UK student moving to Glendale (Phoenix, Mesa: buying, community college, living)

[Dazgaz]

My 19 year old son has just obtained his student visa and will be moving from England and starting at Glendale Community College in August. Are there any major tips anyone can pass my way?

He will be staying only a mile or so from campus and we already have a car planned for him, but don't know what type to go for as the cars in US are very different from those in UK. We'll probably look at spending $4-5k on a car. Any suggestions? We had looked at Crown Victorias, I believe you can pick up ex-police cars, which I presume will have full service history etc.

Any help would be appreciated, but not just on the car issue. Anything. Thanks in advance.

[ibarrio]

Yes, you can get ex police cars at auctions but my experiences show that these cars are pretty beat up and used for what they are built for. Police Crown Vics also have big engines so they are gas hogs. I would suggest a used Honda or Toyota for a student.

I don't know much about Glendale Community College so I will let another tackle that one.

[Dazgaz]

Thanks ibarrio. I'll get looking for Hondas and Toyotas.

[Cyanna]

Hi Dazgaz I would suggest staying away from the smaller used car dealers and if possible try to buy a car through a private seller from an area with a high population of retired persons. Senior citizens tend to use their cars more carefully and are more regular in keeping up service on their cars.

[Dazgaz]

Cheers Cyanna. Good advice. I hadn't thought of that. Sun City here I come!

[Cyanna]

Oh yeah, make sure the car has working air conditioning. If I remember correctly many of the older cars cannot have their units re-filled any longer due to regulations. Someone else on here might be able to add further to this.

[Dazgaz]

Thanks for the car advice. Does anyone have any general advice for someone from a completely different culture coming to live in AZ?

[EmptyNest4]

Hi Dazgaz,
My mom showed me this forum and asked me to give you some input re:your son. I'm a 18 yr.(soon 19) old female student who just finshed my lst yr. @ Grand Canyon Univ. in Phoenix. I live in Mesa, AZ. Two of my best friends(male) I met this year were from London and Glasgow, Scotland. I fly out to London/Glasgow next mos. to visit them and can't wait.
I hope I can help you by giving you some input of culture differences from the UK to the U.S. they shared with me.
The climate here is much warmer. The summer is "very(bloody as they said) hot here." However, they loved being able to wear sandals and swimming 6 mos. out of the year. The atmosphere here in AZ is far more casual than the UK so tell your son to bring plenty of shorts/short sleeve shirts or wait till he gets here and check out the malls which we have no shortage of. My friends fell in love with the large indoor mall concept with every kind of shopping/dining experience imaginable.
Scottsdale AZ and Mill Ave. in Tempe were a hugh hit with the nightlife/ college acitivities. Tempe is where ASU is located and Mill Ave. is where most of the college students go because it's near the campus.
Both fell in love with the variety of sports we offer. The Phoenix Coyotes(hockey) Phoenix Cardinals(football) Phoenix Suns(basketball). If possible, tell him to catch a ASU football game. The enery is non-stop and full of college kids. My friends are both now avid AZ. sports fans especially with the Phoenix Suns.
The legal drinking age here is 21 and we don't have local pubs. We have clubs and bars but again you must be 21. That took a bit of an adjustment for them.
Tell your son not to worry about his accent. The girls will love it! He'll be a huge hit.
Both of my friends were here on golf scholarships and loved the many gorgeous golf courses we offer along with sunshine 300 + days out of the year. The summer will be brutual when he first arrives but tell him to hang on because from Oct. on he'll start to cool down. Tell him to check-out our water parks(Sunsplash, Waterworld, Big Surf)loads of fun and will help him cope with the heat. I think they are open until Sept.(?) My friends loved checking-out "the birds" there. lol
We spent our holidays traveling to California (approx. 7hr. drvie) to visit Disneyland, San Diego and hanging on the beach. Your son will probably meet quite a few students from that area and they're very kind in offering places to stay. They loved California and the beaches. They were big fans of the OC, The Hills etc. so they got pics of the area they're filmed in. It was a big hit on their Bebo websites.
The culture here might be a bit of a shock at first but they both fell in love with it and made many friends while here. Your son won't be living on campus since GCC doesn't have one so it might be a bit harder to make friends at first. Tell him not to be shy, the people here are quite friendly. The more friends he makes the quicker he'll learn his way around and start feeling more connected.
I think getting a smaller car is a good idea. I drive a Honda, my brother also a college student drives a Toyota. They're very reliable and good on gas. I think my parents went on the Arizona Motor Vehicle website and for a small fee were able to check out the history of the cars we looked at before buying if that helps.
Mexican food is big in AZ along with our sunsets. They couldn't get enough of both.
Please let me know if you or your son have any questions. I'll be happy to answer them or text/facebook/myspace my friends for any advice/help you might need.
Good luck and tell him welcome to Arizona.
Sincerely,
Keegan

[MotleyCrew]

I am sure he will have no problem making friends here.

[Dazgaz]

Thanks all for the info/advice. Especially the mass of info from EmptyNest4. I'm sure my son's English accent will be even more pronounced now!