200k miles are going for $4500-$6000 from private sellers in my area, which seems wrong to me when the blue book value is like $2300. idk.
Selling a used car to a friend is asking for trouble.
Park the car, go to Europe and then drive it to where you are going to go to school. By you new car when you pass the bar, by then you would need a new car, but don't fall for the "status" cars.
It sounds like you know your Subaru to be in good working condition. Why sell it? Even if you bought another similar car, you are running a risk of having a nightmare from the unknowns. I say park it, and take it with you. Sometimes your just better off with the devil you know.
(Also, I would not worry about it's chronological age. So what if it will be 17 when you graduate? If it works and runs well, and is maintained, then it is a solid car. If it has been beaten and neglected, thats another story).
If the car is trouble free, then I'd keep it. That's just me... When you buy another 15 year old car, you don't know if it'll be a maintenance nigthmare. 140K is nothing for subaru's so I was told. Have someone take it out for a long drive once or twice a month. When you come back, it'll be just like you left it.
...Then I can spend the $5000 to buy a (new) used car wherever I end up while saving myself the drive time and travel money.
Thoughts.
You won't be able to buy a vehicle as nice or as well maintained/known as what you have for $5000 in todays market. The market today is going to be substantially similar to the market next June. I'd Much rather be on the selling side than the buying side in this market (though I'm actually in both, as I fix and flip vehicles for my income)
Your car will go ~250k miles regardless of age, so long as the maintenance is kept up on it. Subarus sell well EVERYWHERE, including down here in Georgia where there's zero need for their main feature of AWD.
I generally agree with those who say you should keep the car, but the one question I'd throw into the mix is whether you're even going to need a car when you're in law school.
You know your car to be in good working condition; Keep it. Ask your parents to take it to the grocery store once a week to keep the battery charged, etc. As everyone has said, buying another used car is always a risk. If you end up in Minnesota, you won't regret it. Subaru's, especially in larger metro areas, have loyal followings. This is more true in places that get a lot of snow, but its true everywhere.
Let a trusted friend have the car to use in your absence, with the condition that you get it back if and when you return and need it. The worst that can happen is that you lose a possible sale of a $2,000 car. Everything else is good, including open ended flexibility for you.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
